and hopeful.
I’m concerned because I think the temptation for online Democrats to fall into the news junkie, poll watching, top of the ticket obsession, media-bamboozlement hypnosis in which so many of us simply watched as Trump won the electoral college in 2016 is still present.
It was that abject somnolence that ten years ago helped cost us countless state legislative races in 2010 and set us up for an entire decade of GOP Gerrymandering. It was this same lack of commitment that also cost us dearly with a lack of Blue State support for local on the ground efforts to defend our vulnerable Senate candidates in 2018.
Fact is, local races are hard. And the Blue State echo chamber effect is profound; it shapes our national politics. Even beyond the U.S. Senate, which is critical, the fact is that we just aren’t as committed to activism dedicated to electing our local State Legislative candidates as we need to be. While an admittedly small data point, the response to my series highlighting deserving State Legislative Candidates running in key states in 2020 (so far) is a case in point.
It’s rare that a diary of mine gets absolutely no comments the day it posts. Goodness knows, I’ve had a good run here, but the fact that only one person bothered to comment in support of Ricky Hurtado running in North Carolina tells us something about where our minds are at, and it’s not on local races.
But I’m also hopeful.
I’m hopeful because organizations like Sister District and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee are committed to bringing new activists and donors into a network that complements traditional avenues for Democrats to support downballot races like the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
And these new organizations are finding success.
In fact, Sister District is consistently bringing in new activists and energizing them with a novel and highly-local organizing model. If you live in a Blue-dominated area and haven’t gotten involved you should do so today.
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And that brings me to Wisconsin and Sara Rodriguez.
NDRC did a high level analysis of how Wisconsin came to be ground zero for Trump’s ascendance in 2016 and exactly where local Democrats are fighting back.
Among the Nine Candidates that NDRC is advancing to help Democrats cut into Republican majorities in both Wisconsin chambers is Sara Rodriguez in AD13.
You may be familiar with Netroots Heroes like Ben Wikler, and the Covid-19 controversy earlier this year, but have you had a chance to check out Sara’s run which was directly inspired by those events?
Sara is a candidate who is endorsed both by Sister District and the NDRC and her experience as a Nurse and Epidemic Intelligence Officer at the CDC is directly related to her decision to run and challenge WI GOP response to the Covid-19 crisis.
I’ve been shouting from the rooftops that our small donor dollars impact local races much more than any other choice we can make. Your $25 to Sara goes to energize local activists to register and turn out voters in ways that ONLY local candidates can, by activating friends, family, colleagues...deep local networks that aren’t activated any other way.
And, at the end of the day, that local grassroots activism helps Biden/Harris, and all of us.
Perhaps in honor of tonight’s convention, you might consider supporting Sara or Sister District or the NDRC today?
