I’m writing to you from the plane back from North Carolina, where I spent the weekend with MVP partners Siembra NC and Carolina Federation. I don’t get to hang out with our partners often, and let me tell you, this weekend is why I love my job.
Photo: Siembra NC launched their final Vote Blitz before Election Day in Greensboro, NC, talking to voters about data centers and the need to reelect Anita Earls to the state Supreme Court.
Saturday was the last day of early voting, and our partners were at the polls and on the doors. I joined Siembra NC in Greensboro for their final Vote Blitz before Election Day. Seasoned canvassers teamed up with first-time volunteers to talk to voters about data centers in their communities and the need to reelect Anita Earls to the state Supreme Court to hold corporations accountable and unrig North Carolina’s maps.
Siembra NC’s Co-Director Nikki Marin Baena told me that winning the midterms is the first step on their pathway to power — winning full governing power in North Carolina by 2031. That means year-round organizing to flip the state legislature and the state Supreme Court in 2028 and 2030. And if we can do that, we can unrig the state’s gerrymandered legislative and U.S. House maps — the same maps that gave Republicans a puny but consequential three-seat U.S. House majority in 2024. All that work starts now.
Photo: Carolina Federation’s Durham Regional Engagement Manager, Brandon Young, with canvasser Patricia Lane knocking doors in support of Democrats Roy Cooper for Senate and Anita Earls for state Supreme Court.
Today, I went out on the doors with Carolina Federation in Durham, and, maaaaaaan, the energy was SO hype. When I asked Regional Engagement Manager Brandon Young how many doors they were going to hit today, without blinking, he said, “3,000.” (Sir, what?!) Then he added, “My boss told me to try for 1,600 but … we always do more.”
He told us that he does this work for his two-year-old baby boy (who was a pirate for Halloween), and how he started at Carolina Federation as a canvasser, then became a Lead Canvasser, and now is the Regional Engagement Manager. He pours attention and care into his staff like Jenn Frye, Co-Director of Carolina Federation, poured into him, helping each canvasser understand why this work is more than just a job. And after spending the day with Brandon, it’s clear organizing and investing in his community is his life’s calling. I wish we could have thousands of Brandons across our movement doing this work with his dedication, passion, and humility.
I know lots of us are worried about what will happen on Tuesday. I am too. But after spending the weekend with our partners and seeing up close and personal what they do day in and day out, I’m absolutely less worried. Seeing how they are not only in community, but they are of community, is literally awesome. As Brandon told his canvassers, “They see in our face we are the people that’s in their community, so they trust us.” And that’s exactly who we need to help win on Tuesday and keep working to turn our country around.
I could go on and on about how incredible this weekend was, but the pilot just came and said that thing about landing soon and the internet cutting off, so let me wrap this up:
- Check out and bookmark MVP’s election tracker. We are tracking more than 500 races in 35+ states, complete with partner stories and photos from the field. Eat your heart out, Steve Kornacki!
- Register for our November 4 national briefing, “What just happened?!” We’ll break down the latest election results, hear directly from MVP staff and partners, and talk about what’s next.
- It’s not too late to donate to MVP. Siembra already has election defense events planned for this week and next. Carolina Federation was training canvassers on how to cure ballots tonight. Our partners are ready for whatever election interference may come, but they gotta have the resources. Election Day is Tuesday, but with this administration, our fight to win could take a lot longer than that.
Alright, they are giving me that “put your tray table up right now” look, so I guess I better hit send.
Thank you for being with us in this fight.
Ready to land the plane,
Annie Lipsitz, MVP Donor Communications Manager
(On behalf of the MVP team)
