DNC: Resistance Summer, 2017

During his campaign for DNC Chair, Keith Ellison talked about using the DNC to organize volunteers to contact voters during the summer of 2017.  As DNC Deputy Chair, he is now supervising that program.  The program’s focus is on state’s unfortunate enough not to have a Governor’s Election this year, but Virginia Democrats will participate in the program in some way.  Here’s the DNC Notice (5/16/2017):

DNC Announces Major Nationwide Resistance Summer Program to Bolster State Parties

DNC and State Democratic Parties Will Collaborate on Local Organizing Efforts Designed to Bolster State Parties, Win Elections Up-And-Down the Ticket

WASHINGTON – Today, the Democratic National Committee announced a major nationwide Resistance Summer program designed to bolster state parties in order to win down-ballot races. The DNC will partner with state parties and external allies to invest in local organizing projects over the summer, which will increase the party’s capacity to elect Democrats up-and-down the ballot in 2017, 2018, and beyond.

The mission of Resistance Summer is to educate, organize, and mobilize grassroots energy from Democrats in all 57 states, territories, and Democrats Abroad to help build our party’s base of political power and resist Trump’s attacks on hardworking families.

The program is a competitive matching grant program, where the DNC will approve and fund programs that will be executed by state parties. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, each grant proposal will be unique to the state’s strategic priorities and organizational capacity. Part of these plans must incorporate, where legally possible, partners and allies.

“There has been an explosion of activism and energy after the election of Donald Trump, and we need to turn this moment into a movement.” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “As the Democratic Party, it is our role to support this activism and energy, and convert it into electoral wins up-and-down the ballot by making sure state parties have the tools and resources they need to succeed.”

“The best way for Democrats to turn the #Resistance into electoral wins is by doing one thing: organizing,” said DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison. “Resistance Summer is the starting point and will take the Democratic Party’s message of fairness and equality to activists on the front lines and all Americans looking to get engaged. The American people want affordable health care for all, good jobs that pay well, and a tax code that rewards hard work, and the Democratic Party is the party that will fight to make these issues a reality. We have never had a better opportunity to win up-and-down the ballot. But showing up is not enough. We have to organize, knock on doors, and motivate voters to the polls. Only then can we deliver what hardworking American families need.”

Key Resistance Summer Dates:
• On Saturday, June 3, State Party’s and allied groups will hold events across the country to kick off Resistance Summer.
• On Monday, June 5, State parties and allied groups will hold events across the country to kick off Resistance Summer.
Click here  for a one-pager with additional information about the program.

More information about the Resistance Summer program will be released at a later date.