Democrats target over 26,000 local races to unseat Republicans

[RandySF]

Contest Every Race, a new coalition of Democratic groups, is launching a seven-figure campaign to challenge Republican incumbents in 26,849 down-ballot local races, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: 2020 is more than just the presidential election. Democrats are getting serious about trying to gain more power at the local level, whether through city council seats, school boards, or state legislatures.

There are 520,000 elected offices in the country.
As many as 75% go uncontested, per the group, ceding many of those seats to Republicans.
State legislatures, which oversee everything from infrastructure to gerrymandering to abortion laws, are particularly important. State maps identifying congressional districts are set to be redrawn before the 2022 midterm elections. That means local candidates elected in 2020 will help determine future congressional battlegrounds.

During Barack Obama's presidency, Democrats lost at least 1,000 state legislative seats, which they're still working to recapture.

"The GOP is no longer going to get a free pass at the local level," said Kelly Dietrich, founder and CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee.





https://www.axios.com/democrats-target-over-26000-local-races-to-unseat-republicans-771605f1-c5fb-49ff-bcd2-f3fcab22413d.html

[mcar]

1. This X 1000!

Contest every race! We need to start developing a bench, and work to take over city councils, county commissions and state legislatures.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. and provide a path from local to state to national

There will be some candidates who will want to move along that path and some who will only want to serve locally. It would be nice if each could count on a network of assistance for service and campaigning.

[mcar]

3. That's right

Here in FL, we are 4 state senate seats shy of a majority. This is doable.

[PhoenixDem]

4. This is what is needed

and thanks to the supreme court, it will allow us to gerrymander favorably and make republicans extinct

[Wounded Bear]

6. K & R...for visibility...nt

[treestar]

7. Great!

This is where it is at. Republicans started in the 80s and that is how they got such a stranglehold. We should not have uncontested seats!