Polls are tightening. Are you going to do something about Trump?
TL;DR: We identified FOUR under-the-radar Congressional races where your dollars will make the most difference. Donate here to help Democrats take back Congress — so you can tell your kids: “I Did Something.”
Do you remember that sick feeling you had on the day after Trump was elected? Do you remember that molten dread bubbling in the bottom of your stomach?
That whole day felt like a funeral for the America we believe in.
Do you remember asking yourself: Could I have done more? Could I have helped prevent this?
That was a terrible feeling. I never want to feel that feeling again. Do you? The midterms this year are the first opportunity we have to make sure we don’t.
Part of the problem with doing something about our current political situation is that there are so many options. You can make calls, donate money, or volunteer for a campaign. But it’s hard to know who you should help, and the best way to make your time and your money count.
That’s an issue my friend Sam Koppelman and I have grappled with personally over the last few months. So we decided to put together a solution.
I Did Something
Our goal is to take back Congress. And the best way for people like you and me to do that is to donate to under-the-radar Congressional races where a Democratic challenger has a legitimate shot to defeat the incumbent.
Unfortunately, finding those races takes a lot of time and a significant amount of research.
Fortunately, we did all of the research for you.
We looked at every toss-up race in the country and scored them according to:
- District fundamentals
- Current polling
- Fundraising differential
- Odiousness of the incumbent
- Diversity of the challenger
Based on these characteristics, we identified FOUR under-the-radar Congressional races where your dollars will make a difference to defeat a Republican incumbent and help us take back Congress this year. They are:
- Iowa 3rd District—Cindy Axne vs. David Young
- New York 19th District — Antonio Delgado vs. John Faso
- Texas 7th District — Lizzie Fletcher vs. John Culberson
- Virginia 7th District—Abigail Spanberger vs. David Bratt
I’m personally donating $1,000 to this effort. Will you match me? One donation will spread your money directly to these four races. All it takes is 30 seconds.
Don’t wake up this November with that sick feeling in your stomach again. If you donate you’ll always be able to say to yourself, “I Did Something.”
Below is the list of races we’re supporting and why we chose them.
Iowa 3rd District: Cindy Axne vs. David Young
Iowa 3rd is a pivot county — meaning it swung from Obama to Trump in the last two presidential elections. That also means it’s got a good shot of flipping back this cycle.
Cindy’s a small business owner and a first-time Congressional candidate. She’s got an MBA from Kellogg School of Business. She supports equal pay legislation, adding a public option for health insurance coverage, and was endorsed by the Susan B. Anthony List.
Cindy is leading in the polls with a 54% shot to win her race according to FiveThirtyEight — but she’s behind by almost $600,000 in fundraising. In the final weeks of the race, her opponent will use his fundraising advantage to close the gap — and he may very well succeed, if Cindy doesn’t start raising more money right away. So every dollar you will make a difference.
New York 19th District: Antonio Delgado vs. John Faso
New York 19 is another pivot county, making it critical to our effort to take back Congress this year.
Antonio is a Rhodes Scholar who went to Harvard Law School before becoming a successful lawyer in New York City. He supports a public option for health insurance coverage, investing in infrastructure, and protecting the environment. He’s been endorsed by President Obama.
Antonio’s opponent, John Faso, has embraced Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and recently ran ads pledging to “Keep MS-13 out of New York.” He’s also called for an increase in food stamp requirements because he says sheriffs have told him “every drug dealer they arrest has a food stamp card in his pocket.”
The Republican Party is afraid of Antonio, who’s a rising star in the Democratic Party. They’ve attacked him in racially charged advertisements, hoping to thwart his momentum. And unfortunately, their attacks appear to be working.
Antonio is slightly underwater in the polls with FiveThirtyEight giving him a 49.3% chance to win. He’s been outraised Faso by $400,000. But he can win. And your money can get him across the finish line.
Texas 7th District: Lizzie Fletcher vs. John Culberson
Lizzie is an attorney, a first time candidate, and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review in college. She was endorsed by EMILY’s List.
Her opponent, John Culberson, is an odious Trumpkin who sponsored a “birther” bill in 2009 requiring presidential candidates to prove their citizenship.
Lizzie is mounting a serious challenge to Culberson with FiveThirtyEight giving her a 45% chance to win. She’s raised only $300k more than Culberson, but people from both sides of the aisle have lauded her campaign for its civility, in an increasingly divided time.
Republican Columnist George Will has called Lizzie’s campaign “a Democratic template for national victory.” If she wins, it’ll send a big message — that good people can still win elections. But she’ll need more money to do it.
Virginia 7th District: Abigail Spanberger vs. David Brat
Abbie is a former undercover CIA operative whose primary victory was a surprise. She was also a federal law enforcement officer for the US Postal Inspection service before deciding to run for Congress. She graduated from UVA.
Her opponent, David Brat, is a Freedom Caucus hardliner who won in an upset in 2014 against the then House Majority Leader Eric Cantor with a radical anti-immigrant platform.
Abbie is behind Brat in money raised by just $18,000. FiveThirtyEight gives her a 33% chance to win, but she has the better story — and if she has the funding to tell it, we’re confident she has a real chance to win.
Still reading? That means it’s time to donate. Click here to give to all four races in 30 seconds.
Thanks for reading,
Dan & Sam
