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Heading into a pivotal presidential election year, Sister District is thrilled to unveil our 2024 state legislative roadmap and political strategy. With Republican-controlled legislatures aggressively working to manipulate election outcomes, slash voting rights and curb abortion access, all beneath the approving gaze of a revanchist Supreme Court supermajority, it is urgent that we establish and preserve progressive power in our states. We see what we are fighting for in new trifecta states like Michigan and Minnesota, which have hit the ground running to protect abortion access and expand funding for education and health care. State legislative Democrats enter 2024 with momentum. Outcomes will depend on smart strategy and careful execution. This memorandum describes the factors that present Democrats with opportunities to flip additional chambers, hold fragile legislative majorities, and make strategic gains in inroads states. It then presents our electoral roadmap for the year.
In 2024 Sister District will invest heavily in targeted purple districts where we plan to make an outsized impact.
Target States: AZ, GA, MI, NC, NV, PA, WI, with expansion opportunities in MN, NH
Nested Opportunities: Prioritize Presidential battleground states with nested competitive Senate, House, and Gubernatorial elections and key ballot initiatives
Smart Defense: Invest in strategic chambers where we break and stave off Republican supermajorities
Sister District’s mission is to build enduring progressive power in state legislatures. We do so by winning urgent elections each year, and building Democratic infrastructure for the long-term.
Over the next ten years, we’re embarking on a bold journey to reshape political power in the states. With legislative maps now largely established, our focus sharpens on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. As resources allow, we will strategically expand to additional states.
Each year, we will pinpoint and engage in key battles to (1) flip chambers, (2) hold chambers, and (3) make inroads into states badly gerrymandered by Republicans. And in each multi-year phase, our efforts will concentrate on districts poised to catalyze broader victories, paving the way for transformative change up the ballot.
Although supporting campaigns is a major part of our work, we are not a campaign ourselves. Sister District was founded to break the boom-and-bust cycle elections, and to withstand shifting political tides. That’s why our commitment extends beyond immediate electoral contests. Throughout the decade, we will continue to invest in long-term strategies to support lawmakers, boost in-state organizing partners, spearhead impactful research, and shift narratives to heighten public involvement across these strategic states.
Sister District’s grassroots organizing power, together with our strategic, year-round programs, enable us to play a pivotal role in putting Democrats in the strongest position possible for redistricting in 2031, and laying the groundwork for the next decade to be marked by structural advantages and unprecedented opportunities for progress.
Make historic midterm gains
(2022-2023)
Save democracy: defeat Trump
(2023-2024)
Grow and defend state majorities
(2025-2026)
Last chance for majorities
(2027-2030)
Win new states on expanded maps
(2031-2032)
>Beat the odds in Biden’s first midterm and build momentum in state chambers
>Invest in state-based local organizers—and keep investing every year
>Win state chambers and seats in Presidential, Senate, House and Gubernatorial battlegrounds
>Energize voters to vote up and down the ticket
>Win state chambers in Senate, Gubernatorial, and Secretary of State battlegrounds
>Engage voters for 2022-style midterm success
>Win state chambers in “last chance” states where legislature controls redistricting and Presidential battlegrounds
>Highlight the stakes to motivate voters and educate about the Census
>Compete in state chambers with new opportunities for majorities
>Usher in new era of Democratic power, up and down the ballot
Sister District’s mission is to build enduring progressive power in state legislatures. We do so by winning urgent elections each year, and building Democratic infrastructure for the long-term.
Over the next ten years, we’re embarking on a bold journey to reshape political power in the states. With legislative maps now largely established, our focus sharpens on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. As resources allow, we will strategically expand to additional states.
Each year, we will pinpoint and engage in key battles to (1) flip chambers, (2) hold chambers, and (3) make inroads into states badly gerrymandered by Republicans. And in each multi-year phase, our efforts will concentrate on districts poised to catalyze broader victories, paving the way for transformative change up the ballot.
Although supporting campaigns is a major part of our work, we are not a campaign ourselves. Sister District was founded to break the boom-and-bust cycle elections, and to withstand shifting political tides. That’s why our commitment extends beyond immediate electoral contests. Throughout the decade, we will continue to invest in long-term strategies to support lawmakers, boost in-state organizing partners, spearhead impactful research, and shift narratives to heighten public involvement across these strategic states.
Sister District’s grassroots organizing power, together with our strategic, year-round programs, enable us to play a pivotal role in putting Democrats in the strongest position possible for redistricting in 2031, and laying the groundwork for the next decade to be marked by structural advantages and unprecedented opportunities for progress.
Make historic midterm gains
(2022-2023)
>Beat the odds in Biden’s first midterm and build momentum in state chambers
>Invest in state-based local organizers—and keep investing every year
Save democracy: defeat Trump
(2023-2024)
>Win state chambers and seats in Presidential, Senate, House and Gubernatorial battlegrounds
>Energize voters to vote up and down the ticket
Grow and defend state majorities
(2025-2026)
>Win state chambers in Senate, Gubernatorial, and Secretary of State battlegrounds
>Engage voters for 2022-style midterm success
Last chance for majorities
(2027-2030)
>Win state chambers in “last chance” states where legislature controls redistricting and Presidential battlegrounds
>Highlight the stakes to motivate voters and educate about the Census
Win new states on expanded maps
(2031-2032)
>Compete in state chambers with new opportunities for majorities
>Usher in new era of Democratic power, up and down the ballot
Our programs implement our strategy by filling critical gaps in the progressive infrastructure. Together, these programs empower volunteers, candidates, legislators, and the public with maximum opportunities for engagement and impact.
We harness the abundance of volunteer and donor energy that exists all across the country and direct it to our carefully selected races. We activate, train, and collaborate with our volunteer-led teams and affiliates to deliver outsized support to candidates in the forms they need it most: fundraising, phone calls, door knocks, postcards, and texts. In 2022, this includes raising early money earmarked for delivering early money support to candidates.
We offer personalized assistance and resources to candidates throughout the campaign cycle. This includes direct access to our campaign veteran staff for questions, a comprehensive campaign-in-a-box library with templates and best practices, as well as advice and strategic counseling on campaign plan and budget development, paid communications, and more.
Our Organizing Fellows support our volunteer-led teams by recruiting and retaining volunteers for candidate support events, all while gaining practical skills to help them build careers as organizers. Our Campus Fellows are trained in building and running phonebanks to boost support to candidates. Check out our student opportunities!
We generate top caliber research and data-driven analysis, which enables us to target the highest-impact races with exceptional candidates.
Our State Bridges program activates volunteers across the country to fundraise for organizations doing year-round power-building work in key states. Building on the successes of our State Bridges program, we know that long-term community-based organizing, often led by people of color, is bedrock for our ability to build progressive power in state legislatures.
The annual Sister District Summit is an opportunity for volunteers from across the country to debrief on the previous year, learn from each other, and plan for the year ahead. Learn more!
Winning office is just the beginning. We know that legislators from purple districts face challenges and experiences in governing and campaigning that are distinct from their blue district colleagues. Our Purple District Network is the only state legislator network exclusively focused on providing support to state legislators located in purple districts.
Using a cohort model, the Network builds community among purple district legislators in order to share best practices, governance techniques, and strategies for being effective. Legislators in the network have access to campaign and governance resources, and connect with each other through a shared database, remote convenings with their cohorts, and an annual summit.
Sometimes, even the most exceptional candidates lose their races. While losses are often down payments on future successes, far too many future winners fall out of the talent pipeline at this step because there is no one to support them. Using a cohort model, we deliver training and coaching on advanced topics of fundraising and communications, and guidance on preparing for their next race, all within the context of a supportive community of candidates in a similar position to build connection and accountability. Learn more about our Future Winners program!
Our award-winning research team conducts academic-quality experiments and analyses to develop and disseminate best practices in the areas of voter and volunteer engagement. This work ensures we are utilizing the highest impact tactics in our work. We also perform qualitative and narrative research to investigate how non-experimental factors like race and gender may impact electoral outcomes. Our results are always proudly free and open to the public. Read our research results now!
In our popular Book Club and Fireside Chat series, we read books and hold conversations with authors and experts to deepen our engagement with issues around voting rights, the importance of states, redistricting, social and racial justice, civic participation, and more. Check out the Book Club!
Checks can be sent to:
Sister District Project
440 North Barranca Avenue, #8737
Covina, California 91723
