The plan

Our Strategy

Win urgent elections and build progressive infrastructure to create enduring power in state legislatures and improve people’s lives.

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

10-Year Blueprint

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. 

A Decade of Ambition

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. 

Strategic Electoral Focus

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.

Infrastructure and Engagement

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.

Vision for the Future

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.

BUILD (2022-2023)
Make historic midterm gains

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 (2023-2024 )
Save democracy (defeat Trump)

Win state chambers and seats in Presidential, Senate, House and Gubernatorial battlegrounds

Energize voters to vote up and down the ticket

EXPAND (2025-2026) 
Grow and defend state majorities

Win state chambers in Senate, Gubernatorial, and Secretary of State battlegrounds

Engage voters for 2022-style midterm success

SURGE (2027-2030)
Last chance for majorities

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

TRANSFORM (2031-2032) 
Win new states on expanded maps

Compete in state chambers with new opportunities for majorities

Usher in new era of Democratic power, up and down the ballot

INVEST YEAR-ROUND

  • State Bridges: Elevate community-based organizers
  • Purple District Network: Support lawmakers in frontline districts
  • State Power Table: Convene and collaborate with organizations supporting lawmakers
  • Narrative Change: Elevate the power and promise of states to educate voters
  • Research: Advance cutting-edge research on down-ballot voter engagement

State Legislatures Matter. ​

The beauty of American federalism is that chaos at the federal level does not preclude advancements within the states. In fact, state legislatures are usually the first places we can look for groundbreaking policy that may later grow to national prominence. That’s why Sister District focuses exclusively on state legislatures, and why we continue to see returns on our investments years down the line.

Our Programs

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.

Win Elections

Grassroots Field and Fundraising

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. 

Campaign Services

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.

Youth Organizing

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!

Data Analytics

We generate top caliber research and data-driven analysis, which enables us to target the highest-impact races with exceptional candidates.

Support Organizers

State Bridges

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. 

Annual Summit

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!

Develop Legislatures

Legislator Services

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.

Future Winners

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!

Educate and Empower

Research 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!

Book Club and Fireside Chat Series

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!

It Starts with States.

They are the engine that moves our democracy forward. They have the power to transform their states, and in doing so, lead the way for the entire country.