Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D-I-Y’ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week, we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
This week, I’ll be in Laramie, Wyoming, visiting the Wyoming Democratic Party. At a state meeting, several elements come into play, from the general meeting itself to forums and sessions which are connected to the party.
Today, we’re going to talk about ancillary committees and caucuses within the Democratic state parties, the purpose of them, and how they play a role in helping to elect Democratic candidates in your state.
States have many options to recognize caucus or ancillary committees. Some organizations are nationwide, like Federated Democratic Women’s Clubs. Other groups around the country include: African-American Caucus, LatinX caucus, Asian American Caucus, Progressive Caucus, Disabilities Caucus, Local Elected Caucus, LGBT caucus, and so on. Your state can recognize as many or as few caucus groups as can successfully organize and support the party.
Caucus and ancillary groups can unite people with similar issues. But, what makes for a strong ancillary group/caucus, and what makes for an ancillary group that struggles?
Caucus, Ancillaries & Advocacy
Very few people in the party can successfully advocate for issues that impact a group if they don’t have members of that group on their side. The methodology used by those who advocate for the disabled is certainly appropriate here: nothing about us, without us.
At the most effective, caucus and ancillary groups help build issue portfolios that they can focus on and use their resources to keep attention on issues that impact their group. This may include:
- Advancing legislation.
- Fundraising for candidates who support their issues
- Endorsements of candidates
- Providing testimony in state house proceedings
- Provide research for legislators and the party as a whole
At the least effective:
- Raise no funds for candidates
- Provide no issue advocacy
- Are not transparent to members of the party
- Provide no digital or other sign of involvement outside of state meetings.
Most caucus and ancillary committees reside somewhere in the middle. So, how can you build the strength of your ancillary committees?
Building Strength In Your Organization
Remember, each entity is in itself a chance to advocate on behalf of specific issues. Without a soap box to stand on, though, your organization will have great difficulty gaining attention to their issues. As you attend your state meetings, if you are invited to participate in caucus/ancillaries, ask your groups:
- Do we have an online presence? Facebook/Twitter?
- Are we tracking legislative issues that impact our caucus?
- Do we collect dues? And how are dues used?
- How do we interact with candidates and party-elected officers?
Caucus and ancillary committees can often fall into disrepair. In some cases, they disappear. Ted Jackson, who has been an advocate for the national growth of the disabilities caucus, pointed out to me in Baltimore that at one point as few as six states had reported disabilities caucus in operation.
Rebuilding these organizations often takes very little work, and can sometimes turn them into very effective entities to stand up to the Republican wave of state legislation. Caucuses which raise small money on issue advocacy can help back a candidate. But it is the advocacy work on issues and policy that really matters.
State legislators will tell you that finding the right person to testify on legislation is not always easy. When caucuses are correctly assembled, they can be one of the first contacted about getting the right people before state house committees.
Think of your caucus as a first-in-order lobbying effort, representing your issues directly.
Okay, This Isn’t Working.
Some caucuses go dormant. Others never manage to turn themselves into more than a social club. There is nothing at all wrong with that happening, but if you are investing your time into a caucus or organization within your state party, you have to manage your personal commitment to match your goals.
If your goal is to make friends within the party and to build relationships, there is nothing wrong with social-club oriented caucus and ancillary committees. If your goal, though, is to cause a change in your state house, then focus your efforts on a caucus that is likely to grow and will be managed in a way that fits your goals.
Watch the way in which a caucus raises and uses the money it earns. Caucuses that bring in reasonable contributions but do not spend them to benefit Democratic candidates need to be providing resources to issue advocacy, or, frankly, do something else.
The party just doesn’t have enough resources for silos that bring in contributions and act as a social club. Caucus and ancillary groups that invest large percentages of their fundraising on candidates or research/state house costs are ideal for a progressive looking to make changes.
Final Thoughts
Ancillary Committees/Caucuses exist as a way to unite Democratic party members in common goals. At your state committee you have the opportunity to join and advocate on behalf of many groups that you may have interest in. If you invest your time well, not only will you make friends and allies you will need later, but you can help build an effective on the ground infrastructure that can advocate for our values.
NEXT WEEK: I will be in Atlanta for the DNC Vote from Thursday-Sunday, so Next week Nuts & Bolts will go inside what a DNC Meeting looks like, how the vote goes, and I will live-blog the election. Join us!
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Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
Contact the Daily Kos group Nuts and Bolts by kosmail (members of Daily Kos only).
Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
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