Here’s How We Secure a Progressive Win in the 2024 Presidential Race
To secure victory in 2024, it is essential to invest early in 2023.
MVP is entering the 2023-2024 cycle with a remarkable track record. In our first three years, from 2016-2018, our local partners won dozens of elections – from District Attorney to Governor to US Senate. In 2020 we won our most important victory: Defeating Trump by 43,000 votes across three states (GA, AZ, WI), and securing a narrow Democratic trifecta. This allowed us to pass hundreds of policies and trillions of dollars in investment including turbocharging clean energy and cutting childhood poverty in half. In 2021, we set an audacious goal: to defy the odds in 2022 and we did it.
Despite intense headwinds, we helped over 10,000 donors move tens of millions of dollars to hundreds of grassroots organizations in every competitive House, Senate, and statewide race. Together, against the odds, we mostly succeeded. Our local partners impacted more than 25 close elections, including Senate and Governor races, ten state legislative chambers, and five close US House seats. In fact, we came just 6,683 votes shy of saving the Democratic majority in the US House and 26,225 votes shy of picking up a 52nd vote in the Senate. Our local partners, who contacted tens of millions of voters, did a heroic job. But we have to be honest: they could have won so much more if we had invested in them bigger and earlier – which brings us to the 2023-2024 cycle.
Looking ahead, we face two major possible scenarios over the next 21 months and the coming decade:
- A DeSantis GOP trifecta in 2024, which could catalyze a downward spiral into authoritarianism.
- In the most likely Good Scenario, we hold the line in 2024. We narrowly win back our Democratic trifecta, pass meaningful legislation, and continue to make progress in the 2020s – setting the stage for an even more progressive era post-redistricting exactly ten years from now – in 2033.
In scenario 2, if we at least hold the Presidency and Senate in 2024, then our job should get easier over time as a progressive younger generation grows in the electorate. Keeping our base solid and ensuring that young people stay progressive will require serious investment that our partners are well-poised to deliver. Progressive Decade at every level of governance.
To secure victory in 2024, it is essential to invest early in 2023. That’s why MVP is calling on progressive donors and allies to make audacious strategic investments in early 2023 to win key elections and to impact legislation, mid-cycle redistricting, and the election administration landscape. We must strengthen local organizing infrastructure in all the critical battleground states and districts to ensure the strongest ground game possible in 2024 to hold the line and set us up for long term success – on top of the inherent benefits of investing in local communities.
MVP 2023 Priorities
In 2023, MVP will invest in all of the critical Presidential, Senate, House, and down-ballot races in battleground states and districts in advance of 2024 with a three-pronged strategy of winning local elections, winning policy, and building local partner capacity. Here are some examples:
1. Winning Key State and Local Elections
Building power locally is the first essential building block to creating a Progressive Decade. We need to win elections to ensure fair maps and voting, build our bench, and pass progressive legislation in the states to improve millions of lives. Some highlights:
● Wisconsin: The state Supreme Court race on April 4th will decide the balance of power on a court that has the power to fix gerrymandered maps, restricted voting rights, antiquated abortion laws, and more. It’s our top electoral priority in 2023.
● Virginia: Both legislative chambers are up for re-election. Our partners will be working to expand power in the Senate and win back power in the Assembly, with the aim of securing a Democratic trifecta again by 2025.
● Pennsylvania: Most Pennsylvania county-level elections are up in 2023, including a State Supreme Court seat, district attorneys, key county boards like Delaware and Allegheny, and the Philly mayor and city council, which administer elections.
● Build from the ground up! We always say “the right-wing invested in school boards for 50 years.” We need to do the same! Local elections are great opportunities to build candidates, volunteer teams, and year-round consistent voters.
2. Winning Policies
From Abortion to Climate to Justice MVP partners organize and mobilize constituents to advance progressive policies and protect against Republican attacks, particularly in states where there is an opportunity to electoralize issues to win elections in 2024.
● Minnesota: MVP partners are running a canvass during legislative session that will deploy in key districts to move Democratic senators who might block legislation such as paid family and medical leave, funding for schools, universal pre-k, childcare, licenses for undocumented immigrants, 100% clean energy, and voting rights restoration – so critical when we can’t lose one vote to pass legislation.
● Michigan: Michigan partners are pursuing a comprehensive agenda including gun safety, equitable education funding, licenses for undocumented immigrants, water access and prohibition of water shutoffs, public broadband, affordable childcare, making polluters pay and expanding renewable energy.
● Ohio: Ohio may have as many as three ballot measures in 2023 or 2024 for abortion rights, expanding voting rights, and fair redistricting (which coincide with defending Sherrod Brown’s Senate seat in 2024).
● Arizona: is likely to have an abortion rights ballot measure and potentially others which we will electoralize in 2024.
● Defensive fights: In states like Texas and Georgia, we’re seeing unprecedented attacks on abortion rights, voting rights, and LGBTQ+ communities. Our partners will continue stopping bad laws and setting the stage for electoral gains in 2024.
3. Upgrading Our Ground Game for 2024
To win in 2024, we need to fortify our infrastructure. This means investing in the ecosystem of groups in each state to expand geographically, and ensuring that our partners have the tools and support to do their jobs effectively. A few examples:
● North Carolina Apprenticeship Program: We’re developing programs to train community leaders such as the NC apprenticeship program which will support the training of new organizers and embed them within partner organizations so they’ll be armed with experience going into 2024.
● Michigan Operations Hub: We are supporting four organizations to create a shared c4 back office operations hub to streamline organizational finance, administrative, and human resource functions. This innovation is supporting the growth of a sustainable local movement ecosystem to focus on c4 electoral and organizing priorities – with potential to grow and be replicated in other states.
● Capacity Building and Tech Tools & Skills Sharpening: MVP’s in-house Capacity Building Team is helping hundreds of organizations gain access to trusted vendors & discounted tech tools to engage voters, and to get training on how to use those tools and develop messaging to activate and persuade their constituencies.
● LGBTQ+ Support: As conservatives attack LGBTQ+ communities in search of political gain, we’re investing in LGBTQ+ leaders in key states to fight for progress, elevate pro-equality lawmakers in leadership, effectively counter horrible scapegoating messages and legislation and prevent anti-LGBTQ+ ballot measures.
MVP’s Strategy: Invest in 2023 → Win in 2024
If we invest meaningfully in 2023, we can win so much: A majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court that would transform Wisconsin’s political trajectory. We can flip the Virginia House. We can avoid a right-wing trifecta in 2024-2028. We can win a Democratic trifecta in 2024 and pass federal legislation in 2025, and we can create a real pathway to transform our country – from Texas to the Supreme Court! That’s our legacy.
Please join MVP and our partners in investing big in 2023 to secure the future we deserve in 2024 and beyond.
Questions about giving options? Please reach out to us at advisor@movement.vote.
