Democrats look to break state GOP supermajorities. ‘We’re investing now to build infrastructure and win big up and down the ballot,’ said DNC chair.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced nearly $2 million in new grants to state parties in 11 non-battleground states to boost down-ballot races and fund key voter organizing and registration efforts both ahead of the November general election and for years to come.
The DNC said in its June 10 announcement that the effort is part of its ongoing commitment to state parties.
To that end, Democrats have increased their yearly investment to state parties by 25 percent, with total funding in this election cycle now reaching over $20 million.
“This latest investment is a boost to the DNC’S record-setting support for state parties under President Biden, the best Party-builder Democrats have had in decades,” Ken Martin, president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, said in a statement. “Today’s announced funding, tailor made to meet the individual needs of state parties—whether in rural or urban, red or blue states—will strengthen and expand Democrats’ organizing programs for years to come.”
The $2 million in new grants will be used for such initiatives as enhancing on-the-ground organization and strengthening data infrastructure to boost voter turnout.
The DNC hopes the investments will help the party hold onto vulnerable seats and challenge those now held by Republicans. In Indiana and Kansas, in which the DNC has invested around half a million dollars each this cycle, it says it’s just several seats away from breaking Republican supermajorities.
“Everywhere Democrats are on the ballot this November—from the school board to the White House—we’re fighting to win,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “We’re investing now to build infrastructure and win big up and down the ballot because we know the stakes couldn’t be higher.”
The new spending targets Maryland, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), which underwent a leadership shakeup earlier this year, has also placed a priority on state-level investment.
