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Volunteers Taking Back Democracy |
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In This Issue ● Rafter Wins in NH ● Fundraiser for VA Candidates ● More Ways to Help in VA ● We're Building Momentum in NC ● Amplify This: Why Vote Early in VA |
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Swing Blue Plays Major Role in NH Special Election Win |
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To all who phone-banked, canvassed and donated to Hal Rafter, thank you for making a real difference! |
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Hal's wife, Susan Jackson-Rafter, has reached out to Swing Blue Alliance, saying, “Thank you ALL for what you did to get Hal elected! We couldn't have done it without your support and canvassing chops! I sincerely hope we get to work together again on another campaign.” |
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Rafter's win (56% to 44%) means that, pending a special election in November in a solid Blue district, the NH House will be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, defeating the radical Right's plans for draconian abortion laws, defunding of public education, anti-LGBTQ legislation and restriction of voting rights. |
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The ripple effects of your activism in this special election go far beyond New Hampshire. Despite the doom-saying pundits, Democrats have been winning across the country, and this bodes very well for the 2024 national elections. |
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Now, Let's Win Virginia! |
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Early voting is now underway for Virginia's legislative elections. Republicans currently control the VA House of Delegates, and Governor Glenn Youngkin has set his sights on the State Senate, where Democrats currently hold a razor-thin majority. |
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Swing Blue is teaming up with powerhouse DC-based group, 31st Street Swing Left, to counter Youngkin's efforts at total GOP control, by supporting eight carefully-vetted candidates for the Virginia legislature, all of whom are in “the sweet spot” to win given enough support. |
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Swing Blue has already raised more than $30,000 for these inspiring candidates. Now we need your help. Please join us for a Zoom fundraiser on Sept. 26 at 7 pm, to get the lowdown and hear from several of the candidates. |
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Do you want to feel good about the future? Take a look at the bios of the slate of dynamic young candidates that we're supporting with this fundraiser. Get inspired, and please donate with the link above whether you can attend the fundraiser or not.
For the House of Delegates:
For the State Senate:
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More Ways to Help Win Virginia |
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Recruit Virginia volunteers Swing Blue Alliance and Red2Blue are helping Rural GroundGame recruit local volunteers for Senate and House candidates in rural VA counties. We need to support rural Democrats to win statewide races. |
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Fridays @ 4- 6 pm EDT |
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Thursdays @ 5 pm - 7 pm EDT |
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Make calls for Clint Jenkins Clint Jenkins' district is one of the most competitive in the state and could be the tipping point district in the battle for control of the State Senate. Because Jenkins' district is somewhat off the beaten path and lacks the resources of other swing districts, our efforts can make a real difference for his campaign. |
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Mondays starting Oct 2 @ 5 - 7 pm EDT. |
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Canvass in Virginia Join group of intrepid volunteers for voter registration and canvassing in Clint Jenkins' VA district in October. |
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On the weekend of Oct. 7th - 9th. you'll spend one day at the Suffolk Peanut Festival (http://www.suffolkpeanutfest.com) registering voters and the rest of your time knocking doors in Suffolk City in walkable territories. The other dates will be devoted to knocking doors. Training will be provided, and if you sign up you'll get details about location, transportation and housing options. |
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Do you have friends in the DC/VA area? Bring them along or forward them the link to sign up. Questions? Email berl.hartman@gmail.com. |
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Sat, Oct 7 - Mon, Oct 9 @ 12 pm - 4 pm EDT Fri, Nov 3 - Sun, Nov 5 @ 12 pm - 4 pm EDT |
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Postcards Our new “Save Democracy in Virginia” postcard campaign supports candidate Clint Jenkins, and will also influence voters in several close House districts where turnout is critical. These districts overlap with Jenkins' district (SD17), thus giving us 2 or 3 times the impact with this single card. The cards don't name a specific candidate, and use social pressure, which is the gold standard for increasing turnout in an off-year election. |
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Note: It may be later today (Sat) that the cards are available, but they will be available by some time today. |
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We're Building Momentum in NC |
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Swing Blue's partnership with the Mecklenburg County Democrats is going full steam. So far we've made more than 5,800 phone calls to potential NC volunteers, and recruited more than 400 potential attendees at organizing events. |
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Let's build on this momentum, so we can be sure Mecklenburg County (where Charlotte is located) has the people power to turn out record numbers of Democratic voters in 2024. |
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Sundays @ 6 - 8 pm EDT |
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NC Postcards Test Turnout Technique |
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Meanwhile, our “Help Flip North Carolina Blue” postcard campaign focuses on the local District 6 Charlotte City Council election in November. We aim to show that Dems can increase turnout in an odd-year race and flip a Republican seat in the process. We'll also be measuring and analyzing the effectiveness of this kind of campaign for a local race. |
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Keep checking - Events added as more hosts order cards! |
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Amplify This: Video About Early Voting in VA |
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SwingLeft Peninsula (CA) has produced a catchy and useful set of videos to encourage early voting, including one called “Why Vote Early in Virginia.” Voting in VA just began yesterday (9/22), so please share this with anyone you know who is a VA voter or who knows a VA voter. SwingLeftPeninsula is planning a whole series of early voting videos in the near future. |
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Our Mission Swing Blue Alliance (formerly Swing Left Greater Boston) is the largest all-volunteer Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in Massachusetts. We use proven methods to protect our Democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level. |
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Your contribution will help fund the operations of this volunteer-produced newsletter, which goes out to over 15K subscribers. |
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