March 2024
Grassroots Burn On, Not Out!
When we experience danger, our bodies can get into fight, flight, freeze or fix mode. Airlift is all about fix mode.
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. This paves the way for better reproductive and voting rights, better budgets, balanced representation, more responsive governance, and so much more. All of this is possible because we helped re-elect Governor Evers in 2022 and flipped a crucial state Supreme Court seat last year. Your donations matter here and in countless other wins.
Airlift is proud to be part of a vast grassroots ecosystem that has funded and organized for progressive victories ever since Trump’s election. Airlift volunteer liaisons to our Partner Groups have just completed our New Year check-ins, and we came away inspired and enthusiastic. Our Partners are fired up and ready to go, and your contributions and dedication fuel that energy.
The challenges of 2024 make it even more imperative that we donate now. Your contributions are far more valuable now when grassroots groups are scaling up to engage, identify, and persuade every potential voter we’ll need come November, especially in the current political environment. Although grassroots activists–funders, organizers, and volunteers–know the stakes and how to transform anxiety into action, there are worrisome signs that many potential voters are feeling discouraged, angry, and inclined to lodge protest votes or simply stay home come November. The alarm is not just flashing in Michigan: Carrie Santoro, Executive Director of Airlift Partner Pennsylvania Stands Up, notes that during PASU’s broad-based Listening Campaign last fall, they encountered a lot of despair, disengagement, and anger. We must respond quickly and with empathy to turn this around.
As Airlift’s friend and mentor Billy Wimsatt of Movement Voter Project points out:
Right now provides a crucial opportunity for us to engage new and passionate voters and organizers and to transform anger and disillusionment into agency and constructive action. If we want to win this November, we need to go above and beyond what we have ever done before. Deeper engagement, not abandonment of core Democratic constituencies, is our path to victory in the fall.
Grassroots organizations, the trusted messengers in the most hard-to-reach communities, are in the best position to achieve this. PASU’s Santoro explains why:
We know that our job is to mobilize the convinced, convince the unconvinced, and neutralize the opposition. We do this by investing in a powerful, visionary national narrative while building local power. Our organizers come from our communities and have built strong relationships with their neighbors by speaking with them regularly on the doors and phones. We know that ordinary people care deeply about local races for city council, state senator, school board, and more – because those officials directly impact their lives. . . . We’re using those races to get out the vote up the ticket, as well. It’s the reverse coattails approach, and it’s how we win in 2024.
All Airlift Partner Groups share this philosophy, and all excel at deep listening, meeting people where they are, connecting around values, persuasion, and turning people out to vote. We as donors are in the best position to make sure our grassroots partners have the funding they need.
As the saying goes, “If you’re wringing your hands, you can’t roll up your sleeves and get to work (or write a check!)” Let’s burn on with strengthened resolve to keep doing what needs to be done.
Arizona’s Blue Trifecta is in Reach!
Remember how in 2022 our support for Airlift’s Arizona Partners LUCHA and Worker Power helped flip their governorship blue? Now Arizona is just two flipped seats away in each of the state’s legislative chambers to a Blue governing trifecta. We’ve seen huge progress in Michigan and Minnesota after their governorships and both chambers came under Democratic control in 2022. Now it’s Arizona’s chance to shine in 2024!
The current make-up of Arizona’s state House is 29 Democrats, 31 Republicans; in the Senate there are 14 Democrats and 16 Republicans. LUCHA and Worker Power organize and build power for progressive change within the Latinx and Working Class communities. They run two of the biggest and most effective ground games in Arizona, securing victory after victory. LUCHA will be active in 3-4 competitive House districts, one of which Biden won by 6 points. For the Senate, they seek to flip 1-2 districts. In one, the LUCHA-endorsed candidate has already beaten her opponent by 2 points in 2020. Worker Power, equipped with state-of-the-art electoral data analytics and 800 more canvassers for 2024, is poised to run their own massive campaign to complement LUCHA’s efforts up and down the ballot.
A blue trifecta in Arizona would unlock every legislative issue to the potential for progress, including automatic voter registration, paid family leave for all, affordable tuition, affordable housing, and abortion rights. Thanks to GOP mismanagement, there’s expected to be a $1B shortfall in the upcoming budget, so advocating for a People First Economy will also be an important priority to safeguard as much as they can. A blue trifecta makes this much easier, especially since Airlift’s Arizona Partners have a good co-governing relationship with the governor and all the candidates they’ve helped elect to the state legislature.
In the aftermath of Dobbs, we’ve all seen how the balance of power in state legislatures determines whether or not reproductive rights are protected in that state. With an abortion initiative expected on Arizona’s November ballot, this issue will be hugely galvanizing, and our Partner Groups will be keeping it front and center on the ground.
LUCHA plans to knock on a million doors, which is likely to yield about 350,000 substantive conversations. Worker Power is also planning a million-knock campaign. Data show that generally 78% of people they converse with turn out to vote–an astonishing return! This translates into better turnout up and down the ballot, with great chances for a blue trifecta, the first US House Latina congresswoman and other wins to help flip Mike Johnson out of the Speakership, Gallegos for Senator, and Biden for President. As LUCHA’s Chris Gilfallan notes, “Those millions of knocks will push us over the finish line.”
You can help LUCHA cross that finish line by supporting our March 12 program featuring Abortion Rights and Arizona. Read on!
Winning Reproductive Freedom State by State
Aisha Mills
National Institute for Reproductive Health
March 12, Tuesday
5 pm PT / 8 pm ET
Fighting for Abortion Access Matters More Than Ever
Federal protection for abortion access was destroyed by the Dobbs Supreme Court decision and widespread state and local actions are abolishing access to abortion and contraceptive care. The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and its Action Fund organizations are fighting hard to pass laws and elect candidates in cities and states to cement just and equitable access to all forms of reproductive health care, including abortion.
Learn What Can Be Done
Join us to learn what can be done to advance reproductive freedom in 2024 from Aisha Mills, Interim President of NIRH and its Action Fund and nationally renowned public affairs strategist. With more than two decades of experience with federal policy, non-profit leadership, and advocacy for reproductive freedom, Aisha has taken bold steps to lead both the NIRH and the NIRH-Action Fund into an impressive new chapter of state and local reproductive freedom policy and advocacy.
Hear What’s Being Done in Arizona
Aisha will be joined by Ozzie Alvarez and Chris Gilfallan, leaders from LUCHA in Arizona where a proposition to protect abortion access in the state is on its way to the November ballot. LUCHA has played an impressive role in recent victories, and abortion will not only be a priority in their massive organizing efforts this year but so will securing a Blue Trifecta (Democratic Governor and majority of both legislative chambers) to see that the reproductive rights of Arizonans continue to be protected.
Early Money for Airlift Amplifies Your Impact!
Giving early is comparable to giving six figures–we can all be like George Soros!–rather than giving the same money later.
- Todd Zimmer, Co-Director, Down Home North Carolina
March marks the end of the first quarter, so now’s the perfect time to give if you want your money to go farther and help our Partners when they need it most to win in 2024. Grassroots organizers are the frontlines. The donors are the supply lines. If we all pitch in, we can keep outperforming expectations and celebrate victory in November. Donating early and generously is truly one of the best and most consequential actions you can take in this crucial year.
Here’s how:
Donate by Check. Set up automatic payments to Airlift with the Bill Pay service at your bank, or send a check directly to: Airlift, PO Box 617, Corte Madera CA 94976
Donate Online at ActBlue. Just click the button, and click again to Make it Monthly!
Make it Monthly–Your Own Anxiety Relief Program! Becoming a monthly donor means our partners can count on having the resources they need year-round to build trust, engage their communities, and turn out voters. Besides, you’ll feel better.
For Tax-Deductible Giving. Although non-tax-deductible 501c4 gifts allow our partners the most flexibility for political action, tax-deductible 501c3 donations are welcome too. Email Ruth Jaeger at ruth@airlift.fund.
Spread the word! Tell your friends and family about Airlift and our events. Share this newsletter and our website.
Thanks!
Airlift is an all-volunteer organization. Less than 2% of all proceeds go to expenses, the rest goes to our partner groups.
FIELD NOTES
New maps in Wisconsin! With Governor Tony Evers' signature, some of the worst gerrymanders in the country are gone and fairness restored! This is thanks to massive grassroots efforts, including YOU and Airlift Partner Leaders Igniting Transformation, helping to elect Governor Evers and flip the state Supreme Court Blue! Read more.
Down Home North Carolina and Carolina Federation’s wildly successful statewide Strategic Campaign Bootcamp to train up folks for this year's massive and effective ground game.
Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) is fired up and ready to go! “We inaugurated Wisconsin’s big electoral year with the Spring Primary on February 20th. To energize voter participation, we dedicated the Get-Out-The-Vote weekend to canvassing door-to-door in Milwaukee alongside our dedicated High School members. As endorsers of the Vote Yes for MPS campaign, LIT had engaging conversations with voters at their doors about how Milwaukee Public Schools students will directly benefit from the funding increase. Engaging in grassroots canvassing, particularly in BIPOC neighborhoods with the highest number of young people and lowest historical voter turnout, is critical for several reasons. By directly connecting with residents at their doorsteps, we foster trust and understanding within communities that have historically been marginalized or underrepresented in the democratic process. This personalized approach not only amplifies voter turnout but also ensures that young, Black and Brown voters have the information, resources, and support to exercise their fundamental right to vote.”
