Lessons from our 32 victories in 2020
2020 was the biggest and most successful year yet for the 50CAN Action Fund, with 32 wins in races across the country, powered by our talented local teams. To understand what worked and how we can build upon lessons learned, we brought together three leaders to talk about the elections — New Mexico’s Amanda Aragon, Tennessee’s Victor Evans and Georgia’s Steven Quinn — for a packed roundtable event on Thursday, November 12.
Each leader cited different tactical reasons for their electoral success:
Amanda Aragon, Executive Director of NewMexicoKidsCAN Action Fund, an organization that won four out of five of the Public Education Commission races they participated in, noted how important it was to their efforts to enlist both Democrats and Republicans to the cause: “We recruited candidates that believed in the mission but also matched the political leanings in their district — southwest New Mexico versus metro Albuquerque needed very different types of candidates.”
When asked about the biggest lessons he took away from the election, Victor Evans, Executive Director of TennesseeCAN Action Fund, discussed the importance of having good information: “Trust your data. If a certain method shows you a message sticks with voters — no matter how messy it might be — stick with it. That message may be what gets you across the finish line.”
GeorgiaCAN Action Fund’s State Outreach Director, Steven Quinn, focused on the importance of building long-term relationships with grassroots advocates and empowering them to lead: “Giving parents the tools was super powerful to see. The parents were excited and eager to make calls.” Across the 50CAN Action Fund network, more than 81,000 grassroots contacts were collected by our teams and parent advocates fighting for candidates.
As 50CAN Action Fund Board Chair Ed Kirby noted in his closing remarks: “It is powerful to be on this briefing and see how far we’ve come.” Now that the 2020 election cycle has drawn to a close, the 2022 cycle has begun. The 50CAN Action Fund aims to build on these lessons learned and drive even more change in the future.
To follow along with our work, follow us on Twitter at @50CANActionFund.
