I know it feels hard to have hope these days. The murder of Charlie Kirk—and the ugly, escalatory rhetoric that followed—marks another dark moment for our democracy. As I reflect on this moment and what it means for us at Swing Left, I keep coming back to our core belief: politics is about persuasion—reaching out, person to person, and bringing others along.
We kicked off our pilot Ground Truth canvass last weekend in Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District, which Democratic Congresswoman Janelle Bynum won by just 2.7 points in 2024. Twenty volunteers knocked on 177 doors, and I’d like to share one conversation from this first canvass that captures what makes this approach different.
A voter opened the door and immediately said, “I’m Republican—you’re not going to want to talk to me.” Our volunteer explained that she was exactly the kind of person we wanted to talk to, and that our goal was listening. The voter shared her concerns and a little about her voting history—including that she had voted for Democrats in the past, and her frustration that Democrats too often talk about Trump instead of what they’ll deliver for people.
That honesty—and her willingness to share with a Swing Left volunteer—is exactly the kind of dialogue Ground Truth makes possible, and it’s the kind of insight that will help Democratic candidates sharpen their message, earn trust, and win in tight races.
Unlike traditional canvassing that targets a narrow list of “likely” voters, Ground Truth is about starting early, knocking on every door, listening deeply to voters’ concerns and experiences, and providing those insights and data directly with campaigns so they can act on what voters are really saying. It’s a transformational shift in how Democrats connect with voters—exactly the kind of shift we need to win.
Ground Truth doesn’t just change how we’re talking to voters—it also changes what it feels like to volunteer. You’re not just delivering a script. You’re having real conversations with members of your community. And for the first time, our new canvassing tech lets us knock on every door and record deep insights from every conversation—no skipped households, no lost data.
Volunteers at this first canvass gave this feedback:
- “Ground Truth made it easy to connect with people on a human level and learn what's important to them without putting transactional politics front and center.”
- “This approach is innovative and much more satisfying than traditional canvassing!...I really liked talking to everyone, and not selecting a narrow cohort of potential voters.”
- “Most people, regardless of their party affiliation, seemed grateful for the opportunity to talk about their experience of our country’s politics.”
It’s a bold new approach, and more than a year before the 2026 midterms, our community of volunteers is already talking to voters. Usually that work doesn’t start until the summer of an election year, but we need to start early if we want to help Democrats win.
Between now and Thanksgiving, we’ll be piloting Ground Truth canvasses in Arizona, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and continue to iterate and refine our tactics as we go.
This work isn’t easy. But it’s hopeful, it’s powerful, and it’s how we win. By starting early and talking to every voter, we’re uncovering concerns that campaigns need to address, earning trust in communities that might feel overlooked, and making sure Democrats are speaking to what people actually want. That’s how we help Democrats flip the House in the 2026 midterm elections.
So thank you, friend, for being part of this movement. I’m excited to keep sharing updates on Ground Truth with you, and look forward to sharing ways for you to get involved in the coming months.
We couldn’t do it without you.
Best,
Yasmin Radjy
Executive Director, Swing Left
