Fighting for Equal Representation
WASHINGTON, DC – The Collective, the nation’s largest group of affiliated organizations dedicated to increasing Black political representation across all levels of government, is celebrating the historic victory of Rev. Raphael Warnock, the first Black person to be elected to the US Senate from Georgia and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the US Senate from the South since Reconstruction. Rev. Warnock’s historic victory along with the sensational win of Jon Ossoff sets the stage for the US Senate to have a Democratic majority and the US Senate and Executive Branch to have a trifecta of power.
“Time after time it has been proven that Black candidates and Black voters are the difference makers in elections across the country,” said Stefanie Brown James, The Collective’s Co-Founder and Executive Director. “The election of Rev. Warnock expands on what we saw in November – when you invest in and support Black candidates and voters early and often, we will exceed expectations because the quality of our lives rests in the hands of those elected to serve our communities”.
The Black political powerhouse’s fundraising, digital and on-the-ground efforts throughout the election cycle contributed to the historic victory of Rev. Warnock and the hundreds of Black candidates elected in 2020; helping to shift the national political landscape and ushering in a new era of Black representation at all levels of government.
Built off the success of The Collective’s non-partisan Vote To Live Campaign during the general election, the momentum was carried into the Georgia runoff through the implementation of the nation’s largest “Rides to the Polls” program in the nation through a partnership with Lyft.
During the runoff election, The Collective facilitated over 77,000 free Lyft rides to the polls via the promo code GAVOTETOLIVE which was distributed and shared through on-the-ground partner organizations and the digital support of celebrities including Regina King, Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, Michael Ealy, Alfre Woodard and Tessa Thompson.
“After facilitating over 15,000 rides to the polls in Georgia in November, we knew that with sustained investment we could substantially eclipse that effort,” said The Collective Co-Founder and President Quentin James. “We are extremely proud to have successfully produced 5x the number of rides in this runoff election. When Black people are provided with a safe and reliable mode of transportation to the polls, they vote.”
Additionally, The Collective called nearly one million Black voters in Georgia through Vote To Live’s volunteer phone banking program during the general and runoff elections. Finally on the political side of the organization, The Collective raised over $100,000 for Rev. Warnock during the entirety of the election cycle after being one of his earliest supporters.
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC
The Collective is a group of affiliated organizations working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. Through our affiliated organizations — The Collective PAC, The Collective Super PAC, Collective Future, The Collective Education Fund, and The Southern Strategy — we are strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward.