Indivisibles,

It was almost two years ago when we launched the follow-up to our original guide, the Indivisible Endorsements Guide, aimed at how you can take your advocacy from holding elected leaders accountable to replacing them altogether. 

We’ll be honest -- we were excited about the power we’d built together leading up to the 2018 midterms but no one was certain if we’d be able to tip the scale towards the most progressive candidates. 

Well, we did that and more. 2018 was a banner year for Democrats up and down the ballot, and Indivisibles had a lot to do with that: 

• Voter turnout was the highest it’s been in over 100 years. 
• We took back the House by gaining 41 seats and 300+ state legislative seats
• We flipped 7 governorships and 6 state legislative chambers.

We took the fight to the ballot box and won! Local Indivisibles endorsed hundreds of candidates and led the way on 74 national endorsements for their candidates (many of whom walk the halls of Congress today). Groups used endorsements as a powerful tool in both primary and general elections, in red, blue, and purple districts, in open seats and seats with an incumbent. Taking back the House was critical in 2018 to creating balance and providing oversight of the Trump administration. 

We know engaging in elections -- especially primaries! -- can be intimidating. We also know that an endorsement, done correctly, is one of our most powerful tools for change. Our new guide builds on the successes of 2018 to show Indivisibles how to use endorsements to bring even more progressive back-up to our champions in Congress. (it’s hot off the presses! Read it now!)

There are best (and worst) practices for engaging in local group endorsements. This guide demystifies the process even more, with all-new insights from some of the best work done by local Indivisible groups during the midterms. 

Here’s are some highlights from the all-new Endorsement Guide:

1. Why Candidates Care about Your Indivisible Group -- Campaigns are focused on one thing: winning. They win by getting votes. Indivisible groups are unique because you are real, locally-based, engaged constituents. Candidates seek out Indivisible group support because your endorsement could help them win.
2. What Makes Your Group’s Endorsement Powerful -- Powerful endorsements that represent your group’s values and express a commitment of tangible support to a candidate can help grow your group’s power while influencing the debate (and potentially even getting your pick elected!).
3. Designing Your Candidate Questionnaire -- One of the best ways to get candidates on the record on the issues that matter most to you is to send a candidate questionnaire. We walk through best practices on choosing your questions and provide a sample template to get you started.
   
4. Taking Your Endorsement National -- Indivisibles who make a local endorsement can nominate their candidate for our National Endorsement Program. Endorsing as a movement helps us grow and work together to make a bigger impact and further elevate your preferred candidates.

This new Guide is the next step along the road to building our movement, electing more progressive leaders, demystifying elections, and reclaiming power in the House, Senate, and White House. 

This guide kicks off the public launch of our political program, providing you with the tools and resources you need to play and win in all elections. Stay tuned, but first, read our Endorsement Guide, share it with your group, and start the conversation. Not yet part of a local group? Check out our national group map to get in touch with Indivisibles organizing in your community. (And if you’re not seeing a group near you, you can always pull in a few friends and start your own group -- that’s how this movement works.) 

Can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in 2020 🌊🌊🌊

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team