Feeling unsettled from too many rides on the Pollercoaster? Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water advises, “Stop listening to the noise. Keep focusing on the actions. You’re going to feel crazy, exhausted, stressed, and baffled by how close things seem.” Craven continues:

Look at what we’re seeing on the ground, folks. The early voting lines. The absolutely jaw-dropping amount of volunteering. The tens of thousands of postcards, the busloads of canvassers, the millions of dollars raised. The ENERGY. We are not crazy. It is happening. Countless patriotic Americans are working tirelessly to save this country. 

Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene. Three Airlift Partners–Black Male Initiative Fund of Georgia, Carolina Federation, and Down Home North Carolina–have been directly affected. As one of their leaders put it, “We are slammed as we get ready for one of the most important elections of our lifetime.” If you’d like to help our affected partners as they provide aid to hard-hit communities while also continuing the crucial work of getting out the vote, please donate below.

As Coach Walz might say, it’s game on! Ever since President Biden stepped aside and VP Kamala Harris became the nominee, Team Blue’s enthusiasm has skyrocketed. Airlift’s Partner Groups are feeling it, too.

In the aftermath of an unsettling presidential debate and the US Supreme Court’s outrageous decision to rewrite the Constitution by granting presidents wide immunity, the grassroots movement is more important than ever. As our friends at Movement Voter Project put it:

Regardless of this ruling and no matter who is on the Democratic ticket, the math and the strategy stay the same: Target the swing states, invest in the organizing groups that can mobilize the hardest-to-reach Democratic voters, and do it now while every dollar yields more votes. We need to fund the biggest ground game in history to beat Trump, the worst President in history. Do not despair – double down and invest in the ground game like our democracy depends on it.

“Rise Up to the Seriousness of the Moment.” So said President Biden at this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner, an evening of humor and celebration. But what’s at stake in the 2024 elections is no laughing matter. It’s all hands on deck to protect our freedoms, build on the progress we have made, and save our democracy. Our opponents are counting on our fatigue and demoralization. But as Representative Jamie Raskin’s dad told him when he was young, “When the world seems hopeless, you be the hope.” 

That’s us: Airlift, our Partner Groups, and you.Your generous support turns hope into reality. Thank you for continuing to rise up to the seriousness of the moment.

Everyone’s abuzz about North Carolina in the 2024 elections, and with good reason: 

• Joe Biden lost the state by only 1.3% in 2020, and is investing heavily to win the state in 2024 (so is Planned Parenthood!)

• North Carolina is the third fastest-growing state in the nation, with an increasingly diverse and well-educated population

• The most important governor’s race in the country this year has Democrat Josh Stein leading ultra-MAGA, Holocaust-denying Mark Robinson, whose despicable stands on women, abortion, LGBTQ+ people, and school shooting survivors turn off even stalwart Republicans

Airlift’s main work is to raise money for progressive grassroots organizations to turn hard-to-reach marginalized community members into engaged and reliable voters. We count on our partners to work year-round to mobilize folks around issues that matter in their daily lives, and to connect the dots between people’s aspirations and the importance of politics and voting. Since these tireless organizers live in and know their communities, they are the trusted messengers who can break through all the noise and disinformation to persuade discouraged and disenfranchised people that their voices matter. Airlift Partners inspire us daily, and we are proud to support their vital work.

You’ve probably seen stories about progressive grassroots burnout. Do we sometimes feel tired and anxious? Of course! But as Mark Twain might say, “The reports of our burnout have been greatly exaggerated.” Action is the antidote to anxiety, so we follow Simon Rosenberg’s advice: “Do more, worry less.” It’s why Democrats keep outperforming expectations and winning elections despite doom-and-gloom coverage. Indeed, in the latest victory flipping NY-03’s US House seat blue, winning candidate Tom Suozzi said of the legions of grassroots organizers and volunteers, “They were my stealth weapon.” And just last month, Governor Evers of Wisconsin signed into law new maps that eliminate some of the most egregious gerrymandering in the country.

Remember when these signs were everywhere–at marches, in windows, festooning people’s yards? In these troubled times of so much fear and vitriol, the sentiment can seem quaint, even naive. Yet it’s essential not to lose sight of the affirmative values that are at the heart of all we do. Love is the core–love of country, love of community, love of our neighbors, friends, families, and future generations. It’s what motivates us to care and work tirelessly to improve the lives of ordinary people throughout the country. As the poet Mary Oliver says, “My work is loving the world.”

Happy New Year! And so it begins again. As we head into yet another consequential election, it’s time to shake off the anxiety and dread generated by clickbait media coverage and remember all we’ve accomplished in the last few election cycles. In 2023 alone, here’s what you’ve helped bring about:

We hear it over and over again: “I found my political home here.” “These are my people.” “Before coming to ______, I didn’t know where I fit in.” You can fill in the blank with the name of any of Airlift’s Partner Groups. “Creating a culture of belonging is at the core of everything we do,” says Carolina Federation Co-director Jenn Frye, and CF’s not alone in centering this intention. It’s an organizing principle for everyone.

Republican-led dysfunction and chaos in the U.S. House of Representatives has been evident since Day One, even bringing government to a complete halt during a time of international and domestic crisis. The unanimous selection (finally) by House Republicans of Speaker Mike Johnson–architect of overturning the 2020 election; supporter of slashing Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid; climate denier; and staunch opponent of abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, unions, and aid to Ukraine–has only cemented the entire GOP caucus’s reputation as MAGA extremists. We must restore sanity and responsible governance by winning back the House in 2024.

The right-wing has reason to worry about the youth vote (commonly defined as those between 18-29 but often including anyone born after 1981). According to Catalist, “In 2022, the Gen Z and Millennial cohorts grew from 23% to 26% of voters,” while the two oldest, more conservative generations’ vote share declined. Before 2006, the youth vote split fairly evenly between the parties. Since then, however, young people have been voting overwhelmingly Blue, and these trends tend to continue as they age.