“Republicans leverage power in ways that Democrats, I don’t think, understand,” said Jessica Post, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, in an interview. “Part of what we’re trying to say to Democrats and the wider progressive community is, ‘Look what’s happening in states right now.’ If we had been better funded in the 2020 elections, we could have prevented some of that. “
After flipping both houses of the Virginia legislature in 2019, the Democrats hoped to use that momentum to capture chambers across the country last fall. Instead, they got away largely empty-handed, and the only two legislative houses flipped over in November came to New Hampshire – where Republicans took control of the legislature and consolidated unified control of state government.
The DLCC has one expansive state legislative battlefield listand highlights the countries in which the most investments are to be made over the next two years. The list, first shared with POLITICO, includes the immediate goal of defending the Virginia State House later this year – which the Democrats flipped over in 2019, the first time they held the chamber in the last millennium.
It also has a mix of offensive and defensive goals for 2022, including trying to flip chambers in states like Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, and defending majorities in Nevada, New Mexico, and Maine.
To this end, the DLCC is asking donors to invest more and earlier in state legislative competitions. The DLCC memo notes that the $ 51 million raised in the last cycle was a historic amount for the committee, while Senate candidates in states that ultimately weren’t as competitive raised significantly more – like $ 96 million – Dollars for Amy McGrath’s Kentucky Democrat Longshot Campaign. ”
“I think donors need to consider what the return on investment is,” said Post. “I think we as Democrats are just running for the shiny object and what’s most exciting right now, while Republicans have taken a long-term strategic approach to power building in the states. And it seems to be catching up with us at every turn. “
Post said the 2020 results made it clear that Democrats must specifically invest in state legislature races because Democrats cannot rely on the houses to be flipped.
“We have some very clear evidence from the last election cycle. We had [now-Sen.] Mark Kelly wins nationwide in Arizona, and we didn’t get the Arizona chambers, ”she said, also quoting current President Joe Biden, who beat Texas state legislature. “You can’t invest in the state at the top and expect work to be at the bottom of the ballot.”
But the Democrats will face double headwinds in parliamentary elections over the next two years: a medium-term campaign in which the party controls the White House and the uncertainty created by a protracted restructuring process.
Many of the committee’s key legislative goals are to defend the achievements made in recent years, such as holding Senate Senates in Colorado and Maine, both of which were flipped in 2018. However, the DLCC claims the country has recovered from the pandemic, coupled with belligerent factions within committee The GOP could help empower the party in an otherwise difficult medium-term situation.
“Imagine if we vaccinate people, people can travel and see their grandchildren. I think this will create a great environment, ”said Post.
And a extensive delay in redistributing data across the country creates significant uncertainty for legislative maps. Committees, lawmakers, and outside groups won’t know the political boundaries until the last quarter of this year at the earliest.
It also means that the lawmakers and commissions that draw the lines in the states will have significantly less time to create the maps than in years past. Once the data is available, it will be a crazy mess for both candidates and card makers, which, according to the Post, underscores the need for groups like the DLCC to get a steady stream of funding now.
“We’ll definitely keep changing and updating and refining this list as soon as we get districts,” said Post. “We are already working closely with state lawmakers to develop strategies for redistribution. …[The delay] We in the DLCC and our partners on the National Democratic Redistricting Committee need to have infrastructure during peak hours. “
