Thinking about grassroots and/or donor support.

With the wonderful victories for progressive women in the 2017 Georgia elections, I’m struck by how large a role grassroots support played in those successes.

The 2016 and earlier 2017 elections both energized the progressive base and expanded activism into populations who had not thought of themselves as “political.”
Beyond the amazing efforts of individuals working for candidates, there’s another group to consider: donors.

We’ve all heard of Emily’s List: they identify and raise money for progressive women candidates. Their name is an acronym – Early Money Is Like Yeast. Campaign contributions early in the election cycle provide the money to produce campaign materials and events. They also establish credibility for the candidate, which encourages potential donors to get onboard. Each donor’s network broadens the candidate’s pool of contributors. Friend-to-friend, colleague-to-colleague: the ripples of support give candidates the resources they need to reach the voters.

It is never too early to learn a candidate’s positions, values, plans; and it is never too early to throw in some yeast for a candidate you believe in.