We are doing it in Florida.
In 2020, the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida (DECF), under the leadership of Janelle Christensen, PhD., MPH, and Dr. Fergie Reid of https://www.90for90.org/ embarked on a mission to recruit and provide minimal funding for 42 candidates running for Florida State House and Senate seats. This effort marked the first time in over two decades that we were able to field a full slate of Democratic candidates in these key races. Check out:
Katherine Norman challenged Joe Gruters
Patricia Plantamura challenged Nick DiCeglie
We even had a candidate being pushed out of running. Can you imagine?
While victory seemed unlikely for these candidates, their presence played a crucial role in supporting the Biden campaign.
By drawing more Democrats to the polls, compelling Republican spending on local campaigns, and necessitating significant investments from the Trump campaign, these candidates proved to be invaluable assets.
Data analysis has shown that DECF candidates performed comparably to self-recruited candidates in more competitive races that Democrats ultimately lost. Moreover, these candidates compelled Republicans to invest over 20X the $$$$$ allocated by Democrats, significantly impacting the allocation of resources in other races, particularly the Presidential campaign.
While the makeup of the Florida legislature remained largely unchanged in November 2020, Joe Biden secured victory in the Presidential election.
Then in November 2022 Florida Democratic Party (FDP) faced significant challenges, leaving 53 legislative races unopposed. This lack of opposition contributed to a staggering 19-point loss in the race for Governor and all other statewide races, far surpassing Biden's 3-point loss margin in 2020.
Republican turnout in 2022 reached 104% of 2018 voting numbers, while Democratic turnout was only at 80% of 2018 numbers, highlighting the urgent need to increase voter engagement.
Democrats cannot afford to remain complacent in November. We must prioritize increasing voter turnout and demonstrating our commitment to democracy by fielding candidates at every level.
One of the leaders on the charge to run Candidates in every seat is Anderson Clayton , Chair of North Carolina Democratic party who obsessively points to the same stat over and over again: “In 2022, Democrats in North Carolina lost 44 state legislative seats to Republicans without putting a candidate on the ballot. She vows it won’t happen again.”
“Studies have shown that having down-ballot candidates on the ballot can increase votes for the President by up to 2.3%.” Our focus for the 2024 initiative is to recruit and potentially fund candidates for approximately 47 State House and Senate seats in "tough-to-win" districts.
Our initiative for 2024 aims to achieve the following:
- Increase voter turnout up and down the ballot.
- Force Republicans to allocate more time and resources to districts they previously took for granted.
- Energize Democratic voters across the state.
- Pass important initiatives, such as Women’s Reproductive Rights and Marijuana Legalization, on the November 2024 Ballot.
Having already recruited over 40 of the needed State House and Senate candidates for 2024, we are now turning our attention to raising funds to assist with filing fees and campaign expenses.
Filing fees are $1,782.00 per candidate. That is Crazy!
Here are stories of some of our candidates: Laura Kelley, Lisa Carpus, Lisa Newell
Or perhaps you already read about “The Miracle in Florida” by Bethesda 1971.
If you want to help DONATE.
I urge you to join our grassroots initiative. Despite facing significantly less funding than our opponents, we anticipate achieving a significantly better return on investment.
Be a part of the change Florida needs. You will not regret it!