Battleground New York: An Unprecedented Push to Win Congressional Races
Democrats have long taken New York for granted as a reliable blue state. But that's a mistake, given the party's stunning setback in the 2022 election. Republicans flipped four congressional seats in the state, helping usher in a razor-thin House GOP majority.
Looking at the districts where Democrats lost, three things stand out: One, most of these races were very close. Two, there were way more registered Democrats than Republicans in almost all the districts. And three, huge numbers of people didn’t vote.
How Democrats Lost Close House Races in New York in 2022
Here's what voter turnout looked like across the four districts the GOP flipped in 2022:
NY-3: 48% (GOP margin of 20,420 votes, with 291k citizens not voting)
NY-4: 49% (GOP margin of 9,751, with 282k not voting)
NY-17: 52% (GOP margin of 1,820, with 252k not voting)
NY-19: 47% (GOP margin of 4,495, with 326k not voting)
All told, Republicans won the four New York districts by just 36,486 votes — while 1.1 million eligible citizens didn’t participate. Many of those who stayed home were likely Democratic voters. We can’t let this happen again in 2024.
The Road to a House Majority Goes Through New York
It’s urgently imperative that Democrats flip the House this year to create a firewall against MAGA extremism. And for this to happen, we need strong voter turnout across New York’s competitive districts. That’s why Blue Tent recommends that donors support Battleground New York, an unprecedented push to engage voters and flip House seats.
This initiative was created after the disastrous losses in 2022. Key organizations came together to plot a coordinated strategy to win House races across New York in 2024, with a focus on voter engagement. The groups behind this push include the Working Families Party, Indivisible, Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts, and 1199 SEIU.
Together, these organizations are working to reach tens of thousands of voters, targeting four GOP-held districts that Biden won in 2020, as well as defending two vulnerable Democrats. This is the largest field and organizing campaign in New York history.
Boosting Voter Turnout in Key New York Congressional Districts
Battleground New York exemplifies a smarter approach to congressional races. It’s focused on changing who shows up at the polls, seeking to draw more people into civic life, as opposed to bombarding undecided likely voters with ads. This is not only a better way to win elections; it’s critical to creating a more representative democracy where all voices are heard.
BGNY has already proven its effectiveness. In the special election earlier this year to replace George Santos in NY-3, its organizers knocked on more than 100,000 doors, guided by voter data on where such efforts could have the most impact. The total budget for this work was just $700,00, a pittance compared to the cost of buying ads in New York’s expensive media market. Democrat Tom Suozzi won the race by eight points — in another reminder that when our side takes turnout seriously, we win elections.
Battleground New York is now applying this same model to other swing districts, with organizers in the field. It’s making a point of targeting neighborhoods of color that Democratic operatives are likely to overlook. But it’s still working to raise funds, so I hope you can help out with a donation using the link below.
