Late last fall I did a series of diaries on a variety of groups working to make our elections more fair, and our policies more progressive. This is another installment in that series. I’m not sure where I first learned of the group, Swing Left, but they’ve been all over my Twitter feed for months. I decided it was time to learn a little more, and share that knowledge with you.
Swing Left
Their home page says it all, “It starts with the House” and “Don’t despair. Mobilize.”
According to their website, which was launched on January 19, 2017, they were inspired by the words of President Obama, about being the change they seek, and describes who they are, and how they got started:
Swing Left was started by Ethan Todras-Whitehill, a writer and teacher, Joshua Krafchin, a marketer and entrepreneur, and Miriam Stone, a brand strategist. The three brought in their friends, who in turn brought in their friends, to help build Swing Left in the wake of the 2016 election.
swingleft.org/...
Their goal is quite clear:
- There are 70 Swing Districts. These are places where the last election was won by 15% of the vote or less, where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump, where a high concentration of Swing Left volunteers make certain districts very winnable, or where other, specific circumstances make it a competitive district. We need to flip at least 24 seats to take back the House in 2018.
- If we hold on to the vulnerable Democratic-held districts, we only need to flip 24 Republican-held House seats to take back the house in 2018. This is a winnablefight.
- The 2018 Senate map heavily favors Republicans, making the House a more viable place to focus our efforts.
- House races receive less attention, so your dollars, hours, and talents count more.
- We're starting early to unify progressives who promote tolerance, equality, unity and fairness. To out-organize Republicans, we can't wait.
The way it works is by linking volunteers with their closest swing district. This is particularly helpful in utilizing the vast numbers of people who are already represented by Democrats. People like me, who don’t need to contact our representatives, except to say, “thank you” for their work.
By joining the organization, you’ll be placed on a “carefully-curated” mailing list, and notified of opportunities to help regardless of whether you live in the district or not. Their Promise includes:
- We respect your inbox. You will only receive emails relevant to your work in the Swing Districts you choose to support.
- We won't publish, sell or distribute your email address to a 3rd party.
- Action opportunities will be carefully curated by local District Leaders with support from our Advisory Board.
One thing that appeals to me is that they are coordinating with the local leaders in the Districts where they work. Although that makes sense, I’m not sure that’s always the case.
Their website is full of information, including, fundraising totals for the districts they’re targeting, open job positions, links to their store, details about their Blue Wave tour, and much more.
I would love to hear from anyone who’s signed up with Swing Left, to hear what your thoughts are with their work.