Candidates
To help Democratic donors give with maximum impact to win elections, we offer candidate recommendations for federal and state races. We base these recommendations on three criteria: the importance of the race, whether the candidate can win, and whether they need money. Based on these criteria, we sort our recommendations into three categories: High Priority is assigned to candidates who closely meet all our criteria at a given point in time. Priority is assigned to candidates who less closely meet our criteria. We update these ratings as the election cycle evolves. (Explore our methodology.)
Blue Tent has created four slates of candidates that donors can choose from. We have confidence that these are all high-impact options for small donors looking to give in the 2022 election. Click through to explore each Blue Tent slate and make a donation through ActBlue. You can also check out our individual candidate profiles below the slates.
High Priority
Adam Gray: U.S. House of Representatives, California
Gray is competing in a district with a lot of rural and Latino voters that leans Democratic but could swing to the GOP. He can't afford to fall behind in his fundraising. Read more
Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 3.0
Adrian Fontes: Secretary of State, Arizona
Supporting Fontes's campaign should be a high priority for donors in 2022, as a Republican takeover of the Arizona secretary of state’s office could be disastrous for American democracy. Read more
Bee Nguyen: Secretary of State, Georgia
Given the potential for the Georgia secretary of state to influence the 2024 election, this is an extremely important race — and one that is likely to be extremely competitive. Read more
KODY HALL
Christy Clark: State House of Representatives, North Carolina
With Republicans close to securing a legislative supermajority in North Carolina, it's vital that Clark prevail in a closely contested district against incumbent John Bradford III. Read more
Cindy Hans: State Senate, Arizona
If Democrats are going to flip the narrowly divided Senate in Arizona, where Republicans are growing increasingly extreme, they need Hans to win a race where she's now the underdog. Read more
Ethan Cha: State House of Representatives, Minnesota
Cha's candidacy ticks all the boxes: He's in a competitive yet winnable race in a state that could easily turn red this fall and he urgently needs to raise more money to secure his chances of victory. Read more
Frank Mrvan: U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana
Mrvan is among the Democratic incumbents who are fighting for their lives in this election, in a toss-up race. But he's not one who's raised a ton of money, so donors need to step up. Read more
Gabe Vasquez: U.S. House of Representatives, New Mexico
Vasquez is running against a GOP incumbent in a redrawn district that went for Biden in 2020, so he stands a decent chance of winning—especially if he raises all the money he needs. Read more
Greg Landsman: U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio
Ohio's 1st District is now more Democratic than it used to be, putting longtime incumbent Steve Chabot on the defensive. It’s an opportunity for Democrats to pick up a seat. Read more
Jamie McLeod-Skinner: U.S. House of Representatives, Oregon
A rancher and a progressive, McLeod-Skinner faces a tough general election after defeating centrist Democrat Kurt Schrader to win the nomination. Read more
Jevin Hodge: U.S. House of Representatives, Arizona
A 27-year-old, first-time candidate wouldn’t normally be a great bet to knock off a long-term incumbent. But Jevin Hodge, a business consultant running to unseat David Schweikert, has a real chance. Read more
Cassidy Araiza
Kirsten Engel: U.S. House of Representatives, Arizona
Competitive open congressional seats are a rarity in U.S politics, but Arizona’s 6th District is just that. And Kirsten Engel, a law professor and former state senator, has a chance to win. Read more
Kris Mayes: Attorney General, Arizona
Supporting Mayes’s campaign should be seen as a high priority for donors, as her election could protect access to abortion in Arizona, while beating back attacks on democracy. Read more
Rochelle Garza: Attorney General, Texas
As she works to take out a truly terrible incumbent Republican in a key state, Garza is one of the few viable Democratic candidates for major office who is obviously and severely underfunded. Read more
Tony Vargas: U.S. House of Representatives, Nebraska
Vargas is running against a GOP incumbent in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, the only competitive House race in the state—and one within reach for Democrats. Read more
Priority
Brittany Pettersen: U.S. House of Representatives, Colorado
Petterson is running in a district that has become more competitive and is likely to be in play during a tough year for Democrats. But she's behind in her fundraising and needs help. Read more
Chris Deluzio: U.S. House Representatives, Pennsylvania
Deluzio is running in a swing district, although Democrats have held onto this seat since 2003. But maintaining that control will be hard in an election cycle that will be very tough for Democrats. Read more
Christy Smith: U.S. House of Representatives, California
In 2020, California State Rep. Christy Smith came within 350 votes of beating incumbent Republican Mike Garica. Now, she's trying again in a race that could be a pickup for Democrats. Read more
Emilia Sykes: U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio
Democrats have been losing power in Ohio for many years, and winning either of the competitive House races in this state will be an uphill battle. But Sykes can still win in the 13th and having enough money to compete is one key. Read more
Jen Jordan: Attorney General, Georgia
Georgia's Republican AG Christopher Carr has been a willing foot solider in voter suppression efforts. Taking him out would be a major win for democracy and Jordan has shot at doing just that. Read more
Mandela Barnes: U.S. Senate, Wisconsin
Barnes, who has a real chance of beating Republican incumbent Ron Johnson, isn't short of funds. Read more
Melissa Cerrato: House of Representatives, Pennsylvania
Flipping the Pennsylvania House would be a huge win for Democrats, helping secure election integrity and abortion rights in the state. Cerrato is a good bet to achieve that goal. Read more
Padma Kuppa: State Senate, Michigan
Given the potential for the Michigan state legislature to influence the 2024 election, this competitive race is one of the more important down-ballot contests for Democrats to win this year. Read more
Rudy Salas: U.S. House of Representatives, California
There aren’t many congressional races in 2022 where Democrats have an actual chance to unseat a Republican incumbent, but the redistricting scramble in California means that Salas has a real shot. Read more
