WASHINGTON — This week, the DLCC launched a ‘Summer of the States’ awareness campaign and $10M in investments to boost Democrats from the bottom of the ticket up. This summer is the key window for Democrats to invest in state legislative races and combat Trump’s army of MAGA allies to ensure our democracy and fundamental freedoms are protected. The ‘Summer of the States’ campaign includes a new microsite with details on key target races, our latest Spotlight candidates running in competitive seats across the country, and updates on the DLCC’s work to ensure this ballot level has the resources to move the Democratic agenda forward.
Check out coverage of the launch below:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe: Democratic Party Announces $10M Investment in Down-Ballot Races
“Regardless of who wins the White House, the policies that we care most about in our communities are going to be running through the states. The Republican agenda – they’ve made it crystal clear – is running through our statehouses. We’re up against a lot with the Republicans – they have endless cash. We’re working really hard to tell our story to prepare folks this summer for the best campaigns we can possibly run in the fall.”
The New York Times: Democrats Announce a $10 Million Push for State Legislatures
‘It is so crystal clear that regardless of who wins the White House, this Republican agenda — this dangerous MAGA Republican agenda — is going to move through our statehouses,’ said Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. ‘We can’t just continue to pay attention to what is happening in Washington, D.C., and our federal races.’
NBC News: Democrats aim to give state legislative candidates — and Biden — a boost with $10 million investment
‘We know that strong legislative campaigns and candidates are really strong messengers and are fundamentally really close to their communities,’ DLCC President Heather Williams said in an interview. ‘They are a critical part’ of a broader effort that includes ‘not only telling the story of their campaigns and their priorities,’ Williams said, ‘but also the story of Democratic Party values, of how we are advancing those, and the story of the president’s agenda.’
ABC News: Democrats launch summer spending blitz highlighting state legislative races
Williams said spending this year is particularly important given the risk that Republicans can flip the White House and Senate and hold onto the House, a scenario in which Democratic-controlled state legislatures could be a major buffer against a Republican federal trifecta.
Meidas Touch: Democrats Launch ‘Summer of the States’ Campaign to Win Key Legislative Races
‘Republicans have made it crystal clear that with or without Trump in the White House, their extreme MAGA agenda, which is rolling back our rights, is going to run for our state capitals,’ DLCC President Heather Williams told MeidasTouch in an interview. ‘We are building really strong voter contact programs with the storytelling that we can’t just care about who is in the White House, we have to care about who is in our state house.’
Washington Examiner: Democrats pour another $10 million into state legislative races for November
‘With our democracy and fundamental freedoms on the line, the Summer of the States is the critical window to make key investments and build the infrastructure needed for Democrats to push past Republican efforts and boost our chances for victory in November,’ DLCC President Heather Williams said. ‘For a fraction of what is spent on federal races, we can harness state-level power to keep Donald Trump out of the White House and stop his MAGA agenda in the states.’
MSNBC: Wednesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 6.19.24
And while top-of-the-ballot contests will receive the bulk of the attention in the coming months, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced a $10 million investment this week into getting voters to care about state legislative races, too.
Pluribus: Pluribus AM Newsletter
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee will send $10 million to party caucuses in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to compete for state legislative seats, the group said Monday. It’s part of the DLCC’s $60 million budget for the cycle
Politico Playbook PM: Key groups of voters get their closeups
DOWN-BALLOT DELUGE: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is rolling out a massive spending blitz to turn out voters for down-ballot races in an effort to go on attack against Republicans on the state level, where the GOP has enjoyed a spate of success in recent elections, NYT’s Maggie Astor reports.
The Independent: Biden targets ‘convicted criminal’ Trump in $50 million ad blitz ahead of first debate
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) president Heather Williams told NBC that legislative candidates are ‘a critical part’ of getting Biden elected, adding that they are part of a broader effort that includes ‘not only telling the story of their campaigns and their priorities, but also the story of Democratic Party values, of how we are advancing those, and the story of the president’s agenda.’
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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