Turn Purple 2 Blue

Woo-hoo Wisconsin!

More to cheer about… Governor Tony Evers just ushered in a new day of democracy in Wisconsin by signing a new set of state legislative maps into state law. This legislative victory overturned one of the more egregious, extreme partisan gerrymanders in American political history. Republicans, in 2011, drew district lines that guaranteed that even landslide election losses wouldn’t cost them their majorities. Now in 2024, new maps, graded “A” for fairness by nonpartisan observer organizations (current maps scored an “F”) are the law of the land and will restore fairness and power of the vote to this key purple state.

Steady work by activists and voters brought about these fair maps. Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Dems, described the continuous effort: “In 2018, 2020, and 2023, voters built a new progressive majority on the State Supreme Court. By electing Governor Evers and preventing GOP supermajorities, they stopped hard-right maps from being signed into law. And last year, a civic uprising prevented Republicans from impeaching Janet Protasiewicz. …Every one of those fights was a necessary step towards this moment.”

Your postcards, phone calls, texts, and donations helped bring about this victory by supporting the election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz to the WI Supreme Court. Her election flipped the court, which then could consider the issue of gerrymandering legally and equitably.

So pat yourselves on the back, celebrate with your Wisconsin allies, and keep working for justice and democracy. Once again, your activism, determination and hard work have paid off in protecting and strengthening our democracy!

The Threats of a Trump Presidency

Democracy is at stake for this Presidential Election. You may know people who are worried about many other crises, and of course, those are all important too. But we need democracy to solve them. Abortion Rights? Climate Crisis? Immigrant Rights? LGBTQ Rights? Healthcare? Social Security? Student Loan Relief? Global Human Rights? Everything hinges on keeping a democracy that is accountable to voters.

If you, or someone you know, is thinking of staying home:
that is a vote for Trump.

If you, or someone you know, is thinking of voting third party:
that is a vote for Trump.

Trump has been very clear about what he will do if he seizes power.
A vote for Trump is a vote for Authoritarianism.

TP2B has assembled a collection of articles about the dangers of Authoritarianism. They are meant as a reference in case you have a friend or family member that doesn’t see the difference between Democrats and Republicans. When talking to people about the dangers of a Trump presidency remember to:

Show empathy for the issue they are worried about. Ask them how they think Trump would help that problem. (No vote or third party is a vote for Trump)
Find a shared value and lead with that.
Talk about a specific problem rather than broad assertions about democracy. You could talk about another issue that you both care about.

Indivisible National Can Help You Publish a Letter to the Editor

Project 2025: The Far Right Playbook for Authoritarianism

This website discusses Project 2025, which is the published plan of the radicals supporting Trump.

The plan is chilling. Punishing and deporting non-Christians. Removing expertise and neutrality from government agencies. Eradicating DEI programs. Punishing and legislating the bodies of LGBTQ people. Punishing and legislating the bodies of Women. Ending Climate Change policies. Ending military Affirmative Action. Destroying Public Education. Abandoning democracy and people in other countries.

Other Resources:

The Atlantic Jan/Feb 2024 issue was devoted to the danger of Trump. You can read or listen to most of the articles at If Trump Wins. In addition to Democracy, various authors lay out the disaster that Trump would be for Climate, Immigrants, Science, and Women. There are articles on how Trump will use the judiciary and military and how he plans to punish blue cities and towns, roll back civil rights and rewrite history curriculum.

The New York Times How Trump Plans to Wield Power in 2025: What We Know By Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Charlie Savage Donald J. Trump and his allies are already laying the groundwork for a possible second Trump presidency, forging plans for an even more extreme agenda than his first term.

Protect Democracy is a website that measures and researches authoritarianism

The Atlantic A Climate Reckoning Is Coming for the Next President By Zoë Schlanger A second Trump term would be a disaster. And the U.S. would mostly be hurting itself.

MSMagazine Project 2025: The Right’s Dystopian Plan to Dismantle Civil Rights and What It Means for Women by CARRIE N. BAKER

Abortion, Every Day The Anti-Abortion Blueprint: An Oklahoma Bill Lays Out Republican’s National Abortion Strategy by Jessica Valenti The radical right’s plan to define fertilized eggs as persons, thereby prohibiting IUDs, emergency contraception, and IVF procedures, as well as abortion. Their ultimate goal is to ban contraception all together.

Axios.com Inside Trump’s plans to deport millions from the U.S. by Stef W. Kight, Courtenay Brown, Russell Contreras Donald Trump’s plan to crack down on immigration includes using a range of tools to deport millions of people in the U.S. each year — from obscure laws to military funds to law enforcement officers from all levels of government.

PBS Newshour Interview The Potential Impact of Trump’s Extreme Deportation and Immigration Agenda

Victory: Suozzi Wins Disgraced Santos Seat

It was a decisive victory: Suozzi won by 7.8 points. (Santos had won by 8 points, so that’s a swing of 15.8 points!). And in a snowstorm. Robert Hubbell wrote on February 14, 2024:

“We cannot become complacent because of Suozzi’s victory. Rather, the lesson is that we must replicate the enormous effort that went into securing Suozzi’s victory.” Even CNN recognized that an army of grassroots volunteers helped Suozzi:

Grassroots progressive groups like Engage Long Island, which is part of the Indivisible network, have been feverishly knocking on doors – taking their case directly to like-minded neighbors. And Suozzi has massively outraised Pilip, taking in $4.5 million to her $1.3 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings that cover the beginning of October through January 24 of this year.

Tonight, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the grassroots volunteers at Indivisible. PostCardsToVoters (sent 202,236 fully handwritten postcards to Democrats in NY-03), Markers for Democracy, Swing Left, and dozens of other groups that did the hard work of getting out the vote to ensure victory! You are all heroes!”

Suozzi said in his victory speech: “I want to thank the grassroots folks all over the country and here on Long Island and New York. During this campaign we did 2 million phone calls, hundreds of thousands of postcards, hundreds of thousands of texts, 150,000 door knockers. It’s just amazing how many people contributed to our success at the grassroots level. I mean, it’s so humbling to me to have had so many people help in this campaign.”

We can’t say it any better than that, except to add that our TP2B groups wrote 5,375 postcards to help the Suozzi campaign. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen!

The MA state legislature has been ranked the least effective of all 50 states. Even with a two year cycle and one party rule, leadership in the legislature manages to strangle most popular bills. Long gone are the days of groundbreaking bills like Romneycare and Same Sex Marriage. Massachusetts has lost its mantle of Democratic leadership. We must demand better, for our state and our nation.

California, like New York, has some very blue districts and some very red. In 2022, Democrats ceded five US House seats in districts that Biden won. That’s the same margin that we lost control of the US House by, we won’t leave these districts behind again. Their primary is March 5, 2024, which will also determine the Democratic nominee for the US Senate.

We the People- MI

From the We the People Michigan Website:

In coming together, we reject the narrative of scarcity—that giving resources to one community in Michigan takes resources away from another—and embrace a narrative of abundance. We reject narratives that pit us against one another and divide us. We believe that we are most powerful when we work together. We believe in empowering communities to determine their own futures and to tell their own stories. We recognize our shared interests, our shared challenges, and our shared destiny. We demand a government that works in the interests of the 99% rather than the 1%.

Vision:

A Michigan where people have dignity
A Michigan that is safe and sustainable
A Michigan that protects democracy
A Michigan that acknowledges our history

Donate

Why Saving Democracy Conversations will Work

This summer I spent visiting with old friends and traveling to Tennessee to meet new activists. I was reading David Peppers’ new book, Saving Democracy, and thinking about how to strengthen our activism for the upcoming elections.

I met new activists in Nashville, preparing for the special legislative session called by the Gov. Lee. There is a lot of energy there – people newly awakening to their political power and learning to use it. They are planning protests and phonebanks. They are teaching people to call their state legislators to demand action. But then they went one step further: talk to your friends and families in red districts. Tell them what is happening, ask them to call!

I met my old friends, Democrats all, but strangely disinterested in national politics. Two I would consider “center left” and they are deeply involved in their own town’s governance and battling trumpies there. But they were uninformed about Biden’s accomplishments, or the terrible straits other states are in. Another friend, a casual voter, voiced the opinion that Trump could beat Biden. But she really didn’t know any details about what has happened the last three years- either advances or defeats.

David Pepper’s major thesis is that to truly solve our democratic crisis, we must use our personal connections to breakthrough to our neighbors. It’s up to us because

Republicans have leveraged gerrymandering to hobble democratic debate.
The federal government imperfectly protects our rights.
The judicial system has been hijacked by radicals using any excuse to fight the culture wars, defined more and more as simply fighting federal control.
We are basically living in two different countries: One where education and reproductive autonomy are legal and one busy banning black history, queer books, and abortion.

Is there room for persuasion in our polarized nation?

The media enjoys the false narrative that our country is 50/50 red and blue. It makes their horse race and poll reporting simpler and more dramatic. But their ratings frame misses:

There has been a vast realignment after Trump, with Never Trumpers leaving the Republican party and calling themselves Independent. 49% of Americans now call themselves Independent.
Even after the largest turnout in a presidential election ever (81 million for Biden and 74 million for Trump, 2.8 million for other), there remains another 80 million people who did not vote.
There are significant generational differences in voters within the parties. The Brookings Institute details how this generational change is dividing the GOP but uniting Democrats.
There are significant gender differences in voters. Gen Z women in the U.S. are now 30 percentage points more liberal than their male counterparts

More and more people are describing MAGA as a cult. Please don’t engage with hardcore trumpies, especially on social media. It’s counterproductive: You will never change a cult member’s mind, and you will waste your time and energy. It’s one of the reasons they do disgusting things – they want the outrage to soak up all of people’s energy.

I would like to make it clear that no one is asking you to engage with trumpies, especially on social media.

Messaging as Activism

To advance in the battle for our democracy, we need to take our activism to the next level. And by that, I mean talking to people who say they are Independents or non-voters- in my rough estimate- that is a national footprint of 120 million opportunities. The key is that all of our personal footprints are important pieces of the national electorate. We know these people, and they will be more likely to listen to someone they know. And maybe they will activate their own footprints!

The Non-Voter. Hey, this has been me! I’ve moved a lot, and local and state elections can be baffling when you do that. It’s hard to find information about the people on the ballot, and sometimes even the job is opaque (looking at you Governor’s Council). So sometimes people just don’t vote, or maybe they leave part of the ballot blank (undervoting). In 2020, when I volunteered as a poll worker, a woman came in and yelled at us because there were other races on the ballot. She only wanted to vote for president. Undervoting is quite common.

Nonvoters’ reasons for not voting also include:

not being registered to vote (29%)
not being interested in politics (23%)
not liking the candidates (20%)
a feeling their vote wouldn’t have made a difference (16%)
being undecided on whom to vote for (10%)

The Independent: Yes, there are some true independents, but mostly, these are people fleeing partisan negativity. 75% of the time, they lean towards one party or the other, and that shows in their voting. In these conversations, avoid negativity about the other party as the only reason to vote. The media is great at covering bad things – not good at all at talking about accomplishments. Again, listening and sharing values is a great place to start. Then just add in, “I really liked how Biden, the democrats, the candidate helped people by reducing drug prices, reforming student loans, building factories on American soil…. Lots of choices here- even better if it’s policy that helped you or someone you know personally.

The 9-Month Challenge

In the next 9 months, I know you will continue to postcard, text, canvas, phonebank and donate. But we will be giving you the tools to take your activism one step further. It’s small conversations- planting little seeds. You’ll be talking to people you know: family, neighbors, dog walkers, Uber drivers, anyone you interact with. We’ll share some messaging ideas -but remember you are leading with your values and experiences.

woman writing on white diary — Photo by Anna Nekrashevich on Pexels.com

women sitting on the bench while talking — Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

All our small conversations will contain the seeds to nudge people, one category at a time.

Your First Assignment

Your first assignment is to start thinking about the policies you care about in terms of your values. Why do you think voting is important? Why do you think climate mitigation is important? Why do you think gun safety is important? What do your values say about the content of education that public schools should offer? The list is different for each of us. Can you memorize a sentence about your values about any topic you want to engage on?

Lastly, I want to draw your attention to the graphic at the top of this article. It’s from an Indivisible workshop on combatting disinformation, and it’s very useful in setting goals and expectations. All our small conversations will contain the seeds to nudge people, one category at a time. Doris Kearns Goodwin, reminiscing about participating in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, said that it was powered by people connecting their private lives to public policy. I believe that is what is missing in a large portion of the electorate, and that working to change that will make a huge difference in 2024. So let’s get started!

Get Energized to Turn State Legislatures Blue

12/2/24 Democratics have 15 state trifectas after the 2024 elections. Defending our state trifectas, slowing radical Repulicans by gaining divided state governments, or even simply breaking Republican veto-proof supermajorities are the best way to protect our fellow Americans, The States Project continues to provide valuable support for these (generally) low dollar races.

2/5/24 After living with Dobbs since June 2022, we really understand the brutality and cruelty of GOP state legislatures. Whether it is refusing miscarrying women medical care, refusing to allow trans people to decide their own destinies, or refusing to expand Medicare, Red states are hurting our fellow Americans.

The States Project identifies impactful seats to champion, and even more importantly, they provide expertise to candidates. Everyday people, like you, form or donate to Giving Circles that consolidate small dollar donations into something meaningful.

Current States

What Are Giving Circles?

Start your Own

Your Local Giving Circle: Swing Blue Alliance is the largest all-volunteer, Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in Massachusetts. We use innovative methods to protect our democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level.

Swing Blue Alliance is partnering with The States Project in 2024 because:

Join this Giving Circle

State legislatures control the how’s and why’s of voting and thus directly affect who is elected to Congress, the Senate and the Presidency.
It can be a matter of flipping or defending one or two state legislative seats to have a Democratic majority to decide crucial issues such as reproductive rights, public school funding, gun safety laws and voting rights in a state.
The States Project will leverage our financial contributions to make sure that campaigns follow evidence-based best practices to increase Democratic votes. We can collaborate with other Giving Circles to maximize our financial and political impact.

The States Project’s effectiveness recognized in this New York Times article.

By Christine Brown 2/1/22

Right now many of us are working hard on the 2022 elections to protect and expand our majorities in the House and Senate. This is important work and must be done.

But let’s think ahead to 2024 for a moment.

The disgraced ex-president’s coup attempt only failed because people at all levels, but especially the state and local levels, refused to break the rules. And the radical Republican party is now going all in to either change those rules or replace those people or both.

The essential role of State Legislatures/Melissa Walker (callin.com )

So, while we fight for Congress, we must also devote some time and energy to the states. The good news is that small amounts of money and an influx of volunteers can make a big difference in these races.

TurnPurple2Blue.org has a lot of great ideas on how to support Democrats in state elections. But we especially love this concept of Giving Circles!

Listen to Hubbell’s interview with the Director of Giving Circles for The States Project. The full interview is here: Today’s Edition Podcast, The States Project interview with Melissa Walker.

Thank you for working so hard the last five years. Pat yourself on the back for what we did accomplish- we overcame a coup attempt to win the Presidency and the Senate!

If you’re tired, take this inspiration from Melissa Walker:

“This is the first moment in my life where I feel like I will spend the rest of my life tending to democracy in a way that I didn’t know was necessary.”

For right now, I tell myself that I can’t get tired and I won’t get tired . . . I think about how tired the civil rights leaders must have been after being beaten and waking up in hospital beds and facing that darkness . . . and I know that if those folks kept going, who am I not to keep going . . . “

Listen to Melissa’s inspiring two-minute closing remarks in her own voice, here: “I will spend the rest of my life tending to democracy / Melissa Walker.”

Positive Messaging: Voter Registration Edition

The media still hasn’t found a path forward to help protect Democracy. They uplift disinformation, don’t hold radicals accountable and cover only bad news. But you can make a real difference by talking to real people! From Uber drivers to that neighbor or relative, you may have a chance to talk about Biden’s accomplishments or other good news that the media ignores. Remember, most people do not pay for a newspaper or even watch the news – whatever the reason, they just don’t pay attention. Here are some conversation starters!

Is your Voter Registration up to date? Taylor wants you to check!

“I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!”
-Taylor Swift

“What’s she saying: “I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently, “Swift wrote in a message on her Instagram story on Tuesday, linking to vote. org’s site.” I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!”

Taylor Swift’s post encouraged more than 35,000 people to register to vote on Vote.org. This is so important for our democratic coalition. Please encourage people you meet this holiday season to register to vote. Have they moved? They need to reregister. Have they voted sporadically? They should check to make sure they have not been thrown off the rolls.

Swing and/or Red States are notorious for purging voter rolls. Indeed, it doesn’t hurt to check your voting status because there are so many errors in the purging. For example, in 2019, the Director of the League of Women Voters in Ohio was going to be purged – even though she had voted consistently! This year, Virginia was caught wrongfully removing 3,400 voters. It’s all part of the Republican strategy of voter suppression.

2024 Goals: Win the House

The bad news: last year the MAGA leadership in the House blocked Senate bills, kicked funding the government down the road three times, and pursued vindictive show trials. The good news: we only need to flip 5 seats and defend the seats we won in 2022 to regain the majority. Much attention is on the Unrepresentatives, also called the Biden 18. These are potentially flippable seats where Republicans won in 2022 in a district that Biden won, and often by a very slim margin.

For February, let’s narrow the focus with early primaries and a “nesting” strategy. Such a strategy concentrates on states with both House and Senate seats we care about. The idea is that increasing turnout for the Senate seat will help get votes for the House seats (and for President Biden). Arizona works well with our nesting strategy and California is our next primary opportunity.

Arizona

Arizona has two of the “Biden 18,” David Schweikert (AZ-01), co-founder of the Republican “Freedom” Caucus and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), an anti-choice and anti LGBTQ crusader.

Force Multiplier has identified an emerging candidate to support for AZ-06, Democrat Kristen Engel. Previously elected to the Arizona State Senate, she has good qualifications and name recognition. Engel ran against Ciscomani in 2022. That election was so close; she fell short by only 5,232 votes or 1.5%. The Arizona primary is very late, August 6, and she needs support now to combat Republican attacks. Donate

Unrepresentative David Schweikert (AZ-01) also had a very slim victory, 3,195 votes or 0.8%. The Democratic primary in AZ-01 is very crowded, and we are watching for an emerging candidate here. In the meantime, we can help with donations to our excellent Arizona grassroot groups, LUCHA, NEAZ Dems and RAZA, and by sending messaging postcards for the Senate race.

California

California is home to five UnRepresentative districts (CA 13, 22, 27, 40 and 45). We can make an early difference here because of their voter-nominated primary, which takes place March 5, 2024.

All candidates, regardless of party, are listed on one ballot and the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election. We are working for turnout in these primaries because people who vote in the primary are much more likely to vote in November. Support for Democrats in the primary also strengthens candidates for November. Find Postcard opportunities here.

In addition, Force Multiplier has identified an emerging candidate to support for CA-13, Democrat Adam Gray. Previously elected to the California State Assembly, he has good qualifications and name recognition. Gray ran against Jon Duarte in 2022, and lost by a mere 564 votes or 0.4%. Let’s get him early support to fight Republican attacks. Donate