Hey there —

Democrats have been focusing on the wrong fights, and we all know the consequences:

• Republicans control both chambers in 31 state legislatures across the country with a trifecta of control including the governorship in 22 states.
• GOP-held state legislatures have systematically gerrymandered state and congressional maps, cementing their power and a huge advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Since 2010, Republicans have passed laws restricting voting in 22 states, suppressing the voices and votes of communities of color, young people, and ex-felons.
• With the 2020 census and subsequent redistricting process, key state legislatures will have even more power to gerrymander and expand their congressional delegations, altering the electoral college.

There's one big reason we're in this position that few acknowledge: We have a rotten foundation. Strength at the state legislative level is essential to winning up and down the ballot — and to retaking power.

In the past decade, Republicans have gained nearly 1,000 seats and 27 chambers in state capitals across the country, where they are rewriting voting laws and redrawing congressional districts in their favor, giving them a massive advantage at the federal level.

Republicans gaining so much control at the state level wasn't inevitable — they’ve been focused on winning state races for decades. With control of state legislatures, they used redistricting as an opportunity to gerrymander maps and systematically build unbreakable, impregnable majorities. They've been able to distort electoral outcomes and subvert the will of the majority of voters.

But there’s still time to turn the tide before the 2020 census and redistricting. Forward Majority is focused on winning state legislatures, and we need your help to do it.

What we're talking about isn't a crazy idea. State legislative races pale in cost compared to congressional races, and many of the legislators that we target represent districts that voted for Democrats in the past, often by wide margins. With proper funding, we can easily knock off some of the worst Republican lawmakers in the country. That would be a seismic shift for our country's politics.

Thanks for being a part of the fight for our democracy.

More soon,

David and Vicky

David Cohen and Vicky Hausman
Co-founders
Forward Majority