WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The Collective PAC, the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation and power across all levels of government, congratulated Hala Ayala on winning her primary election and clearing the first hurdle to become Virginia’s first woman and first Afro-Latina Lieutenant Governor. Founders of The Collective PAC, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement: 

“The Collective PAC is proud to congratulate Hala Ayala on winning her primary election and blazing a path forward to become Virginia’s first woman and first Afro-Latina Lieutenant Governor if elected this November. As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Hala has delivered on her campaign promises by working to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, expand Medicaid and raise teacher salaries across the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are excited to support Hala on her mission to improve the lives of all Virginians and look forward to helping her win on Election Day.”

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is 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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The Collective PAC, the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political representation across all levels of government, congratulated 8 of our Virginia House of Delegates, Candi King, Debra Gardner, Joshua G. Cole, Michelle Maldonado, Briana Sewell, Lashrecse Aird, Alex Askew and Rev. Linwood Blizzard on winning their primary elections. Founders of The Collective PAC, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement: 

“The Collective PAC is thrilled to congratulate 8 of our Virginia House of Delegates candidates on winning their primary elections. Delegates Candi King, Joshua G. Cole, Lashrecse Aird and Alex Askew have a proven track record of delivering for their communities and will continue to build upon the work they have accomplished last term. Candidates Debra Gardner, Michelle Maldonado, Briana Sewell and Rev. Linwood Blizzard are ready to serve the commonwealth of Virginia as strong advocates for policies that support working families. All of our endorsed candidates are trusted voices for their communities and we are proud to continue our support for them in their general elections because we understand the importance of having Black leaders in office that will respect and reflect their communities.”

Del. Candi King (Virginia House of Delegates, District 2) has been a steadfast advocate for education in the legislature, working to support students with disabilities and deliver equitable funding for HBCUs. If reelected, she will continue working to help her district recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, improve transportation infrastructure, and champion police accountability.

Debra Gardner (Virginia House of Delegates, District 27) is a non-profit leader and former social worker with more than 30 years of experience serving the people of Chesterfield County. She will put people over parties and special interest groups while in office and fight for affordable health care and good jobs once she flips this district from red to blue in November.

Del. Joshua G. Cole (Virginia House of Delegates, District 28) is a vocal advocate for protecting reproductive freedom, expanding economic justice, and improving infrastructure across the Commonwealth’s 28th District. Josh is also a pastor, the former president of the Stafford County NAACP, and has held many positions in the Virginia House of Delegates prior to taking office.

Michelle Maldonado (Virginia House of Delegates, District 50) is a former attorney and small business owner, who comes from a family of groundbreakers dedicated to serving others. If elected she will focus on civil discourse while growing jobs, improving infrastructure and creating equity and inclusion for all. 

Briana Sewell (Virginia House of Delegates, District 51) knows the importance of service after growing up in a military family. Currently the Chief of Staff to the Prince William County Board Chair, Briana believes that integrity is a core principle of public service and will work to keep health care equitable and affordable and invest in infrastructure and transportation once in office. 

Del. Lashrecse Aird (Virginia House of Delegates, District 63) has been serving the residents of District 63 since 2016, when she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. A champion for criminal justice reform, last year, Lashrecse introduced “Breonna’s Law” legislation to ban no-knock search warrants statewide, which was recently signed into law. Once reelected, Lashrecse will continue to fight for working families by improving public education, prioritizing job creation, and expanding economic and social justice across the state. 

Del. Alex Askew (Virginia House of Delegates, District 65) hit the ground running in his first term, signing bills into law that would protect first responders and ensure clean drinking water in schools and daycare centers. As a former chief of staff in the statehouse, Alex has previously worked on groundbreaking legislation to expand Medicaid, increase affordable housing, and promote school safety. During his second term, he will continue to push for affordable and accessible health care, economic expansion, and environmental safety.  

Rev. Linwood Blizzard (Virginia House of Delegates, District 99) is a dedicated community member that serves the 99th district through his engagement in community-based organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Neck, Macedonia Community Development Corporation and the Northumberland County Branch of the NAACP. If elected to the House of Delegates, Linwood will fight to protect jobs, expand access to broadband internet and champion criminal justice reform. 

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is 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.

Washington, D.C. — Third Way, The Collective PAC, and Latino Victory today announced the results of their major review of the 2020 House and Senate races. The study, conducted by Lynda Tran and Marlon Marshall, included nearly 150 interviews as well as a deep dive into the polling and voter file data, tv and digital advertising, and other aspects of key 2020 campaigns. The project sponsors and staff consulted throughout the process with Members and staff from the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, as well as staff from the NewDem Action Fund, CBCPAC, CHC BOLD PAC, and ASPIRE PAC, among countless others with deep knowledge of how these campaigns were run.

Third Way EVP Matt Bennett said the review was not a classic “post-mortem,” because Democrats did end up with the White House and narrow majorities in both Congressional chambers. Rather, he said “the purpose was to answer the main question for Democrats in the wake of 2020: ‘Given the big win at the top of the ticket, why didn’t House and Senate Democrats do as well as had been expected?’”

The study offers a data-driven look at what worked well for Democrats running for Congress in 2020 and some of the challenges they faced. The team leading it produced an extensive report. Its main findings can be summarized as follows:

Voters of color are persuasion voters who need to be convinced: Despite historic turnout, even where Black voters were key to Democratic successes in 2020, the data show a drop-off in support for the Party compared to previous cycles. As worrying, drop-off among Latino and AAPI voters fueled losses in key races, even as they were integral to key successes.

Republican attempts to brand Democrats as “radicals” worked, including with key voters of color: In many districts where “defund the police” or “socialism” was a continued GOP drumbeat, there was a higher share of Black/Latino/AAPI voters who supported Republicans.

Polling was a huge problem – even after 2016 adjustments: Polling failed to reach the right people – especially white, non-college voters – and the methodology changes made after 2016 led to an overly optimistic map, with the Party chasing races that were not really in play.

COVID-19 affected everything: The pandemic changed voter outreach and health care conversations, and many Democrats missed the opportunity to talk about the need to get COVID under control through an economic lens as the cycle progressed.

Year-round organizing worked, as did cross-Party collaboration: But races that did not have the benefit of longer-term infrastructure investments – voter registration, continual in-person organizing, and local outreach – underperformed most.

Democrats’ hopes for 2020 were just too high: Although more Americans turned out to vote than in any other election in 120 years, this extraordinary turnout and excitement about the presidential election benefited Republicans in some places and Democrats in others, contrary to common assumptions that new voters are primarily progressive.

In the interviews, some common themes emerged. One was that developing a strong candidate identity, coupled with a clear vision for growing the economy, will help battle ongoing Republican efforts to paint Democrats as radicals. These attacks were effective with both candidates of color and white candidates, and with swing voters across racial demographics as well. The study found the attacks were best countered when Democrats established a positive story about their biography early and where campaigns responded directly to GOP lies.

Collective PAC Founders Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James said, “While we may have saved our democracy in 2020, we didn’t do as well as we should have. This post-election analysis confirms what The Collective PAC has known for a while – Black voters are not a monolith. We need to be treated as persuasion voters and there needs to be early and ongoing engagement. Democrats must seriously address this problem while we still have time.”

“The report results reflect opportunities for Democrats to build on our successes in 2020 and create an even more robust strategy for victory in 2022 and 2024,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory president & CEO. “While the turnout among Latino voters sky-rocketed by 30 percent, and they voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, there’s still ample space for Democrats and allied organizations to create a long-term engagement strategy that includes early investment coupled with culturally competent messaging. We need to stop telling Latinos to vote. We need to give them a reason to vote—something to vote for— in order to earn their votes.”

“This report once again highlights the centrality of voters of color to the Democratic coalition and the critical role that Latino voters play in Democratic victories up and down the ballot,” said CHC BOLD PAC Chairman Ruben Gallego. “But it also serves as a reminder that how campaigns engage with them makes all the difference. Latinos are not a monolithic community — we are multi-faceted and approach different issues in different ways. Campaigns need to treat Latino voters with the same nuance and thoughtfulness they give to other communities. That’s the only way to keep winning Latino support, which will be absolutely critical to defending the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate this cycle.”

“Latino voters have been vital for Democrat victories for decades and were instrumental in electing President Biden and paving the way to the Democratic Majority in the Senate,” said Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), CHC BOLD PAC Chairman during the 2020 cycle. “But Democrats can’t take Latino voters for granted and show up a few weeks before the election. When we put the time and energy into engaging with Latinos in their local communities, it makes all the difference. But it is clear that we did not do enough to engage and invest in all Latino communities. Like all Americans, Latinos come from diverse backgrounds, with diverse values and individual priorities. Democrats need to do early culturally competent outreach, listen and show all the beautiful, varied Latino communities that the Democratic Party is the party that will fight for their values.”

“The CBCPAC is happy to contribute as thought partners for this important project,” said Yolonda Addison, CBCPAC Executive Director. “This post-election analysis is exactly the guide we need coming out of 2020. We should always be talking to our base voters, especially Black voters on why they should continue to vote for us. All votes are earned, not given.”

“As Chairman of the CBCPAC, it is my job to not only keep our current caucus Members but also expand and protect our House and Senate Majority. This analysis sharpens our toolbox and prepares us to do the hard work of earning the support of our voters in the midterm elections and demonstrate how we are the party of economic growth and self-determination,” said Chairman Gregory W. Meeks, CBCPAC Chairman.

“Keeping the Democratic majority in the House means winning frontline districts like mine. It is essential that we understand how all voters perceived the Democratic Party in the last election, and how we need to remain focused on delivering bold solutions for the American people that improve their lives and develop messaging accordingly. This analysis by Third Way, in collaboration with the CBCPAC, is critical information that will help guide the Democratic Party towards effectively reaching out to and winning over all voters,” said Rep. Steven Horsford.

“In order to hold and expand the Democratic majority in 2022, we need a clear-eyed and data-driven assessment of the 2020 election cycle—where to build up and what we need to improve on,” said New Democrat Coalition Action Fund Chair Congressman Brad Schneider. “This retrospective puts the NewDems on track to protect our majority-making members and add to our caucus by focusing the party on a robust economic message that will resonate with voters anxious to put the pandemic behind us. NewDems have a playbook. We will use it. And we intend to win.”

A deck with the main findings of the study can be found here.

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is 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.