The nation’s largest network of left-leaning megadonors poured millions of dollars into California and New York House races this year to build a get-out-the-ballot operation in states so blue that Democrats didn’t bother to build much political infrastructure. Details about the effort were unknown to NBC News.
Many Democrats give credit Failures in New York In 2022, he will spend them on the House of Representatives. This year, analysts think the battle for the narrowly divided chamber could come down to New York and California. There are at least 17 contested congressional races between these countries, including more than half of the legislative elections. the most expensive competitions in the country.
After the 2022 losses, the Democracy Alliance, which funds a wide range of left-leaning causes and advocacy groups, decided to go even more electorally political than usual, partnering with unions to fund grassroots organizing efforts in two states. virtually zero resources from presidential or Senate campaigns.
“2022 was a wake-up call,” Democratic Alliance President Pamela Shifman said in an interview. “The reality is that blue states like New York and California are often overlooked by national organizations and national donors because they are not presidential battlegrounds. But the reality is that the House’s path goes through New York and California.”
The Democracy Alliance said it has raised more than $11 million for the Battleground NY effort, which Schiffman calls the largest field operation in the state. The group said its canvassers knocked on 370,000 doors and registered more than 24,000 voters, which was larger than the margin of victory of the target GOP candidates who won in 2022.
“Democrats lost in New York in 2022 because we simply didn’t work to turn out our own voters — we didn’t have an effective state infrastructure or a coordinated strategy to support Democrats in tough races,” Schiffman said in a memo shared with NBC News. “In 2024, Battleground NY is going beyond ads and hype to reach voters where it matters most – at their doorsteps, block parties, grocery stores.”
The group targeted six House races in New York to defend Democratic Reps. Pat Ryan and Tom Suozzi. won the extraordinary elections held in February to replace disgraced former Rep. George Santos and hoping to unseat Republican Reps. Mike Lawler, Mark Molinaro, Anthony D’Esposito and Brandon Williams.
In California, the Democratic Alliance and the California Donor Table, a network of left-leaning donors, have funded similar efforts with unions aimed at flipping six seats currently held by Republicans.
In a grassroots state where campaigns often prefer to compete through ads and mailers, Battleground CA said it employs more than 150 canvassers to knock on doors six days a week and 100 phone bankers to follow up with calls and texts four days a week. The effort led to more than 1 million phone calls, 200,000 door knocks and 70,000 face-to-face conversations, the group says.
Among the lawmakers targeted are Reps. John Duarte and David Valadao, Republicans from California’s Central Valley, in addition to Mike Garcia, Ken Calvert, Michelle Steele and Scott Baugh, who represent Southern California districts.
This approach is unusual for a national fringe group, which is funded by major donors and typically spends on television ads.
But Shifman said the Democratic Alliance, along with other on-air groups, saw a need to build infrastructure in those blue states, hoping to “end Democratic political complacency” in places it said would continue after the election. deep blue states.
“This is not something that can be solved in one election cycle,” Shifman said.