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Illinois Democrats launch campaign strategy to win down-ballot races at all levels of government
The Democratic Party of Illinois
The Democratic Party of Illinois will launch their 2024 campaign plan on Tuesday that focuses on winning down-ballot races at all levels of government as part of the party’s growing efforts to expand victories to local offices.
The party will announce the Organize Illinois 2024 campaign on Tuesday as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ (DPI) plan for winning races in Congress, the General Assembly and local government in November. The party has their eyes set on expanding the record-sized super majority in the state legislature as well as protecting Democrat-held congressional seats in addition to putting more resources into campaigns for local offices.
“It’s simple for DPI: we believe in the importance of local elections, from our two frontline congressional races, to protecting our supermajorities in the General Assembly, and down to the smallest districts,” DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez said in a statement. “By fighting for down-ballot wins, DPI is helping ensure that pro-worker, pro-choice, and pro-working family Democrats represent our great state.”
The campaign will focus on four goals: statewide engagement, targeted support, volunteer coordination and voter turnout. This includes what the party expects will be a million dollar-plus advertising push across a variety of communications.
There will also be a regional aspect to the party’s strategy. Top races will be identified by the party and regional groups will be coordinated for regular check-ins with local party leaders, campaign officials and other stakeholders. Regions are expected to be coordinated based on geography, culture and politics of an area and will help ensure a consistent level of support for campaigns in the area.
Campaign coordination will be led by Dovile Cather, who joined DPI in June and previously led U.S. Rep. Bill Foster’s congressional campaign during the past two election cycles.
DPI will be targeting resources toward two members of Congress who are most at risk of being beat by Republicans this fall: U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen of Moline and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Springfield. Both are freshmen lawmakers but represent districts that have historically been on the fence between the parties. Sorensen is viewed as the most vulnerable candidate with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dumping resources into the race to back Joe McGraw.
“I’m thrilled to have the support of the Democratic Party of Illinois as we fight to win critical races like mine in Illinois’ 13th District and deliver a Democratic Congress and White House in November,” Budzinski said in a statement. “Coordinated efforts like Organize Illinois 2024 will play a crucial role in our success.”
The announcement of the campaign comes after Democrats spent much of July worrying about their likelihood of success in November as support for President Joe Biden’s reelection waned following his June debate performance. Biden’s decision to pass the nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris has appeared to be a new shot of momentum for Democrats.
The state party will also coordinate with Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) and President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) to support House and Senate candidates.
The new coordination by the state Democratic Party will include regular regional meetings to discuss messaging, support, voter protection efforts and updates on paid media campaigns. A data team will also be assembled to provide insight on voter mobilization and to support campaigns with field volunteers. The party also plans to open field offices to boost coordination with county parties.
The party’s focus on down-ballot races at all levels of government follows a candidate recruitment campaign ahead of the 2024 primary where DPI collaborated with county Democratic parties to recruit new candidates to run for local offices. The program aimed to establish a bench of Democratic candidates interested in running for local offices or boost volunteer numbers, particularly in areas of the state where Democrats have not been competitive against Republicans in local government elections.
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