![[Series] On The Ground: CASE](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59a9a78ee9bfdf3556aba41d/1637015635725-KD1WL5KLTBXRU0UO8MMY/Untitled+design+%2814%29.png)
Turning Arizona a Deeper Shade of Blue
By Lorrie Goldin
The transition from Red to Purple to Blue in election outcomes has been much talked about for years. Although we have indeed witnessed a gradual shift thanks to demographic trends, predictions for widespread, immediate impact benefiting Democrats have often been more aspirational than realized.
That’s one reason why Arizona is particularly thrilling in 2020: the state not only could turn blue—it’s already happening. Witness the 2016 defeat of infamous Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio; Democrat Krysten Sinema’s 2018 victory for the U.S. Senate along with U.S. House and state legislature gains; the steady lead Mark Kelly has maintained over his Republican opponent for another U.S. Senate seat this year; and Joe Biden consistently edging out Donald Trump in presidential polls.
Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy (CASE), a group Airlift proudly supports, has played a big role in these successes: leading the charge to unseat Arpaio, knocking on 300,000 doors to help Sinema win, and mobilizing Latinx voters in Phoenix to elect several Latinx city council members, one of whom now serves as the Vice-Mayor. Building more representative electoral power to improve people’s lives is integral to CASE’s mission of fighting for better wages, healthcare, housing, education, and immigrant rights for working families in Arizona. CASE has also helped organize and win better working conditions for Latinx workers in hotels, airports, and supermarkets. In 2010, CASE helped found One Arizona, which has raised the percentage of Latinx mail-in voters from 20 to 80 percent.
With its deep roots in labor organizing, many of CASE’s staff and volunteers come from the ranks of hospitality and service workers. Maggie, a unionized food worker, started in 2018 as a canvasser, then became a canvass team leader and union organizer. When the pandemic caused her employer to go under, CASE hired her as a relief organizer, working to get benefits to those in need. Ayima, single mother of two and a Cuban immigrant who makes minimum wage, became a superstar registering voters. Even after losing her housing, she still shows up with her kids to distribute food at the food bank. Lucia, an airport cook and union leader with a lot of health problems, can no longer afford her insurance or medications. Despite these hardships, she’s working hard to get Trump out of office. Such intimate knowledge of struggle and resilience creates extraordinary trust and effectiveness within the community.
Covid-19, of course, has devastated hospitality and service workers and created huge challenges for everyday survival. As Executive Director Brendan Walsh notes, “We stay really close to the people who are suffering. Our communities are facing assault.” Yet Walsh further points out, “We’re getting so much done. The work that we did in 2019 to change and improve our operations like communications and to train leadership has just allowed us to pivot and do a ton of amazing work right now.” CASE created the Hospitality Workers Emergency Relief Fund for immediate cash aid to 250 families; distributes food; provides information for pandemic-related services; helps newly registered voters apply for unemployment; and has increased advocacy, calling upon the Governor and legislature to adopt 10 measures to keep Arizona working families safe. CASE is also at the forefront of efforts to increase the state’s extremely low benefits for the unemployed—not just during the Covid-19 crisis, but to address the perennial problem of seasonal unemployment for the hospitality and service sectors.
Despite nimbly pivoting to voter education and outreach mostly via phone calls, texts, and digital messaging, CASE and all grassroots organizations who care about the safety of their workers and communities have been hampered by the constraints Covid-19 imposes. Nationwide, the tremendous surge in Democratic voter registration has slowed in the crucial months leading up to the election. People slammed by the health and economic consequences of the virus are preoccupied with survival, not voting. Low-income and Latinx communities in particular are often beyond the reach of remote efforts, and are far more likely to be responsive to in-person contact.
So CASE has pioneered a safe return to door-to-door canvassing, piloting a pre-primary effort in July and since then rapidly increasing its field operations. CASE works closely with the hospitality workers’ union, Unite Here. Since this sector of the economy depends on safe interaction with the public, they have long experience rapidly adopting and adhering strictly to safety measures. CASE consulted with epidemiologists every step of the way in devising their protocols and training. Although returning to in-person operations initially stirred some trepidation and opposition, they have so far proceeded without any adverse health consequences. CASE offers a model for other organizations to adopt—particularly in this crucial last month—and plans to fully scale up to 200 organizers on the ground by the time ballots drop on October 10. Their goal is to knock on 600,000 doors and hold 200,000 conversations to augment 1.5 million phone calls, engaging and expanding the electorate--particularly among the young and people of color. CASE’s winning formula will help turn Arizona blue from top to bottom if they get the resources they need.
Imagine a big, blue, progressive wave cresting in Arizona this November thanks to CASE and similar organizations. You can help make it a reality by donating now.
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Your generosity makes a difference. Please support CASE and all the other great grassroots organizations Airlift funds by donating at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/airlift. Thank you!