Hi there,
Since Swing Left launched in 2017, our focus has been on ensuring your time and money are directed to the places where they will have the biggest impact on helping Democrats win critical races that will unseat Republicans and swing the national balance of power.
And as the 2026 midterm election gets closer, we’re focusing on two main ways to do just that:
1. Contacting voters through our innovative new Ground Truth program, and,
2. Pooling funds for the eventual Democratic nominees in Swing Left’s 33 target swing districts.
Ground Truth is reimagining how Democrats do voter contact by knocking on every door and calling every voter in swing districts, leading with open-ended questions to gain insights about voters’ concerns, newly identifying persuadable voters, and sharing what we learn with campaigns and party committees so they can refine their messaging and outreach programs well before Election Day.
But in order to take advantage of the insights Ground Truth provides, candidates need the resources to translate what voters are telling us into effective campaigns, from ads that speak to real voter concerns, to field and turnout programs that have the capacity to follow up with those potentially persuadable voters. That’s one of the big reasons we’re putting a renewed focus on candidate fundraising.
We know that many folks have taken a step back from giving to candidates since 2024—and we won’t pretend that money in politics isn’t broken. Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, the floodgates have opened to unlimited dark money being spent in our elections. And all of us are deeply concerned about where fundraising dollars go, and how much is wasted on things that don’t actually improve the odds of winning.
But we also know opting out won’t fix the broken system. It only hands more power to the people who are already abusing it.
As long as it remains legal, Elon Musk and other Republican billionaires aren’t going to stop funnelling millions of dollars to candidates who will rubber stamp Donald Trump’s agenda. Just last December, Musk already donated another $10 million to help Republicans hold control of Congress. It’s another reason why it’s so important that we make sure Democrats have the resources to fight back.
Swing Left has done the work to identify the 33 most competitive U.S. House races where your time and dollars will have the greatest impact. It’s a tight list, focused on sure shots, not longshots. And while campaigns can put money to work year-round, money donated earlier in the year has the power to make an outsized impact. Many Democratic primaries won’t be held until July or August, leaving the eventual nominees in those districts with very little time in the general election period to build a winning campaign.
For swing districts that are currently held by Republicans that we need to flip, donations are held securely until right after the primaries—providing a critical infusion of money into the Democratic general election campaign at a time when their bank account is often drained from the primary race.
And for vulnerable blue districts we need to hold, your donations go immediately to the Democratic incumbent, giving them a head start so they can hire staff, communicate with voters, and define the race before Republicans even have a nominee.
This strategy has proven to be effective before. In 2018, Swing Left helped pioneer the strategy of pooling small-dollar, grassroots funds for swing districts before primaries, and it was highly effective. The cash was a game-changer for a number of congressional campaigns—in a year that Democrats won the House, gaining 41 seats when they only needed to flip 23. Every election cycle since, the Swing Left community has come together to raise early money that’s helped deliver victories in razor-thin races nationwide.
So in the coming weeks, we’ll be sending you more emails that explain more about how Swing Left thinks about candidate fundraising, and we’ll be asking for your help as we work to make sure the candidates in our target districts have the resources they need to win.
If you’d like to help out immediately, you can click here to make a donation of any amount today that will support Swing Left and the Democratic nominees in all 33 of our target swing districts.
Together, by acting early and strategically, we can help Democrats flip the House and put an end to unchecked Republican power in Washington.
Thank you, as always, for everything you do,
— The Swing Left Team
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Since 2017, Swing Left has channeled the energy of grassroots volunteers and donors to elect Democrats, up and down the ballot, focusing on the most competitive races that can swing the national balance of power. Right now, Swing Left is investing in early grassroots organizing in key swing districts and initiatives across the country to lay the foundation to win back the House in 2026. If you’d like to help support our work, you can make a donation using this link. |
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Paid for by Swing Left, swingleft.org, not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
