Click here to see our initial list of 2014 U.S. House candidates whom we’re endorsing.
Click here to see our list of 2014 U.S. Senate candidates whom we’re endorsing.
We Can Do It! – Big Picture Overview
No crystal balls in the House. But over the last two weeks evidence has surfaced that 2014 conceivably could be a wave election that turns the House back to the Democrats, unexpectedly. Republicans are plunging in the polls. Whether or not this happens depends increasingly on one factor: the existence of worthwhile progressive candidates willing to take the plunge and fight the Rs in the districts we need to win in order to end the reign of Boehner.
At Progressive Kick we’ve pored over the data and come up with a number: 44. That’s how many House CDs are possible to snatch away from the Rs. And it is a numbers game: the more quality candidates, the more victories. Each additional candidate adds to the wave. In plain English: this isn’t about focusing on the sure shots, it’s about taking it to the thin slice of Swing districts that still exist after Republican gerrymandering – and are held by Republicans.
The first step is candidate identification, vetting, and recruitment. Together with our allies, we’re embarking on a lightning fast, national effort to put the right names in a bucket so we can all look at them. Some candidates need our support, right now. Others need to be persuaded to run. And some districts we’ll have to cross of our list – for now. Please – help us build this list right now.
Over the next few weeks we’ll speak with hundreds of go-to people in state legislatures, national advocacy groups, constituency organizations and others to get our list right. If you’re reading this, we probably think you are one of those people worth talking to. (If not – you might know someone!)
Step One: Identify committed candidates and persuadables in 44 CDs held by Repubs that our data show are winnable districts. Some of them have Dem candidates already – we’ll ascertain if they’re worth supporting.
Step Two: Assist groups in vetting candidates. We aren’t trying to choose candidate for our allies, but to present possibilities we think merit their consideration. Let’s eliminate “there are no good candidates” as a reason for not winning!
Step Three: help nationalize the campaigns from all of the 44 districts where we get progressives running so they all have a fighting chance. We won’t win every one; but with candidates, the odds are actually in our favor.
Raise Your Hand And Say ‘Yeah!’
Here’s how you can be part of this right now.
I. Take a look at our map so you can see our list of 44.
II. Enter that candidate YOU know about over here.
III. Email us with your suggestion for who to talk to about this project. We maintain a listserv with updates and plan to publicize the names we come across with our allies.
IV. We’ll be mounting a social media/blog campaign to get the word out about the amazing prospects for a progressive 2014 election season. If that’s a topic you care about, follow us here and here.
Thank you so much for paying attention. Together, we can do it.
PS: Want to understand our methodology for determining which CDs are worth fighting for? Want to learn more about the whole plan, from candidate identification to recruitment to victory? Click here.
Update: To see a list of US House candidates we’re endorsing in 2014 (including the worthwhile challenger and open seat candidates we’ve found so far) click here.