Swing Left's Five Organizing Principles for the Future of the Democratic Party
Published January 15, 2025
Swing Left’s singular mission is electing Democratic majorities. We don’t engage in issue advocacy or primaries, and we aren’t trying to push the party to the left or the center or sideways. We provide an on-ramp for grassroots volunteers and donors to strategically channel their most precious resources – their time and money – to the races that matter most to winning, today and tomorrow.
Since our founding in 2017, our 1 million members have worked in close coordination with the Democratic Party, raising over $100 million for priority Democratic campaigns, state parties and on-the-ground organizing efforts, and contacting over 50 million voters in federal and state races that came down to the margins. Cycle after cycle, this work has had a tangible impact on securing victories up and down the ballot. In states and districts where Swing Left organizes early, performance improves significantly.
Coming off a tough election, we’re hearing a lot from our volunteers and donors. And while there’s plenty we’re still learning, we are certain that the path forward for the Democratic Party must prioritize the grassroots voices and leadership that power the work of winning elections. That’s why Swing Left is, for the first time, directing our membership’s organizing efforts not just on the external work of winning upcoming elections, but also internally – on helping to shape the future of the party.
That effort starts with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair’s race, where Swing Left staff and grassroots leaders have invited each Chair candidate to meet and discuss Swing Left’s Five Organizing Principles for the Future of the Democratic Party:
- #1 Support Year-Round Voter Engagement: Year-round voter engagement builds the foundation for long-term success. The DNC should dedicate resources, funding, and staffing to support the sustained grassroots organizing and fundraising efforts that power early and effective voter engagement.
- #2 Prioritize Organizing Infrastructure: Not all organizing is equal, and all too often the best is underresourced. The DNC should deeply invest in best-in-class organizing infrastructure such as modern tools, accurate and robust voter data, effective messaging, top talent, and innovative voter engagement tactics.
- #3 Reimagine Partnership with Outside Groups that Power the Work: The progressive ecosystem has changed dramatically in the past decade, and grassroots organizations like Swing Left are not outside constituents to be managed. Given the scale of our influence on competitive races, the DNC should engage with grassroots organizations and our members as strategic partners. Doing so will maximize our combined impact by deploying resources efficiently, reducing duplicative efforts, and leveraging comparative advantages.
- #4 Act on Grassroots Feedback: Organizers and volunteer leaders bring critical insights from their voter outreach efforts. The DNC should prioritize listening to local organizers and providing them with the resources needed to implement strategies tailored to their efforts.
- #5 Invest Wide and Deep in State Parties for Sustained Wins: To win Democratic majorities in the short and long term, strong state parties should be commonplace, not an aberration – and not just in Presidential battleground states. The DNC should rethink how it resources state parties, both financially and in terms of tech and data infrastructure, with a focus on incentivizing the high-quality, year-round, long-term organizing work that’s needed to win Democratic majorities, both at the state and federal levels. This includes investing in blue states like California and New York, which hold the largest concentration of swing House districts in the country and the largest statewide rightward shifts in the last election. It also includes reinvesting in red-tilting states like Ohio where year-round organizing remains underresourced.
At Swing Left, we know winning elections isn’t everything, but it’s a necessary start. Similarly, we know our Five Organizing Principles aren’t everything, but a DNC that prioritizes them will be set up to win. That’s why we have asked each DNC Chair candidate to join a virtual listening session with a team of Swing Left staff and volunteers ahead of the February 1 election, and are asking for their commitments to these principles.
We look forward to partnering with the next Chair on the critical work ahead. Our country’s future depends on all of us.
Ready to join Swing Left’s year-round organizing efforts? Join us: