Dear friends and allies -
I’m so happy to be back in your inboxes with this month’s edition of The Power Move, MVP’s monthly newsletter.
That spring energy is in the air, and we are crushing it at the ballot box.
Wisconsin voters elected Chris Taylor to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, increasing the Court’s liberal majority from 4-3 to 5-2. Democrat Shawn Harris lost but overperformed by 25 points in the Georgia special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. In down-ballot races in Wisconsin, Alaska, and elsewhere, Democrats and progressives are winning school board, city council, and mayoral elections — including in deep-red territory. In Virginia, we helped pass a redistricting ballot measure that could flip the U.S. House this fall. (A judge is blocking it but the fight’s not over; more on that below.)
You know what else? Trump is tanking in the polls. Millions of people — including many of you! — turned out for No Kings 3. Even some Republicans have had it with MAGA.
We have momentum.
But here’s the thing: We also have big challenges.
Trump will do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, to try to retain power. Flipping the House is still in toss-up territory, and swinging for the Senate is now a real possibility but will take all we’ve got. And many of MVP’s partners still lack the funding they need to fully implement their organizing and electoral programs this year.
And yet, I remain hopeful. Here’s why.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting one of MVP’s partners working with immigrant communities in a top swing state, and I want to share a tidbit from our visit that demonstrates just how dialed in our partners are this year.
This partner has this map, and on that map, they marked the neighborhoods where they had been organizing — including elementary schools and their neighbor-to-neighbor canvass program. Then they overlaid those areas with their target legislative and congressional districts. Then, on top of that, they noted where there had been confirmed ICE enforcement. Then they marked where 2026 polling places are likely to be.
No one is surprised that in this GOP-controlled state, all of this overlaps — the neighborhoods where immigrants are organizing are the same as where ICE is active is the same as where polling places are likely to be.
The attacks on our communities are calculated and multilayered, but our partners are smart, strategic, and ready. They are using all of this literally overlapping data to develop their 2026 plans. And the precision with which they now know — down to the street level — where to hold community events, where to engage voters to turn them out to vote, and where election protection is most needed is nothing short of amazing. Mind. Blown. 🤯
That gives me hope for the work our partners are doing — or could do with enough investment! — to defeat authoritarianism and win back our future.
But, to win, we all have to dig in deep from now until Election Day. That means investing now in organizing that will help us win in November and build power for the long term. Check out this sampling of partners and projects MVP is excited to support, which you can help us do here.
I’m grateful to be in this fight with you, and can’t wait for us to amp it up together.
Let’s go,
Annie
Annie Lipsitz, MVP Donor Communications Manager
(On behalf of the MVP team)
Screenshot: Live feed of Gov. Tim Walz speaking at the No Kings 3 flagship rally in Minnesota.
MVP Partners Doing What They Do Best
Save the best for first! MVP partners are showing up and showing out, winning elections up and down the ballot, fighting for fair maps, and building power everywhere. ⚡
Photo: BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing for Community) at the Fight for Our Lives rally and press conference the day before Election Day.
Wisconsin? More like WINconsin – even in Trump territory!
Spring Election Day ruled in the Badger State. Chris Taylor — the liberal candidate running for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court — won her race, expanding the liberal majority from 4-3 to 5-2.
The best parts: She won by a landslide (nearly 20 points! Compare that to Trump winning Wisconsin by less than 1 percent in 2024), and MVP partners helped her get there.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Fair Wisconsin PAC, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Voces de la Frontera Action, Wisconsin Working Families Party, BLOC, and Power to the Polls went all out on the doors, in the streets, and online to make sure voters knew that a vote for Chris Taylor was a vote for fair redistricting, voting rights, abortion access, and more.
Before we leave the Midwest’s favorite swing state, I’ve got one more important celebration for you: Voters in Waukesha, WI elected a Democratic mayor. Now, you may be wondering: “Why should I care about Waukesha?” We care because Waukesha is in deep-red MAGA territory — a county Trump carried by nearly 20 points in 2024. That’s huge, and could have major implications for moving Wisconsin blue and flipping a handful of congressional districts in November.
Read the full thrilling story here.
Screenshot: Phoenix New Times reporting on Turning Point Action’s losing influence in Arizona’s utility board elections. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Turning Point USA is turning toxic in Arizona.
Everything is hot in Arizona, except Turning Point USA (TPUSA) — the massive MAGA youth machine founded by Charlie Kirk. A previously little-known election for the Salt River Project (SRP) board — Arizona’s largest public utility — made headlines after the liberal slate of clean energy candidates won a majority of board seats, defeating several candidates backed by TPUSA’s political arm, Turning Point Action.
This is a huge victory for cleaner energy and lower utility rates for Arizonans and an even bigger win for making TPUSA known as the toxic brand that it is. TPUSA’s major involvement in this race — both as a way to win literal power and to seed influence in a key swing state in a midterm election year — seems to have backfired.
Turnout more than quadrupled in this race from previous years, in part, because voters were so opposed to TPUSA sticking their nose, money, and harmful agenda into this election. Even voters who had never cast SRP ballots before turned out because they, like us, think TPUSA is bad news.
Major kudos to community organizations — including MVP partners Chispa AZ PAC — for making sure voters knew just how involved TPUSA was in this race to help mobilize them to the polls.
Photo: Hamkae Power, the Virginia chapter of NAKASEC Action Fund, engaging voters and persuading them to vote “yes” on Virginia’s redistricting ballot measure.
Virginia is for lovers (of democracy!) ❤️
MVP partners just helped secure a huge victory in the mid-decade redistricting battle Trump started last year: Virginians approved a redistricting ballot measure that could gain Democrats up to four seats in the U.S. House in November.
This win is also a massive blow to Trump’s blatant attempts at partisan gerrymandering to retain power, however he can. But, as we know, the GOP will do anything to retain power, including blatantly ignoring the will of the people.
Less than 24 hours after this victory, a Virginia county circuit court judge issued a ruling halting implementation of the ballot measure. MVP and our partners remain hopeful as the case will now likely head to the Virginia Supreme Court, where we anticipate a favorable outcome based on the state Supreme Court's previous ruling allowing the redistricting process to move forward.
We are still claiming this W, and MVP partners New Virginia Majority, CASA In Action, and NAKASEC Action Fund went all out to make sure voters knew about the special election, understood why voting “yes” was important, and made it out to the polls. Combined, our partners knocked more than 100,000 doors across the state and had nearly 15,000 conversations with Virginians urging them to vote “yes” on the ballot measure.
MVP also made sure that New Virginia Majority had a seat at the statewide referendum committee, mostly run by and composed of Democratic Party entities. Because of New Virginia Majority’s involvement, the committee — which had previously prioritized expensive ad and mail campaigns — included a strategic field program in its plan to win. And our partners’ direct voter engagement paid off. Check out these county-level results. The big “yes” areas are exactly where our partners were focused.
Read all about this victory — including how our partners’ trusted-messenger strategies won out against the GOP’s deceptive (and sometimes racist!) messaging — here.
A working families guarantee? Sign us up! Literally.
MVP national partner Working Families Party (WFP) just released “The Working Families Guarantee,” which they describe as “a proactive economic populist agenda that could bring the multiracial working class together.” The Guarantee is informed by research conducted by WFP’s sibling organization, Working Families Power, and collates a set of bold, visionary policies that reflect what working-class people say they need to feel more economically secure.
WFP has launched the Guarantee in partnership with dozens of elected leaders and candidates who have signed on, pledging to fight for the Guarantee and its agenda. You can sign on too to show support for a better, more just economic future that works for everyone.
Photo: Volunteers with MVP’s Washington State Hub at the Seattle No Kings 3 march.
8! Million! People! Say! “No Kings!!” 🚫👑
Raise your hand if you went to No Kings 3! I did! 8 million people showed up in small towns and big cities all across the country to — once again — stand up to authoritarianism and the Trump regime.
MVP is a proud partner of No Kings 3, and our partners from Minnesota, to Colorado, to Georgia, to New York were out in these literal streets, mobilizing their communities and fighting back against ongoing attacks on our rights.
I was with a few hundred people in my hometown of Sandy Springs, GA, and was truly impressed by how many people showed up in this Atlanta suburb. Best signs I saw: “Leave your MAGA husband!” “Make love, not ballrooms!” and “Get off the couch and vote!”
Here is just a sampling of No Kings 3 recaps from MVP partners:
- National partners Indivisible and MoveOn
- Flagship event in Minnesota
- Pennsylvania: Action Together NEPA
- Wisconsin: Citizen Action WI
- New York City: Make the Road Action NY and others
- Georgia: Georgia Equality
- Multistate: Mi Familia en Acción - Arizona, Texas, Colorado
Photo: Make the Road Action NY celebrating New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first 100 days in office.
Political Updates and Hot Takes
We’ve got updates! We’ve got hot takes! This month’s theme: Dems are winning!🏆
Photo: Make the Road Action NJ campaigning for Analilia Mejia in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
If you envision it, they will vote.
New Jersey: Movement leader Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District!
Democrat and Co-Executive Director of MVP partner, Popular Democracy, Analilia Mejia won a special election to fill New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District — a seat vacated by Governor Mikie Sherrill after her 2025 election victory.
Not only did Mejia win — she won by almost 20 points over Republican Joe Hathaway, retaining this Democratic seat in the U.S. House. MVP partner Make the Road Action NJ made more than 150,000 phone calls and knocked over 18,000 doors to get out the vote for Mejia.
Mejia ran on a pragmatic, populist agenda that centered on supporting working families and making government work for everyone, not just a small few. She has called for the abolishment of ICE and has even hosted ICE watch trainings for New Jersey residents. Make the Road Action NJ’s Director Nedia Morsey published this op-ed about what Mejia’s win means for the midterms and for organizing on issues working-class people need.
Mejia will likely see a rematch with Hathaway in the November general election to determine who will fill the NJ-11 seat for a full term. This victory just goes to show that we can make the Democratic Party the big tent we need it to be — when we invest in sustained organizing and shift the center of political gravity.
Photo: Jews for Racial and Economic Justice celebrating at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first-100-days rally in Queens.
New York: Mayor Mamdani’s First 100 Days
Potholes, painting, parks, and, well, poop. These are just a few of the things New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took care of in his first 100 days in office. Mamdani ran on a platform of both big and small changes to make life easier and more affordable for working-class New Yorkers.
In what he has dubbed “Pothole Politics,” Mamdani’s administration has repainted parks, fixed dog waste containers, cleaned up dumping sites, and, yes, filled potholes, across New York’s five boroughs. He even got New Yorkers (and women’s basketball star, Natasha Cloud) in on the action in his Mayor’s Municipal Madness, “a competition of city fixes where everyone wins.” New Yorkers weighed in on what fixes they wanted most, and the Mayor got to work.
Mamdani has also made progress on several of his campaign policy proposals, including universal, free childcare and establishing New York’s first city-owned grocery store.
MVP partners Make the Road NY and Jews for Economic and Racial Justice — who helped elect Mamdani — were at the Mayor’s rally celebrating his first-100-days accomplishments and this new era for New York City.
Now, you might be asking: “Annie, why is MVP — a national organization focused on funding local organizing in swing states — elevating policy wins in one of the country’s bluest cities?” Because we believe successful local models become adaptable blueprints elsewhere, helping to embolden Democrats to meaningfully and with conviction serve the people they were elected to represent. We’re not saying everyone has to love Mamdani, but imagine if more of our elected leaders were able to truly remind us that another world is possible, both in their vision and their actions.
Screenshot: NBC News reporting on a monumental swing left in Georgia’s deep red 14th Congressional District.
Time to dump Trump? Voters think so!
We already told you about the brutal rebuff of MAGA-aligned candidates in Wisconsin and Arizona. How about Georgia?! Florida?! And the polls?! Spoiler alert: the rebuff is happening there too.
Georgia: A 25-point swing to the left!
Georgia’s 14th Congressional District is known for selling carpets, being GOP-gerrymandered, and electing Marjorie Taylor Greene. But what about a 25-point swing to the left?
That’s what happened on April 7 in a special election to fill MTG’s seat after her Page-Six-worthy breakup with Trump and resignation from Congress. Yes, Republican Clay Fuller bested Democrat Shawn Harris, but only by twelve points. Compare that to the 30 points he lost to MTG in 2024 in this historically red-as-Georgia-clay district. I’d say that’s a pretty peachy swing!
Florida: Flipping a state House seat in Trump’s backyard.
On March 24, Democrat Emily Gregory — fitness instructor and first-time candidate — became Donald Trump’s new representative in the Florida state House. In a special election, Gregory flipped Florida’s House District 87, which includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, defeating Trump-backed Republican Jon Maples by 2.4 points. It’s a slim margin, but pretty major when you consider that Trump won this district by 11 points in 2024.
This race proves that where Trump literally votes is not a forgone electoral conclusion for Republicans. I guess owning a 62,500-square-foot 126-room mansion still doesn’t make you king — not even of your own domain.
Screenshot: Silver Bulletin’s April 23 aggregated polling data showing Trump’s approval rating going down.
Nationwide: Trump’s tanking in the polls. 📉
Forty percent. I never thought a percentage would be so important to me until I got into politics. That’s the percent approval rating a President wants to be above if they want their party to win elections. So, too bad for Donald Trump and the Republican Party, because DT has been sitting at just under 40 percent approval since March 30, according to aggregated polling data from the Silver Bulletin.
The best part: Trump’s stock does not seem to be rising anytime soon, especially when he’s doubling down on unhinged threats toward Iran, sending JD Vance to campaign for one of the most right-wing, authoritarian leaders in the world (he lost!), and even insulting the Pope. I may be approaching middle age, but I’m riding with the under-40 crowd this year!
So, will we win?? Local organizing could close the deal.
Here’s the thing: Just because voters are souring on Trump, doesn’t mean they’re running into the loving arms of the Democrats. Yes, we can add Georgia and Florida to the list of special elections where Democrats have consistently and significantly overperformed since the start of 2025. Yes, Democrats are tallying up wins and flipping a ton of seats since the start of Trump’s second term. Yes, DT is steadily underwater in the polls. These are all great signs, but it doesn’t mean that Democrats will definitely win in November.
A recent CNN poll, found that just 28 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party. That’s not great! We definitely have work to do. But! MVP and our partners have plans. In fact, we have lots of them — from building power with white, working-class voters to defeat Senator Susan Collins in Maine to expanding 2025’s successful Neighborhood Captains program to flip three U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania. It’s this kind of organizing that will help us win this year and for years to come.
Check out a sampling of what MVP is excited to invest in over the next few months. And, if you’re feeling as inspired as us, you can invest too!
Graphic: May 1, 2026 is May Day. Find an action at maydaystrong.org.
Take Action with MVP and Our Partners
We’ve got the momentum, and we need everyone to get involved if we are going to win in November. Check out these opportunities to take action for our future. 📣
- Take Action on May Day: On May 1, let’s celebrate the 8-hour workday and the fight for labor rights on May Day! Build on that No Kings 3 energy and join one of May Day Strong’s hundreds of partners for a May Day action in your community or create your own! Here’s a few of the things MVP partners are up to for May Day:
- National: Indivisible
- NY: Make the Road NY
- AZ: Progress AZ
- WI: Voces de la Frontera
- Protect Healthcare and Democracy with MVP: On May 5, join MVP’s volunteer-run Healthcare Leaders for Democracy for a virtual event to support the fight for our democracy and protect access to healthcare. The event will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Mandy Cohen, former CDC Director, as well as special guest, Roy Cooper, former North Carolina Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate. Register here.
- Learn What’s Happening in the Field: Join MVP partner People’s Action/People's Action Power on May 6 for Fight Forward — a political funder briefing. Participants will hear from organizers on the frontlines of the fight for our future — from deep-canvass get-out-the-vote plans to working with elected leaders on co-governance, to policy campaigns on access to healthcare and affordable housing. Register here.
- Attend MVP’s Giving Decisions Workshop: With super-high stakes and so much going on this year, are you having a hard time deciding how much money to give to which political cause? On May 7, join MVP’s National Donor Network team of experts for a virtual workshop on how to make a political giving plan that feels right for you. It’ll be a judgement-and-solicitation-free zone, so bring your questions and ideas! Register here.
Screenshot: Bruce Springsteen performing “The Streets of Minneapolis” at the No Kings 3 flagship rally in Minneapolis, MN.
A Moment of Movement Joy
Each month, we bring you something that inspired us, made us smile, or gave us a boost in our work to beat back authoritarianism and keep our eyes on the prize. I bring you this month’s Moment of Movement Joy starring The Boss 😎.
In front of a 200,000-person crowd, The Bruce Springsteen took the stage at the No Kings 3 flagship rally in Minneapolis. He performed “The Streets of Minneapolis,” a song full of grief, rage, and inspiration that he wrote after the federal occupation of Minneapolis and the ICE killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
This moment of movement joy maybe doesn’t make us jump up and down with glee or high five each other in victory, but it does something just as important: It reminds us of what’s possible and moves us to keep fighting. It a makes us feel like we are not alone in this fight, and that people all across this country are with us.
Much gratitude to The Boss for using his platform and his voice for the movement. Watch the full performance here.
