Christine’s Viewpoint:
I completely agree with Barbara’s Game Plan! This is definitely the core strategy for winning 2024. And, make no mistake, we must win to save our democracy. Turn Purple 2 Blue Groups have already sent over 22,000 postcards with these goals, and I hope we get to 100,000!
But if you have some bandwidth to devote to protecting Democrats in other states and working for the future, there is valuable work to be done. People have special interests in different states – maybe you lived there for a time, or you have family there. People have special interests in different topics, too – maybe you will write for any school board or any abortion rights initiative. There’s a huge community of postcard writers passionately writing for local or other races that could bring up-ballot votes to win the Presidency, Senate, and House. It’s good to focus on what you are passionate about, and we can’t all work on the same thing.
I attended a Postcards for Democracy Zoom this week and found a wonderful group of people writing for local races and states that are not getting the full battleground treatment this year. From school boards to statehouses, the results of these races affect the daily lives of Americans, and we need to support democracy at every level. Bonus: by supporting these races today, we build an infrastructure and support system for the future, even if we don’t win. One thing we have definitely learned is that it takes years of concentrated effort to take back the gerrymandered statehouses. This is where we start.
An easy place to begin is Postcards to Voters. This organization is fantastic – and unique in that it is set up for individual writers to easily get addresses for postcards that must be sent within three days. You can get as few as four addresses and as many as 50 at a time. They are very strict about the three-day mailing time, so it’s better to request a smaller amount. If this interests you, you could budget some of your postcarding efforts here. I can help you get blank postcards at a much lower rate than Amazon, just email me at Christine@IndivisibleActon.org for details. You would be responsible for requesting the addresses and buying stamps.
Latest success: Alabama’s special election for the statehouse Democrat Marilyn Lands crushed her MAGA opponent by campaigning on reproductive rights. Postcards are ideal for special elections, and Postcards to Voters reports that “Two thousand one hundred sixty Postcards to Voters volunteers wrote 26,361 cards to boost Democratic turnout.”
People ask me all the time about long-shot races – especially when the Republican in office is especially hated (looking at you, Ted Cruz). These races always have a lot of press and a lot of fundraising asks claiming that the challengers are sooooo close! It is true that the demographic changes in red states will eventually benefit us, but we can’t sit back and wait. We need to build awareness, and donations to grassroots groups are essential in these states. Postcards can build solidarity and community among Democrats.
Markers for Democracy
is a good source for Unicorn races!
Florida is intriguing this year. We were very disappointed by Val Demmings’ loss in 2022, but this year Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is making a good push against Rick Scott. On April 1st, the Florida State Supreme Court not only allowed the Abortion Rights initiative on the ballot, they greenlighted a 6 week ban. Remember the 6 weeks starts from the first day of your last period – so most women do not even know that they are pregnant. This race is moving out of “Hail Mary” territory.
Texas- talk about a Hail Mary! No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas in 30 years, although Beto came within 3 points in 2018. Texas is rife with corruption, and they continue to vote for MAGA candidates even after mass shootings, indictments, and deaths from mismanagement of the power grid. You still could consider local races to help protect the Democratic cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston, which are constantly under attack from the Republican supermajority.
I recently joined a new group called Markers for Democracy, which will give us access to these types of races. With this group, I can provide you with custom packets of addresses, postcards, and stamps. If you are interested, email Christine@IndivisibleActon.org.