Memo: Our Biggest Election Day Yet

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Please read the below memo from WFP National Director Maurice Mitchell (or read on Medium here):

Nov. 4, 2024
To: Working Families Party National Committee and Allies
From: Maurice Mitchell, Working Families Party National Director
Re: Our Biggest Election Day Yet

For the last few weeks I’ve been traveling the country, from Maricopa County in Arizona to Racine, Wisconsin to West Philly. It’s been a whirlwind: I’ve talked with voters in barber shops; I’ve led canvass kickoffs, rallies, and private campaign strategy sessions; I made our case to working-class Black voters as a guest on the Breakfast Club and I helped kick off the White Dudes for Harris organizing call. I’ve seen our movement in action in incredible ways. Tomorrow is when that collective decision is finally made, and the future of our nation is decided.

We’re once again on the cusp of a pivotal election, and it’s the biggest intervention in any election the Working Families Party has made in our 26-year history.

There’s no way I can thank everyone who helped make it possible. This party is all of us. If you knock on doors or donate money, if you run an organization or run for office — this is your party and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together: the dozens of organizations that make up our state coalitions, the hundreds of candidates, and the many thousands of canvassers and volunteers.

There are still a few things you can do ahead of the polls closing tomorrow.

  1. If you’re looking for one more volunteer opportunity, join a PA WFP or WI WFP phone bank this evening.
  2. Use this handy guide to say you’re a WFP voter on your social media feed.
  3. If you’re in New York, share this video from AOC reminding voters to vote on the WFP line for Harris/Walz. Share this video from Sarah Ganong if you’re in Connecticut.
  4. Take the advice of the Philadelphia WFP Council Member Kendra Brooks and look up your downballot races.

Finally, we are planning a movement-wide debrief call along with many allies to make sense of the moment. No matter the outcome, RSVP to join us Thursday night for a national livestream.

This election may not be called right away when the polls close. Counting votes takes time. Be prepared for the MAGA movement to fight beyond Election Day to seize power. They are laying the groundwork to contest the results and claim victory no matter what.

Trump is once again trying to undermine confidence in our elections for his own selfish ends. They’re starting another “big lie” by claiming undocumented immigrants are voting. It’s a deeply cynical, calculated effort to sow confusion and division and lay the groundwork for contesting a loss.

And in an election year in which the working class has been the center of so much discussion, let’s not forget the people who are most excited for a Trump presidency and stand to benefit richly from one: the billionaires. That’s why Elon Musk is writing blank checks, why Jeff Bezos would scuttle a Washington Post endorsement for Harris. What Trump represents is a government of, for and by the billionaires.

I’m about to tell you all the work WFP did to defeat Trump and elect Kamala Harris — but before I do *record scratch* let me just spend a moment on why WFP, an independent party, is going so hard in the paint to elect a Democrat President.

WFP aspires to be the national party of, by and for the working class. A party that represents and wins for working people of all races. In a number of places, people feel and participate in the WFP in their communities. We’re growing, though we’ve still got a lot more ground to cover. As we build for the long haul, as a party we owe the people we seek to represent to tell the truth about the power we have, the power we need, and the conditions we must weather. The truth: another Trump presidency would be a disaster for working people. And though we have some policy disagreements with Harris, her administration will allow us a share of governing power and the opportunity to go on offense. That means while we continue to elect our down-ballot WFP champions, we need to fight for every vote at the top of the ticket too. The outcome matters, and so working people cannot sit on the sidelines.

WFP marches forward this cycle with a mighty coalition, and all our national member organizations have shown up in incredible ways. You all deserve a shout out:

  • Popular Democracy Action ran an innovative and data-backed program mobilizing renters, a crucial segment of the working class, who vote at lower rates than homeowners, but who can be a powerful electoral force for our side when mobilized.
  • United We Dream Action engaged young voters in Arizona and Texas — one of many immigrants rights organizations doing so while also pushing the Biden administration to adopt a pro-immigrant approach that keeps families together.
  • SURJ worked to persuade and mobilize cross-pressured working class white voters in the battleground states.
  • CWA showed incredible mobilization and leadership, especially on the Congressional races in New York and New Jersey.
  • People’s Action ran a powerful Deep Canvass for Democracy, engaging voters in long-form conversations.
  • Mijente and their partners mobilized Latino voters against Trump across the battleground states.
  • MoveOn engaged and mobilized Democratic-leaning voters at major scale, from traditional direct voter contact tactics to innovative work with influencers and a GOTV ice cream truck tour with Ben and Jerry.
  • SEIU showed up with an absolutely massive scale with purple shirts in the purple states.

Taken together along with our state chapters and all their member organizations — and I won’t list them all — it’s an incredible body of work.

But first: how did we get here, another photo-finish election, with the looming possibility of a Trump Restoration? Let’s start with a few structural factors: an anti Democratic electoral college, a Senate that over-represents rural voters. A Supreme Court captured by the hard right — which has opened up unlimited floodgates of money in politics and weakened unions.

Then here’s what happened to allow Trump a second shot: A Republican minority in the Senate blocked a conviction that would have disqualified him from office after January 6. Meanwhile, the MAGA movement has seized on the wave of dissatisfaction — call it the COVID and inflation hangover — that has swept countries across the globe. Most incumbent parties are losing power, and if Harris prevails, it will be an exception.

Meanwhile, Democrats have been losing working-class voters of all races over the last decades. For a deep dive on cross-pressured working class voters, you can look at Working Families Power’s in-depth report on the multi-racial working class. (We take seriously the need to understand where working people are coming from — even the ones we have yet to organize.)

No one can predict the outcome. Six months ago, Biden was sinking. The Democrats’ biggest advantage was the outrage over the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, and the deadly outcomes of state abortion bans, especially but not only among women voters. Despite that groundswell, Biden was losing support among young voters and working-class Black and brown voters. And it’s tough to be the incumbent when two-thirds of Americans are saying things are on the wrong track.

The switch at the top of the ticket to VP Harris provided a new opportunity. Harris made some admirable moves, with a strong emphasis on housing affordability and corporate price gouging. Other decisions, such as her failure to engage with pro-Palestinian critics or Arab Americans, we continue to see as missed opportunities.

Will the sum total be enough? We are confident that we did absolutely everything we can as an independent movement to make the case on our terms. But we’ll know the results soon enough.

BLOCK AND BUILD

Our strategy this election cycle can be summed up as Block and Build. Block the authoritarian right at all levels of government, and build our bench of WFP champions up and down the ballot all while we grow the infrastructure of our own party for future elections.

In the November general election, the Block part of the plan is obvious: we do what we can to keep Trump and his billionaire allies and the Republican Party away from controlling the government.

But what does the Build part really mean? We build by growing the ranks of WFP champions up and down the ballot, with more than 750 candidates on the ballot across 23 states. But it’s not just about winning elections and then packing up. State by state, we’re building party infrastructure and developing leaders, governing with our elected champions to pass meaningful change that lifts up working people, and deepening our relationship with working class voters. That’s how we build a real, lasting third force in American politics that puts power in the hands of working people.

I’ll describe some of our state powerbuilding plans and name some of our new WFP champions on the ballot tomorrow below. But let’s start with the top of the ticket.

ELECTING HARRIS, BLOCKING TRUMP

Working people in this nation cannot afford another Trump presidency. That’s why the WFP ran the biggest national campaign we’ve ever built to defeat Trump and elect Harris, and we left everything on the field.

In the final week, we had a seven-figure media buy for our closing argument ad, “Backs” to undecided voters in swing states, with support from Moveon and Future Forward PAC. The ad makes the economic case for Harris to working-class voters still making up their minds. The message is drawn heavily from our message research on the multiracial working class.

The Working Families Party ran a massive field effort persuading working class voters to vote for Harris/Walz and our WFP candidates up and down the ballot, while Working Families Power mobilized voter participation.

All told, we knocked on 1.6 million voters’ doors across six battleground states, with our biggest programs in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and North Carolina. The New York Times podcast The Run Up took an in-depth look at our canvass program in Philadelphia this past week, showing the kinds of conversations with working-class Black voters we’re having all the way down to the finish line. (If you missed them, also check out these moving closing-message ads in Philadelphia from WFP City Councilors Kendra Brooks and Nic O’Rourke.)

In Wisconsin, we rallied with Senator Bernie Sanders and mobilized buses of volunteers from Chicago. In Arizona, we took machismo head on in an attention-grabbing voice message and text. In North Carolina, along with allies, the organization brought out voters to a Power to the Polls event with food, games, and music.

We also ran a national phonebank with highly trained volunteers persuading third-party-curious voters. We helped launch Progressives for Harris, one of the many pop-up pro-Harris communities that mobilized thousands of volunteers and small donors. We have partnered with HBCU grads to mobilize voters. We sent more than 100,000 friend-to-friend relational photocards in the mail, leveraging the power of our members’ personal networks to drive voting.

Working Families Power, an independent nonprofit allied with the Party, also ran innovative cultural strategies to increase voter participation. Working Families Power rocked with Jazzy Jeff, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane to bring Joy to the Polls. The Bet on Us fellowship program sparked 100,000 conversations between Black women in the South. In Atlanta, Working Families Power brought together over 100 celebrities and influencers to equip them to speak about Project 2025 and the importance of voting in this election. Working Families Power organized WNBA watch parties for GOTV with thousands of participants, and continued organizing Real House Wives of Politics watch party as Bravo fans shift decidedly anti-Trump. Joy to the Polls launched two powerful videos with Broadway Votes featuring Newsies and Suffs performers to mobilize fans to vote.

And, something new this year: Working Families Power regranted more than $5 million to member organizations and partners who are deeply trusted in their communities, including groups like Voces de La Frontera in Wisconsin to PA United in Pittsburgh to Detroit Action in, well, Detroit.

More than 10,000 people volunteered with the Working Families Party and Working Families Power in the last three months. By the time the polls close, in addition to our door knocking, activists will have made more than 4 million phone calls and sent 7 million texts. In total, the Working Families Party and Working Families Power will have identified more than 300k voters in the most crucial states. In a close election, every single conversation matters.

FLIPPING THE U.S. HOUSE

WFP is also playing our biggest-ever role in the effort to flip Congress.

In 2022, Republicans won the House because Democrats lost significant ground in New York and California. Starting in early 2023, WFP helped organize two new big-tent coalitions bringing together labor and community organizations to build long-term voter engagement infrastructure in the purple parts of blue state. We launched Battleground New York and Battleground California. Those two new coalitions have raised millions of dollars to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors in each of those two states’ most competitive congressional districts. If we make gains in those two states, the work of WFP to help align and build those new projects will be crucial. (We already gained one seat in BGNY helping to elect Tom Suozzi in an early 2024 special election after Congressman George Santos resigned!)

We’re also prioritizing Sue Altman in NJ-7. Sue is a former basketball player, teacher, and coach, turned anti-corruption warrior and then Director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. This is a slightly-Republican-leaning district and running against an incumbent is always tough, but if anyone can do it, Sue Altman can.

We’re also playing a role in defending WFP-endorsed incumbents in tough districts, including Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Gabe Vasquez (NM-2) and Pat Ryan (NY-18).

If Democrats gain control of Congress, the WFP champions elected in 2022 (like Greg Casar, (who is running to be the next Chair of the Progressive Caucus, Summer Lee and Delia Ramirez) will be part of a majority caucus — and hold a share of governing power — for the first time. We’re excited to see what they do.

We’re also thrilled that WFP champ Lateefah Simon in CA-12 is expected to win her seat, succeeding Rep. Barbara Lee. Two other WFP-endorsed members of Congress won in special elections earlier this cycle: LaMonica McIver in New Jersey and Jennifer McClellan in Virginia.

A NARROW PATH TO BLOCK REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF THE SENATE

The best chance to advance a WFP agenda is with Republicans firmly out of power. The path to a Democratic-majority Senate is uphill, but we pursued it.

Our purple state voter contact programs in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Michigan also benefited the Senate candidates in those same states, and we hope Sen. Casey (PA), Sen. Baldwin (WI), Ruben Gallego (AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) all prevail.

We also ran a modest Ohio program that supported Senator Sherrod Brown, a strong candidate in a challenging state, along with our local slate, and one in Maryland that supported Angela Alsobrooks against the popular Republican former Governor.

And finally, we supported the Railroaders for Public Safety, a super PAC backing Dan Osborn, a union leader running as an independent who is putting up a strong challenge to the Republican Senator in Nebraska. (The fact that he’s making it close makes a compelling argument for the value of working-class candidates running outside the two party system.)

BUILDING STATE POWER:

In three states, WFP is playing a key role in competitive legislative chambers:

  • In Arizona, both chambers have a 2-seat Republican majority. AZ WFP is working hard to elect Judy Schweibert to the State Senate (District 2). If she wins, we believe we’ll flip the chamber. At the same time, we’re protecting a number of other WFP champs who won in purple districts in 2022.
  • Wisconsin has Republican supermajorities in both chambers because of an aggressive gerrymander. But because of our success in the State Supreme Court race in 2023, the state now has new, fairer district lines. We expect to break the Republican supermajority in both chambers, and it’s possible we could even flip the State House. WFP’s top two priorities are Luann Bird (61st District) and David Marsteller (21st District).
  • In Pennsylvania, the WFP helped Democrats win a narrow legislative majority in the State House in 2022. This cycle, we’re determined to keep it. If WFP champ Anna Thomas wins her seat (137th district), we are in solid shape to succeed.
  • And: one year ago in Virginia’s off-cycle legislative elections, WFP helped flip the Virginia House of Delegates after winning 5 of our 7 priority legislative primaries, including ousting two corporate Democratic incumbents.

In a number of blue states, we’re electing more WFP champs to the state legislature cycle after cycle, comprising growing shares of the Democratic majority, including in:

  • CT: WFP champ Laurie Sweet won her primary by just 15 votes and will join the state legislature. We have a shot to win red to blue flips with working people’s champs like Nick Menapace, Rebecca Martinez, and Kaitlyn Shake tomorrow. And we’re defending Senators Julie Kushner, Jan Hochadel, and Martha Marx — all union leaders we elected in purple districts.
  • RI: In the primary, we defended two WFP incumbents who came under attack from corporate Dems; Reps. Cherie Cruz and Brandon Potter won decisively. Now we’re aiming to pick up a seat in a red rural district with Kelsey Coletta and defending WFP champion Megan Cotter.
  • NY: In New York, we’re sending three WFP champs and working-class women of color to the state legislature: Claire Valdez, Gabriella Romero, and Larinda Hooks. Meanwhile, many of the contested house races also have competitive State Senate races nested in them. We’re also defending champions like Lea Webb and Iwen Chu. And we’re aiming to surpass 250k votes on the WFP ballot line for Harris/Walz.
  • DE: Our work in Delaware this cycle didn’t end with Kam Smith’s stunning primary upset against the House Speaker. We have a chance for further pickups this year, including Dr. Frank Burns, with a legislative supermajority within reach.
  • NM: Earlier in the year, we defended our champions in Democratic primaries and ousted several more corporate Democrats who voted against paid family leave. Now we’re in a coalition fighting to expand the Democratic Caucus further.
  • CA: Corporations and fast food franchises have banded together to target WFP legislators who fought to raise wages and improve working conditions. After several cycles of gains in the legislature, we’re defending our champions and working to add WFP champs to the legislature with candidates like Sade Elhawary and Sasha Renee Perez.

OTHER STATE & LOCAL RACES WE’RE WATCHING

There are hundreds of important races. Here are a few:

In Pennsylvania, WFP champ Malcolm Kenyatta is vying for a statewide seat as Auditor General, and we’re also endorsing Eugene Depasquale for Attorney General. In Arizona, we’re hard at work on behalf of Ylenia Aguilar and a progressive slate running for the powerful statewide Arizona Corporation Commission. We’re also supporting two women for Michigan state Supreme Court, Kimberly Ann Thomas and Kyra Bolden, and Allison Riggs for State Supreme Court in North Carolina.

The California WFP is working hard to elect municipal candidates including Dr. Flojaune Cofer for Sacramento Mayor, Betty Duong for Santa Clara County Supervisor, and tenants rights attorney Ysabel Jurado for Los Angeles City Council.

In the Pacific Northwest, where we’re growing our party’s footprint, we’re supporting teacher and union leader Tiffany Koyama Lane for Portland City Council, along with a slate of 12 council candidates — with a goal of winning a 7-member governing majority for the first time under the city’s new election system. And in Seattle, we are confident we will succeed in ousting an incumbent council-at-large member with a labor and housing champion Alexis Mercedes Rinck.

The DNC ultimately declined to let a Palestinian-American address the Democratic National Convention. On the shortlist of speakers was WFP’s Rep. Ruwa Romman, who represents Georgia’s 97th District, and is seeking re-election in a challenging purple district. Rep. Romman is part of a slate of 25 working families champions in Georgia, along with state Senators Nikki Merritt (SD-9) and Nabilah Islam Parkes (SD-7), and public school teacher Bryce Berry running to flip a district in the heart of Atlanta’s west side.

In Florida, the WFP’s Monique Worrell is running to reclaim her State Attorney seat after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis removed her from office in a shameless authoritarian power grab. And finally, WFP defeated Albany District Attorney David Soares in the Democratic primary, who had famously backtracked on his commitment to criminal justice reform. He’s running as a write-in against Democratic and Working Families Party nominee Lee Kindlon.

And there’s more. In Arizona, we’re supporting ballot measures to enshrine abortion rights, and one in New York for equal rights. In Colorado we’re opposing a big-money-backed jungle primary initiative, and in California, backing an underfunded campaign to increase the state minimum wage. And in Texas, we have led a coalition campaign to reach out to over 400k high opportunity voters of color to continue the long-term work of building the electorate we want.

Wow. So WFP members, activists, staff, leaders, candidates… y’all are doing the most. I’m humbled to be in this movement with you all. Thank you for entrusting me with the role of representing our shared aspirations. It continues to be the honor of a lifetime.

Signing off here. Go fight, win. See you on the other side.

-Maurice