Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) focuses on state legislative races throughout the country. It is one of several committees making up the formal institutions of the Democratic Party, albeit one that works on many more races at much smaller scales than the rest of the national party.
Why This Work is Important
States are increasingly important arenas of power. State governments have always had enormous influence over people’s lives, with wide power in areas such as education, criminal justice, and economic development. But Supreme Court rulings in recent years have devolved ever more power to the states, including over reproductive rights and the rules governing elections.
Democrats are confronting both threats and opportunities in the states. Wherever Republicans have held power in recent decades, they have passed antidemocratic initiatives like voter restrictions and gerrymandering, while enacting policies to restrict reproductive rights, amplify corporate power, and punish the poor. Conversely, in states where Democrats have gained, progressives have passed exciting new policies to fight inequality, expand democracy, combat climate change and protect basic rights. States act as testing grounds for new policies, and also serve as the first steps in future national political leaders’ careers.
Why Donors Should Consider the DLCC
The DLCC looks to gain strategic ground in key states. As a national organization focused on state legislative races, the DLCC primarily focuses on notching wins that can tip the balance of power. It identifies “Spotlight Races'' that are considered important and that have particularly strong candidates, giving those races heavy financial and technical support. The committee also allows donors curious about upcoming state-level campaigns to peruse that list and give directly through the DLCC website. As is often the case in American politics, majorities can be decided by a few smaller races, making it especially prudent to focus energy and resources in those places.
The DLCC money is also a rising tide to lift all boats. In addition to its work on spotlight races, the DLCC runs ads at the state level promoting the Democratic Party and its candidates as a whole. The DLCC also provides training and occasionally salaries for campaign staffers, which is especially vital in down-ballot races like state house and senate elections, where campaign staff is often sparse or largely made up of volunteers. Getting these people trained and compensated not only helps those campaigns, but helps the campaigns of many candidates up and down the ballot, as better-trained staffers and organizers will get more Democratic voters to the polls.
Donors can achieve more impact by giving for state races. Democrats have a tendency to obsess over big-ticket national races, like the presidency and marquee Senate contests. But donor contributions are more likely to make a difference in state legislative races, which are far less expensive and often decided by much closer margins.
Conclusion
The DLCC is the only Democratic Party committee that Blue Tent recommends to donors. By investing in flipping state legislative chambers, donors can help advance meaningful change while building a bench of candidates for the future.