314 ACTION FUND: INTERNAL MEMO ON DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY
RECIPIENT: [email protected]
We wanted to share this internal memo with you about our strategy to win what experts are predicting will be some of the most competitive House races in the battle for Democrats to retake the chamber next year.
If these challengers win we will win the House: So before we go into detail, would you consider donating $5 so we can invest in the programs that will elect these 5 Democratic challengers running against the most vulnerable Republicans up next year?
CHRISTINA BOHANNAN (IA-1) Competitiveness: Iowa’s 1st Congressional District made history in 2020 – it was the closest House race in 100 years, with Republicans flipping the district by a
margin of just 6 votes. That’s right, voters in 2-3 households decided the outcome of this race.
The Candidate: Democrat Christina Bohannan can relate to working Iowans the way few politicians can. She grew up in a trailer, worked her way through school (including picking produce to afford tuition), to become the first in her family to graduate college. She worked as an environmental engineer in heavily polluted areas before becoming a distinguished law professor and unseating a 20-year incumbent in the State House as a first-time candidate.
The Opportunity: Christina was
outspent by Republican outside groups by a margin of 27:1. You read that correctly, for every $1 invested by outside Democratic groups, Republican outside groups spent $27. And even then, Christina fell just a few points shy of winning this district.
Christina’s opponent has an underwater approval rating and holds extreme positions like a no exception abortion ban and a ban on any gun safety laws. If outside spending were equitable, Democrats would have won this race. So shoring up support for Christina and reaching the independents and Democrats who don’t vote every 2 years will be key to winning this race.
GEORGE WHITESIDES (CA-27)Competitiveness: In 2020, California’s 27th Congressional District was right behind Iowa’s 1st in terms of how close the election was. Republicans flipped this district from blue to red by a
margin of just 333 votes. And President Joe Biden carried this district by a landslide.
The Candidate: Democrat George Whitesides has a background no one in Congress has – he’s an aerospace expert who served as CEO of one of the world’s first spaceflight companies (based in the district), served as President Obama’s Chief of Staff for NASA, and founded a group to combat wildfires in California. He’s a first-time candidate who has the experience, professional and political connections, as well as ability to compete with the GOP spending advantage in the district that Democrats haven’t had in recent cycles.
The Opportunity: There’s one reason Democrats lost a district that President Biden carried by double-digits just two years prior.
Republican outside groups outspent Democrats 15:1 in this district last year. When voters learn the Republican incumbent aided Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, co-sponsored a national abortion ban bill with zero exceptions, and has an A-rating from the NRA and Gun Owners of America, the majority of independents side with the Democrat. We just need to reach them and put up the strongest challenger – and George is exactly that.
TONY VARGAS (NE-2) Competitiveness: Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District came within 3 points of flipping blue last November in one of the closest House races in the country. President
Joe Biden won this district by nearly 7 points in 2020 and will be investing in a significant capacity next year since this district awards some of Nebraska’s electoral votes to the winner of this district.
The Candidate: Democrat Tony Vargas started out as public school teacher who taught science before turning to public service. He was awarded “Teacher of the Year” and went on to win a seat on the Omaha Public Schools Board as well as a seat in the Nebraska State Senate. Tony has a track-record of advocating for and improving public education, fighting for teachers, increasing access to healthcare, and championing working families.
The Opportunity: If we’re able to reach the known Democratic voters who stayed home last November and they turn out,
Tony wins. His margin of victory expands if the same happens with liberal-leaning independents. Tony came within 3 points of flipping this district last November and it will be even more competitive since Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District awards their electoral votes in the Presidential election to the winner of the district, not the state.
DR. BRIAN WILLIAMS (TX-32) Competitiveness: Before Democrat Colin Allred ran for this seat and won, Texas’ 32nd Congressional District was seen as unwinnable for Democrats, with Republicans routinely winning this district by 20-30 points. The area has trended blue in recent years and this is an open seat Democrats cannot afford to lose if we’re going to win back the House.
The Candidate: Democrat Brian Williams, MD, never imagined he would run for office – until he was operating on a handful of patients who had been gunned down in a mass shooting in Dallas, Texas. Since then, he advised Congress and helped pass the first gun safety bill in thirty years. If elected, Brian will be
the first trauma surgeon in history to serve in Congress and will also be the first Black physician to have the ability to vote in Congressional history.
The Opportunity: Brian has a background and experience that no one else in Congress – and certainly none of his opponents – has. Polling confirms that Americans overwhelmingly trust doctors and medical professionals, particularly as candidates for elected office. They can cut through partisanship and build coalitions that many other candidates by virtue of their background can't – And at a time when
more Americans than ever before cite gun violence as one of their top three issues, no candidate is better equipped to speak to this issue than a trauma surgeon who treats shooting survivors with his own hands.
ANNA KAPLAN (NY-3) Competitiveness: New York’s 3rd Congressional District is represented by someone who is almost universally recognized as the most vulnerable Republican in America:
George Santos. Not only did President Joe Biden win this district by nearly 10 points but a recent poll showed that only 13% of voters believe Santos should even be allowed to continue serving in office as he faces countless scandals, allegations, and investigations.
The Candidate: Democrat Anna Kaplan has a background in biology who helped flip control of the New York Senate to Democrats in 2018 by winning a tough race against an entrenched GOP incumbent. She’s been a leader on gun violence, reproductive rights, and climate and made history in 2018 when she became the first Iranian-American elected to the New York state legislature and first political refugee elected to serve in the State Senate in history.
The Opportunity: Many experts are calling this the best pickup opportunity for Democrats in the nation. George Santos has no intention of resigning and even if he were to lose the primary, the fact remains that this
district backed Joe Biden by nearly 10 points and unlike last November, Biden will be on the ballot. Pair that with a candidate who has a track record of winning on GOP turf with a track record of getting results and Anna can win this race.
There’s a recurring theme here: It’s difficult for Democrats to win tough races when they are being dramatically outspent by Republicans, especially as first-time candidates making their case to voters. And most of these districts were either carried by President Joe Biden or Democrats in the past 4 years. With smart investments, they represent our best chances to take back the House.
Your donation will help us reach key demographics of voters in races like these and make the investments to counter GOP spending. It’s how our candidates flipped the House, the Senate, and key state legislatures from Pennsylvania to Michigan.
So $5 might not seem like much, but when thousands of you donate, it’s enough to fund a program that could reach hundreds of thousands of voters in the races where the margins will be slim.
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Thank you,
314 Action
