Early Money Brings Wins Later

Sister District helps Democrats in swing states flip state houses blue by providing support for the entire campaign cycle. We do this because we know how important state legislators are: they can pass laws that produce higher graduation rates, broader job creation, and firmer protection of reproductive rights. How we help candidates is simple: in springtime, we fundraise early on, allowing candidates to take the time to hire the right staff and begin planning campaign strategy much earlier than is possible for most small campaigns. Our summertime calls to voters embed candidates’ names and messages across their districts, priming them to think about the election. As contests heat up in the fall, we’re able to raise more money that candidates can use to buy media placements–  and focus our calls to reach likely Democratic voters. 

Early campaigning increases candidates’ chances of success. In our 2023 national Impact Report, a campaign staffer for Virginia delegate Phil Hernandez illustrates that lift. “[Sister District Project] grew our national network of grassroots donors and volunteers in a way that would otherwise have been unattainable,” he said. In general, Republican candidates tend to have early fundraising and support from a national base of large-dollar donors, an advantage that progressive candidates do not have–until now. Our early dollar donations from Sister District help candidates build up a staff, a strategy, and name recognition earlier than their opponents could ever have expected. Early money gives our candidates a fighting chance.

Additionally, state races are drawing in more national attention as party HQs on both sides of the aisle realize that they can use state legislatures’ ability to craft local laws to further their national agendas. Access to clean air, good schools, productive jobs, and human rights–state legislatures decide on all of these issues and more. Combined with the fact that local races tend to get the least amount of attention, our opponents are literally banking on us ignoring state races and focusing on the top of the ticket so they can come in and sweep out our rights from under us.

When our candidates win in November, they often win by small margins amid small voter turnout. It’s your early money that helps bring attention to the race in the first place. Sister District volunteers raised, on average, almost 10% of our candidates’ early dollars. That’s a pretty significant chunk of change. Don’t let these important swing state candidates run out of steam eight months from now–give them a head start now by donating or by joining us at our in-person State Bridges event in March 2024. Click the links for more details.