Nextgen Pennsylvania 2018
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To: NextGen Pennsylvania Allies and Supporters From: Victoria Vinall, Pennsylvania Media Manager Date: November 1, 2018 Re: NextGen Pennsylvania’s Efforts in the 2018 Midterm Elections “Though Mr. Trump won Pennsylvania, capturing 12 of the 18 congressional districts and all 20 electoral votes, progressive organizers said they hope the rise in young registered voters will help elect Democrats in competitive midterm statewide and congressional races.” — “They’re Young and They Want Change. Now They’re Ready to Vote for the First Time,” The New York Times, August 25, 2018 NEXTGEN PENNSYLVANIA 2018: BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL SPEND: $3.6 million TOTAL STAFF ON THE GROUND: 110 TOTAL VOLUNTEERS: 2,104 TOTAL CAMPUSES WITH PROGRAM: 125 TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REGISTERED: 41,160 TOTAL PLEDGE TO VOTE CARDS COLLECTED: 41,542 TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REACHED WITH DIGITAL ADS: 468,801 TOTAL DOORS KNOCKED: 80,722 TOTAL TEXTS SENT: 120,178 TOTAL PIECES OF DIRECT MAIL SENT: 628,302 TARGETED RACES: PA-Gov, PA-Lt Gov, PA-Sen, Congressional Districts 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 16, 17 On Tuesday, November 6th, Pennsylvanians will head to the polls to vote in the most important midterm election in recent history — NextGen Pennsylvania played a pivotal role in organizing and turning out young voters on campus, in their communities, and online. Young people are the largest eligible voting bloc in the the country, and they are overwhelmingly progressive. NextGen America has organized young people since 2013, and we know that when they turn out, Democrats win. The stakes in Pennsylvania are remarkably high: following Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in Pennsylvania and the redistricting of the state’s heavily gerrymandered Congressional map, progressives have the unique opportunity to reclaim the state and flip up to seven congressional districts. This year, NextGen has organized on over 30 campuses in competitive congressional districts, where student turnout could push Democrats across the finish line to victory. Young Pennsylvanians have continually felt marginalized and ignored by the Republican Party, and this year was no different — in June, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner called an 18 year old ‘young and naive’ when she asked him about his views on climate change. Pennsylvania Republicans like Lou Barletta, Scott Wagner, and Brian Fitzpatrick harbor far right views, and have put Trump’s hateful agenda over the people of Pennsylvania. 1 In Pennsylvania, young people are at the forefront of the fight for progressive leadership that will work to halt the Trump Administration’s dangerous agenda. Last year, young voters organized and showed up at the polls to elect progressive candidates like District Attorney Larry Krasner. This year, we’ve stepped up the fight for climate justice, gun safety, and voting rights, and are working to build a network of youth political power that will last beyond 2018. Young Pennsylvanians have the numbers to fight Trump, and and we are ready to elect leaders like John Fetterman, Susan Wild, and George Scott who will take action on issues that disproportionately affect our generation. NEXTGEN RISING In 2018, NextGen America is running the largest youth organizing program in American history, investing $33 million across 11 states to elect progressive candidates up and down the ballot. The youth organizing program — NextGen Rising — launched in August 2017 to register and turnout young voters (between the ages of 18 and 35) for progressive candidates in Virginia’s state elections. NextGen helped turnout young voters in record numbers in Virginia, propelling a Democratic wave and setting the stage for an even larger effort in 2018. With $3.6 million investment, NextGen Pennsylvania is working to register, engage, and organize young voters across the state to elect progressives in Congressional Districts 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 16, and 17, defend Senator Bob Casey, and re-elect Governor Tom Wolf. With 110 staff and fellows on the ground, NextGen is working to mobilize young Pennsylvanians at record levels for progressives on November 6, and has registered 41,160 young people to vote this year. 2018 was a monumental year for the growth of Pennsylvania’s youth movement, especially in voter registration. In June, registered voters aged 18-35 outnumbered voters 65 and over for the first time ever in Pennsylvania. Voter registration rates among 18-29 year olds have increased by over 10% since February according to a recent TargetSmart report — and young voters showed up in higher rates during the 2018 primary compared to the 2014 primary. During the May 15 primary election in PA-07, NextGen spent more than $100,000 on digital ads, mail, and grassroots organizing to defeat pro-Trump, anti-immigrant, anti-choice Democratic candidate John Morganelli in favor of more progressive candidates on the ballot. After hosting a “Keeping Up With The Candidates” candidate forum where the young people in the audience repeatedly expressed frustration with Morganelli’s policy positions, NextGen’s Lehigh Valley organizers and volunteers knocked on over 2,000 doors in the area and registered over 160 new voters in just a couple weeks at Lehigh University alone, ultimately defeating Morganelli and putting Susan Wild on the ballot. DIGITAL & MAIL To reach young voters on and off campus, NextGen sent 628,302 pieces of direct mail and spent $658,345 on cutting-edge digital ads to target 468,801 young Pennsylvanians. Running on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Hulu, and the gaming platform Twitch, these ads, like “Chopping Block” and “Trumpscore,” stressed the stakes of this election and how Pennsylvania Republicans have been complicit in the Trump Administration’s abuse of power. 2 As voters began to tune into the races in August and September, NextGen Pennsylvania released a series of voter guide digital ads designed to educate young voters on key races for Governor, Senator, and Congress in Pennsylvania and compare the platforms of Scott Wallace and Brian Fitzpatrick and Scott Perry and George Scott on issues like health care, immigration, and environmental justice. In the final five days, NextGen Pennsylvania’s get out the vote efforts includes knocking on 70,000 doors, sending 250,000 text messages, and working with hundreds of volunteers to encourage young Pennsylvanians to vote. NextGen is working to turn out young Pennsylvanians to build youth political power that will last beyond 2018 to remove Trump from office and build a more just, equitable, and inclusive country. OUR LIVES, OUR VOTE Following the tragedy in Parkland, Florida in February, NextGen partnered with Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, and ACRONYM to launch the Our Lives, Our Vote program. The $1.75 million program set out to empower high school students to make their voices heard this November, and vote out politicians beholden to the NRA. In Pennsylvania, Our Lives, Our Vote partnered with One Pennsylvania, National School Walkout and 50 Miles More to register 8,898 high school students to vote in person, online, and through mail ahead of the November election. FOR OUR FUTURE To fight for the rights of working families, NextGen America partnered with national labor unions to create For Our Future (FOF), the largest independent field operation for the progressive movement in the 2016 election. This year, For Our Future Pennsylvania organizers will have knocked on 1,438,654 doors by Election Day to turnout voters for candidates who support working Pennsylvanians. For Our Future's canvass efforts include a project called the "Feedback Loop," in which canvassers can compile the top issues of concern from voters who they talk to. In Pennsylvania, the Feedback Loop found that top issues amongst sporadic voters include the opioid epidemic and a general disapproval of the Trump presidency. GIVEGREEN GiveGreen, a fundraising partnership between NextGen America, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Victory Fund, and NRDC Action Fund PAC, raised over $20 million for progressive candidates across the country. In Pennsylvania, GiveGreen raised $304,696 for Scott Wallace, Chrissy Houlahan, Susan Wild, Matt Cartwright and George Scott, among others. “Millenials are the largest eligible voting bloc, but have historically voted in really low rates. We are working to change that so that our lawmakers in Pennsylvania are held accountable to the interests and values of the young people that they represent.” — “Anti-Trump billionaire Tom Steyer behind PA college back-to-school voter registration push,” The York Daily Record, August 21, 2018 3 .