The Power Move: MVP Newsletter (Feb. 2026)

Dear friends and allies -

Welcome to MVP’s new-ish, monthly newsletter: The Power Move!

I’ll be your host, Annie Lipsitz, MVP’s Donor Communications Manager, with occasional special guests, including everyone’s favorite: MVP Founder & Executive Director, Billy Wimsatt.

Each issue will have news and noteworthy updates and hot takes, an inside look at what’s happening in our movement and ways to plug in, and, of course, highlights from our partners, who are working hard to resist authoritarianism, win the midterms, and build power for the future.

We know the beginning of 2026 has been really hard. We’ve watched as Trump’s federal agents have terrorized our communities, disregarding basic human rights — and lives — at every turn. But we’ve also seen something else: the beauty, power, and commitment of community resistance. From Minnesota to Maine, Arizona to Virginia, and everywhere in between, we’ve seen what our movement is truly capable of. You are part of this movement.

You’ve helped MVP partners like Faith in Minnesota send ICE packing out of Minnesota and Carolina Federation endorse Democrats in North Carolina’s March 3 primary who will fight for working-class people.

As Sarah Chaisson-Warner, MVP’s Co-Director of State Programs, said at our recent briefing about the midterms, “We will win. We have to win. There is no other choice.” We hope this newsletter will help bring MVP’s most important community members (you!) further into the MVP family — because we can’t win without you.

Our commitment — and urgency — is real. We have no time to waste, especially with primary elections starting in less than two weeks. Thanks for being part of our team.

Let’s go,
Annie

Annie Lipsitz, MVP Donor Communications Manager
(On behalf of the MVP team)

Photo: Make the Road Action NJ supporting Analilia Mejia in the Democratic primary special election in NJ-11.

Political Updates and Hot Takes

Here’s a snippet of what MVP is keeping a political eye on, with, of course, our opinions included. 😎

Who’s winning elections? Dems and progressives are!

In Texas, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a state Senate seat, winning by 14 points in a district Trump won by 17 points in 2024. That’s a 31-point swing — practically unheard of. Just one more example of Democrats overperforming and MAGA candidates losing.
In New Jersey, progressive Analilia Mejia, Co-Executive Director of MVP’s national partner, Popular Democracy In Action, won the Democratic primary special election in NJ-11 to fill the seat vacated by New Jersey’s new Governor, Mikie Sherrill. MVP local partner Make the Road Action New Jersey backed Mejia and will continue to support her as she faces off against Republican Joe Hathaway in a special general election on April 16. She will then run again in New Jersey’s regularly scheduled primary on June 2, and, if she wins, will run again in the general election on November 3. Four elections in one year? Worth it for progress!

Who’s funding DHS? Not the federal government.

Last week, Democrats held their ground (finally!), holding up funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) because Republicans rejected new measures to rein in ICE abuses. Republicans’ defense of ICE’s barbaric tactics forced a shutdown of DHS that is ongoing as of this writing.

Will ICE really leave Minnesota? We’ll see. 🤷🏻

Despite Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, announcing the end of the ICE surge in Minnesota, organizers on the ground, including MVP’s Co-Director of State Programs and Minneapolis resident, Javier Morillo, say they have not seen a noticeable difference. The administration says 1,000 ICE agents have left, but news reports indicate ICE activity is up in and around the Twin Cities. No surprise there. We know ruthlessness is a cornerstone of this regime. Nevertheless, huge gratitude to our Minnesota partners, including Faith in Minnesota and others, for leading Minnesota’s incredible resistance movement. This is the first step, but, as Faith and Minnesota demands, Minnesota needs more to protect their communities and repair the harm and destruction federal agents have caused.

What’s up with redistricting?!

A lot! (Refresher: In 2025, Trump directed Texas and other GOP-controlled states to “gerrymander” their congressional maps to shut out Democrats and keep control of the House this fall. Lucky for us, Democrats and MVP partners are fighting back.)

A few updates:

The Supreme Court ruled that California’s redrawn maps can stand. Shout-out to MVP partners who helped pass Prop 50!
In Virginia, Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, who MVP partners helped elect in 2025, recently signed a bill to put a redistricting constitutional amendment before voters this year. If passed, the referendum could gain Democrats up to four seats in the U.S. House. Now, the future of the referendum is caught in a heated legal back-and-forth. First, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the ballot referendum could move forward for an April 21 special election, then a Virginia judged blocked the referendum, ruling in favor of the Repulican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Now, Virginia Attorney General, Jay Jones — who MVP partners also helped elect — is vowing to appeal this latest ruling.

There’s still hope that voters can decide the future of Virginia’s maps this Spring, and MVP partner New Virginia Majority is ready to mobilize voters for an April special election.
This month, the Maryland House of Delegates approved a new map, which Democratic Governor Wes Moore continues to support, despite pushback from the state Senate President. MVP partner Progressive Maryland has been activating Marylanders to support redistricting, and now U.S. House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries has also jumped into the fight.
We are also watching recent developments in Colorado, where organizers have put forward proposals that, if approved, could gain Democrats up to three House seats in 2028 and 2030.

New MAGA Megadonors? Gross.

A recent analysis found that a new class of MAGA megadonors is emerging, pumping seven- and eight-figure investments into Trump-aligned super PACs. If this isn’t alarming enough, many of these megadonors have never given political money before. Even though Trump can’t run for a third term, these right-wing gajillionaires could have a major impact on the 2026 midterms. That’s why every single dollar invested into our movement is so important — whether $20 a month or $2 million a year, we must all give what we can to counter what we are up against.

Graphic: No Kings 3 scheduled for March 28, 2026.

Our Movement Is Making Moves

What you need to know about our movement for change. 🚀

Let’s make even more history with No Kings 3 - Mark your calendar for March 28 and sign up for updates. MVP is proud to be an official partner for No Kings 3. We can’t wait to see y’all in the streets, standing up to Trump and his authoritarian regime.
Want to listen to Trump’s State of the Union? Neither do we. - Trump’s second State of the Union is Tuesday, February 24. There’s nothing Trump likes more than attention, so what better way to tune him out and bruise his ego in the process than to not go? That’s exactly what our national ally MoveOn is urging Democrats to do: boycott the State of the Union. Take action now to help make sure Trump is talking to a half-empty room, then join courageous Democrats and others at the People’s State of the Union instead!
How to engage young people? More fun! - Dakota Hall, Executive Director of MVP partner, Alliance for Youth Action, makes the case for more fun in our movement if we want to meaningfully engage young people and counter the right wing’s youth recruitment machine.

Photo: Carolina Federation (North Carolina) - “The People’s Bench” candidate recruitment program.

MVP Partners Doing What They Do Best

Our partners are always putting in the work to engage voters, win on the issues, and build power. Here’s what they’ve been up to over the past few weeks. 💪🏻💪🏽💪🏾

North Carolina: Getting Ready for March 3 Primaries

Ahead of North Carolina’s March 3 primary elections, Carolina Federation launched The People’s Bench to provide candidate recruitment, training, and other necessary support to help working-class people run for office. Carolina Federation also announced its primary endorsements — three candidates challenging incumbent Democratic state legislators who voted with Republicans on bad bills and then voted again to override the governor’s veto. Want a bolder Democratic party? This is one way to do it!

Arizona: Shutting Down GOP Election Intimidation

This morning, MVP partner LUCHA (Living United for Change in Arizona) is turning out Arizonans to pack the room at the State Senate building in opposition to SB1570, a GOP-sponsored bill that would — get this — require ICE agents to be present at polling centers across Arizona during the upcoming general elections.

Luckily, even if this bill passes the Republican-controlled legislature, it would need to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs — who MVP partners helped elect in 2022 by just 17,116 votes, and who has vetoed a record-breaking 390 bills since taking office in 2023.

New Hampshire: Ready, ready, ready, ready, ready, ready to run!

603 Forward has trained 50 candidates — including 37 young people — to run for office in local races. From school boards to selectboards, 603 Forward is ensuring these candidates are ready to run and win in town elections on March 10.

Multi-State: Mega MAGA voter suppression bill? Get outta here!

MVP partners are continuing to mobilize their constituents to oppose the SAVE America Act — the mega MAGA voter suppression bill that would enact stricter voter ID requirements like proof of citizenship, increase voter purges, and require states to hand over their voter registration data to DHS, amongst other harmful provisions. MVP partners taking action against this terrible legislation, which could disenfranchise tens of millions of voters, include: Forward Montana, Make the Road Action Nevada, and Action Together Northeastern PA.

Multi-State: More ICE funding? No. Way.

MVP partners across the country mobilized community members to contact their Senators and urge them to oppose additional funding for ICE and DHS. Thanks in part to their efforts, Democrats are standing firm against additional DHS funding. Here are a few of our partners’ calls to action: Indivisible, Asian American Advocacy Fund, and Working Families Party.

Pennsylvania: Pushing for Democrats that voters can believe in

There will be a special place in the 2028 Democratic primaries for Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman, the only Democrat who voted in favor of DHS and ICE funding. That’s why our national partner, Working Families Party, just launched a multi-year campaign to recruit a primary challenger who can defeat him in 2028 and bring real working-class leadership to the Senate on behalf of Pennsylvanians.

Photo: MVP’s Bay Area donor organizing volunteers.

Take Action with MVP and Our Partners

Ready to get involved? Check out how to plug into our work and take action with MVP and our partners. 📣

Get involved with MVP: If there’s one thing we know, it’s that organizing works — even with fundraising. Join MVP to help us organize fellow donors and expand the MVP community. (Bonus: As a volunteer, you’ll get cool swag, this newsletter, and a warm feeling in your heart.) Not sure yet? Come to our upcoming Zoom event, organized by MVP’s volunteer-led Legal Community for Democracy, for a taste of what our volunteers get up to.
Learn about MVP partners’ youth strategy: Join MVP partner Alliance for Youth Action and their state-based partners (some of which are also MVP partners) for a series of briefings focused on how young people are fighting authoritarianism, building power, and creating the future they deserve.
Sign up for No Kings 3: We’ve done it before, and it’s time to do it again! Sign up for No Kings 3 on March 28, and join MVP in the streets to say “NO!” to autocracy.
Tell Congress: “No more ICE funding!”: Use MVP partner Indivisible’s tools to contact your Congressional leaders to demand they oppose additional funding for DHS and ICE.

Screenshot: Jews for Racial and Economic Justice NY’s Purim Party invitation.

Making the Revolution Irresistible

As artist, author, and activist Toni Cade Bambara famously said: “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people, my job is to make the revolution irresistible.” Each month, we’ll bring you a bit of revolutionary joy that motivates us to recommit to building a better future.

This month, many of us are celebrating religious (and non-religious!) holidays, festivals, and more. From Ramadan to the Lunar New Year, our partners — and many of you — are coming together to find community, meaning, guidance, and joy during what is an enduringly difficult time. We join our partners in saying:

May we find revolutionary joy in all that we do together!