People’s House
Democrats need to get smarter about winning congressional races.
Turnout is often the determining factor in these elections, many of which are decided by a few thousand votes. Yet key groups that heavily favor Democrats — such as people of color and young people — tend to vote at lower levels than the general population, especially in midterms. Democrats also struggle to win over independents, who comprise a third or more of the electorate in many battleground districts.
Tackling both these challenges — mobilization and persuasion — requires year-round organizing to engage voters, as well as evidence-based GOTV efforts during elections. People’s House helps donors support such work in must-win districts, offering an alternative to giving that goes to last-minute advertising blitzes and fieldwork by outside operatives.
We’re working to help flip the House in 2024 — while also building the local infrastructure needed to hold swing seats for years to come. Here’s our strategy:
1. Target Carefully. We are focusing on 20 of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents — those in districts that Biden carried in 2020 or who won their races by 5 points or less. (See target districts.)
2. Build Partnerships. For each district, we support groups working year-round to engage voters — both to increase voting by likely Democrats and to persuade independents. We are also partnering with donor organizers to galvanize fundraising on behalf of this work.
3. Provide Funding and Support. We provide frontline organizers with funding as well as connect them to the tools they need to succeed: voter targeting data, opposition research, outside training, and tested messages and narratives.
4. Turn Out Voters and Win. When election season arrives, we’ll support GOTV work — including evidence-based strategies by national leaders in this area — to help ensure high turnout among key Democratic groups and persuadable voters, which will be the key to victory.
5. Keep Going. While traditional congressional campaigns often leave little behind, we’ll keep investing after 2024 in the long-term organizing needed to build power and hold battleground districts for years to come.