• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop
  • Jobs Board
Campaigns & Elections logo

Campaigns & Elections

  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Articles
    • Industry News
    • CampaignTech
    • Creative
  • Videos
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Reports
  • Expert Database
  • Events
  • Awards
    • Reed Awards
    • CampaignTech Awards
    • Rising Stars
  • Consultant Directory
  • Become a Member
  • Shop
  • Job Board
  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Why Fundraising Consultants Can Make a Real Case That Every Race Matters

Steps Leading to US Capitol Building

Two of the biggest surprises of election night (or week) ’22 could be the victory by Democrats in House district WA-03, and Lauren Boebert’s near defeat in CO-3. 

These two races were given less than a 3 percent chance of victory by FiveThirtyEight. 

What put them within striking distance or put them over the top were two things: The first was that the GOP nominees in these seats were so extreme they had no chance of winning over independents and moderate Republicans. And the second thing is that running against loud-mouthed MAGA acolytes often opens the floodgates of low-dollar support.

Now, these races also demonstrate the importance of contesting every race — no matter the odds. Here are three strategic reasons why every race must be contested:

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

It assists down-ballot candidates.

Having strong candidates at the top of the ticket can help folks running for other offices by drawing out supporters and volunteers, and increasing base turnout. Beto O’Rourke is a prime example. While he fell short in his Texas gubernatorial campaign against Greg Abbott, he stumped across the state with candidates for Congress, the state legislature, and local office. He also ensured that his well-funded effort put money into building a statewide GOTV operation to help him and others running across the state. 

It ties up national resources. 

With money flying into races left and right, there are only so many resources to go around, and important decisions must be made. When a campaign is tying up an opponent who should be relatively safe, you force their state or national party to spend resources that could be spent more effectively elsewhere. Take, for example, J.D. Vance, who received over $40 million in support from McConnell-aligned Super PACs. This money, if spent in Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, or Arizona could have helped ensure a Republican majority, instead, it was spent bailing out Vance, who Tim Ryan had on the ropes.

You might win the campaign lottery. 

Sometimes everything clicks, lightning strikes, and a campaign pulls off a huge upset. We’ve seen in years past scandal wreck a campaign with just a few weeks to go or a wave election help elect candidates who were on no one’s radar. 

Simply put you can’t beat someone with no one. There’s no greater example of this than WA-03’s new congresswoman-elect: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. 

The 34-year-old auto shop owner defeated MAGA extremist Joe Kent in a district Donald Trump won by more than five points in 2020. Kent was the exact kind of candidate that didn’t stand a chance in 2022. If no Democrat ran here, the party would have been locked out of the general election, and no matter what, a Republican would have won this seat. 

The lesson is: when you run good candidates, you can help the rest of the ticket, you can tie up your opposition party, and sometimes lightning strikes, and you pull off an upset of the decade.

Nick Daggers is a co-founding partner of the 1833 Group, a Chicago-based Democratic political consulting firm focusing on fundraising. He has over fifteen years of fundraising experience working for candidates running from local office to the U.S. Senate.

Share:
FacebookTweetLinkedIn
Filed Under:
Fundraising

Primary Sidebar

By
Nick Daggers
11/16/2022 03:47 PM EST
FacebookTweetLinkedIn

C&E Creative Summit 2023 Countdown:

Get Tickets

Most Read

  • Digital Organizing

    How Digital Can Help Thread the Needle in Virginia

  • Sponsored

    Combine Digital Advertising With Direct Mail, The SMART Way

  • Sponsored

    Political Comms Is The Premium Peer-To-Peer Texting Platform

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related Articles

See More Fundraising Articles
Fundraising

The Ingredients of a Successful Fundraising Video

Close up of the back of a dollar bill
Campaign Finance

Democrats Need a Better Investment Strategy

Close-up of presidents on US currency
Fundraising

Diversify Or Die: Fundraising Consultants Grapple With How To Expand Their Businesses

Become a member and get access to exclusive content.

Join Today

Footer

Upcoming Events

  • September 21

    Campaigns & Elections Creative Summit

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

For the latest in campaign strategy & tactics plus industry news and analysis, subscribe for free today.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow us

Follow Campaign and Elections for more daily content.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Political World Communications, LLC

Advertisement

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.