Hi there,
This weekend, Democrat Taylor Rehmet pulled off an upset victory in a special election for a Texas State Senate district, flipping the seat by 14 points in a district that Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
Despite being outspent more than 10 to 1 by his Trump-backed opponent, Rehmet won by setting a goal of knocking 40,000 doors in the district and having real conversations with as many voters as possible.
His campaign manager told The Texas Tribune that “the staff received training on active listening,” and that “if a voter had a question the volunteer did not have an answer for, Rehmet’s team would run it down—sometimes calling the candidate himself in front of the voter.”
It’s clear that this win wasn’t thanks to luck—it was thanks to a relentless focus on treating every volunteer shift, every dollar, and every conversation as a chance to persuade and turn out voters.
That’s the kind of energy we need to bring to all 33 of our target swing districts as we work to flip the U.S. House to Democrats this November. Swing Left is focused on maximizing your time and dollars in the swing districts where we can make the biggest impact in changing the national balance of power.
Swing Left volunteers are already talking with voters in these districts through our innovative voter contact program, Ground Truth. And much like Taylor Rehmet’s campaign, Ground Truth volunteers are focused on active listening and having open-ended conversations to learn about voters’ concerns that we may not otherwise think to ask about. Listening is the first step to persuading—which is why this program is so important.
And, the rich insights gained through Ground Truth conversations are then compiled and shared with campaigns and party committees so they can refine their messaging and outreach strategies well before Election Day.
If Democrats are going to defeat enough Republicans to flip the House this November and start building governing majorities that are big and long-lasting, we can’t keep using the same old playbook that led to big losses in the past. We need to persuade as many people as possible (no matter who they voted for last or whether they voted at all) to vote for Democrats, in election after election, starting in this year’s midterms.
If you’d like to help, there are a few ways you can take action now:
Taylor Rehmet’s win is more evidence that Democrats have a big opportunity going into this November’s midterm elections. But in order to make the most of it, it’s up to us to put in the work.
— The Swing Left Team
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Since 2017, Swing Left has channeled the energy of grassroots volunteers and donors to elect Democrats, up and down the ballot, focusing on the most competitive races that can swing the national balance of power. Right now, Swing Left is investing in early grassroots organizing in key swing districts and initiatives across the country to lay the foundation to win back the House in 2026. If you’d like to help support our work, you can make a donation using this link. |
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