SwingLeft
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SwingLeft is dedicated to regaining progressive control of the government in 2018. SwingLeft is dedicating their efforts to "a handful of Swing Districts...where the last election was decided by a thin margin."[1]
From their website:
- "Control of the House in 2018 will be decided by a handful of Swing Districts, places where the last election was decided by a thin margin. Find your closest Swing District and join its team to learn about actionable opportunities to support progressives—and defeat Republicans—in that district, no matter where you live. We can stop Trump and the GOP agenda by working together NOW."
Swing Left was started by Ethan Todras-Whitehill, a writer and teacher, Joshua Krafchin, a marketer and entrepreneur, and Miriam Stone, a brand strategist.[2]
The three brought in their friends, who in turn brought in their friends, to help build SwingLeft in the wake of the 2016 election.
- We weren’t politicians or professional organizers. SwingLeft was started by a group of individuals from diverse industries, including tech, media, finance, nonprofits, and art. We are citizens. And like many people, we'd been sitting on the sidelines for too long. We didn't have all the answers, but we knew it was time to channel our anger and despair in a positive direction.
Since then, SwingLeft has grown into a grassroots movement of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. The national organization is now led by Executive Director Ethan Todras-Whitehill, Chief Community Officer Matt Ewing, and Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Finocchi. [3]
Motivation
From Ethan Todras-Whitehill, Co-Founder, Swing Left:
- "Less than 90 days ago, one day before the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, a small group of friends and I started Swing Left with a singular goal: to flip the House blue in the 2018 midterm elections.
- "We started by building a simple tool to help people find their closest Swing District and sign up for a team to support that district. Then, we built an organization to inform, connect, and empower volunteers by providing them with actionable opportunities to support progressive candidates running in that district.
- "The response has been incredible, and humbling. Since launching to the public the day before Inauguration Day, Swing Left has grown to over 300,000 volunteers supporting 53 Swing Districts across the United States. Swing Left volunteers have held nearly 700 house parties, bringing together local teams to get started on the important work of talking with and listening to voters. 12,000 people have attended one of those parties. And those parties have translated into real, meaningful action: volunteers have scheduled over 200 voter contact events across the country.
- "Today, Swing Left is introducing something that many of our followers have been asking for-- something that hasn’t been done in previous congressional elections:
- "We are proud to introduce Swing Left District Funds, a fundraising initiative to help pool our resources now so that the Democratic nominee in each Swing District reaches the general election with a built-in financial head start.
- "District Funds are pots of money, raised in advance, for the eventual Democratic nominee in each of our Swing Districts. These grassroots donations will be passed on to the candidate right after the primary—and if the incumbent in a given Swing District is a Democrat, donations will be sent to their campaign immediately.
- "This model—raising money for the eventual Democratic challenger in a House race—is new for the 2018 midterm elections and has the potential to be a game changer in swinging individual seats and the House at large-- here's why:
- "Candidates often emerge from primaries cash poor. Challengers tend to spend most of their available funds in the lead up to the primary. Their incumbent opponent, on the other hand, has been hoarding cash for two years.
- "The earlier candidates get money, the better. Hiring new staff, buying ads, etc. is more effective when it’s done six months, rather than six weeks, before the election. (Closer to the election, ads cost more, for example.) This is especially critical for challengers, who are more susceptible to the onslaught of big-moneyed interests and the Republican incumbent’s inherent advantage. By giving money directly to the campaigns, we’ll be supporting the very people Swing Left volunteers will be working with in the lead up to Election Day.
- "The promise of a waiting pool of funds has the potential to attract more diverse candidates to join the race. Research shows that campaign fundraising is a major deterrent to entry into higher office for women and minorities. Imagine what we could accomplish if we gave well-qualified candidates a running start.
- "The current system is a deck stacked in favor of special interest-friendly Republicans. What we’re trying to do is move the needle, one donation at a time, and shift some of that power back toward individuals.
- "These District Funds are a key part of how Swing Left is building the 2018 campaigns-in-waiting. Let’s give our Democratic candidates a running start in 2018.[4]