February 8th, 2023
Dear Friend,
In This Issue
Can We Hold the Senate?
Why Should I Donate in 2023?
The Most Important Campaign Right Now
Meet Our Spring Interns
We Are/They Are
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The Crimson Goes Blue Political Strategy:
- Win critical elections in battleground states for Democrats
- Protect the freedom to vote
- Ensure the integrity of elections
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Preliminary Thoughts on the Senate Landscape for 2024
By Janet Singer, CGB Political Director
It is going to take a huge effort to hold onto the Democratic Senate majority in 2024.
Here’s where we’re starting: of the 33 seats up for re-election (34 if you count the special election for the non-competitive Republican seat in Nebraska to replace Ben Sasse ‘04 that will be up again in 2026), twenty-two of those seats are held by Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. In addition, three of the Democratic seats – Tester in MT, Brown in OH, Manchin in WV – are in states that Trump won, while none of the Republican seats are in states that Biden won. So, the Senate battleground consists entirely of Democratic seats. There will be drama in Arizona. Will the very unpopular Sinema run? And as a Democrat or an independent? Will the Democratic Party support her, as is traditional with independents who caucus with the Democrats? Or will Ruben Gallego ‘04, a promising candidate who has entered the race, be the Democratic nominee? Michigan is an open seat since Debbie Stabenow has decided not to run for re-election, but Michigan has also become a bluer state and has attractive potential candidates.
We can afford to lose one Senate seat (thank you, Georgia) if we keep the Presidency, and no seats if Republicans take back the Presidency. In other words, we must hold at least 7 of the 8 seats below.
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This will be a heavy, but far from impossible, lift. There are many variables that will determine the outcome of these races–not the least of which is how well we organize and how hard we work. Generally, there is an advantage to incumbency. Democrats ran excellent campaigns in 2022 – recruiting and unifying behind strong candidates, showing message discipline, outraising Republicans, talking to voters, and having real legislative successes to run on. The Republican Party is fractured, fractious, and putting its energies behind actions that Americans don’t favor – trivial investigations, false election fraud claims, restricting abortion, and trying to rewrite and repress our history.
What does all this mean for Crimson Goes Blue? Many of the Senate seats we will be defending are in states that will be critical for winning the Presidency as well: AZ, MI, NV, PA, OH, and WI. We already have Crimson Goes Blue Action Teams in several of these states, but not all, and we have decided that it is ideal to have co-leaders for all of our teams. To have the most impact, we will need to recruit co-leaders and ideally increase the number of CGB members from these critical states.
What can you do now? Reach out to me about helping with leadership (no commitment required) at jesdemocracy@gmail.com. Go to the back of your Red Book and look up your classmates from these critical states. Invite the supportive ones to join us.
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Give Now to the Q1 2023 Crimson Goes Blueprint Portfolio
We are delighted to announce that a new First Quarter 2023 (Q1/23) Crimson Goes Blueprint Portfolio is now live on the Crimson Goes Blue website. The Portfolio allows you to channel your early political donations where they will go farthest to protect American democracy during the 2023-2024 political cycle.
Our Q1/23 Portfolio focuses on Wisconsin, one of the most evenly divided states in the nation. Wisconsin played a tipping point role in the Presidential elections of 2016 and 2020, and is likely to do the same in 2024. And it is holding one of the most important elections of 2023, to fill a vacancy on the state supreme court. Conservatives currently control the court with a 4-3 majority, but the conservative Chief Justice is retiring, creating an opportunity to flip the court. That would open a path to legalizing abortion (illegal in Wisconsin since the Dobbs decision) and reversing some of the Court’s most damaging voter suppression decisions.
With the new year come new opportunities to make a difference. If you plan on making political donations during the 2023-2024 cycle, now is the time to start, when the impact of each dollar is the greatest. Giving regularly between now and November 2024 is an investment in the future of our democracy.
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We research. You give. Together we protect democracy.
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Wisconsin Matters!
In addition to donating to our Crimson Goes Blueprint Portfolio, you can help flip the Wisconsin Supreme Court by joining the Crimson Goes Blue Phone Banking effort. We had a great experience last week with our phone bank. Here is just a sampling of the responses we got from Wisconsin voters we reached out to last week:
"You betcha!"
"Thank you for the work you're doing."
"I'm sick and tired of this experiment in totalitarianism!"
Please join Crimson Goes Blue members next Saturday, February 11 and/or Saturday, February 18 at 1pm ET/10am PT to help get out the word to Wisconsin voters about the most important election you've never heard about, probably the most important election of the year anywhere in the country. Click here to register.
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Meet Our Spring Interns
Joining us this spring are three great interns, helping to coordinate all of our efforts on behalf of democracy:
Kiah Holmstrom is currently a sophomore at Brandeis University studying Politics, International Relations, and Journalism. While growing up in rural South Dakota, she became interested in politics at age four and began working full-time on local campaigns at age 16. Outside of her role at Crimson Goes Blue, she is the news director for Brandeis’ college radio, WBRS 100.1 FM, and edits for the Brandeis Law Journal. In her free time, she loves exploring New England, keeping up with British politics, and curating playlists for any and all moods and vibes.
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Bella Pugliese is a current junior majoring in political science and minoring in management and leadership at Boston College. Originally from upstate New York, Bella attended an international boarding school in Connecticut, the Hotchkiss School, giving her a unique perspective on politics in the United States and beyond. Bella has been a part of Crimson Goes Blue’s commitment to democracy since the fall, and she is excited to continue to serve Crimson Goes Blue. In her free time, Bella enjoys running, coaching, tutoring, and spending time with friends.
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Six Yu is a junior at Harvard from Houston, TX. She is studying Sociology and Statistics. On campus, she has been a member of The Crimson, the Asian American Association, and the Institute of Politics. Six has also been a data intern for the Texas Democratic party, and has co-hosted a podcast called "A Legacy Revealed" about the history of slavery and discrimination at Harvard. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, thrifting, and trying new restaurants.
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We Are/They Are
Share the message with your classmates, friends and neighbors!
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The January jobs report showed that Biden’s economic policies continued to fuel the job market, with a massive 517,000 new jobs added last month and the lowest unemployment rate since the late 1960s. Median wages also grew slightly faster than inflation last year, with greater than average gains going to those in the bottom tenth of wage earners.
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In response to the January jobs report, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniels issued a statement saying, “The Biden-Harris economic agenda has caused nothing but pain and misery for American families” as the House Republicans continue their brinkmanship on raising the debt ceiling, which could result in substantial actual pain and misery for American families.
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The first Congressional Dads Caucus was announced last week, following the lead of the Moms Caucus created in 2018, with Democratic members of the House introducing the group alongside representatives from nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups including Paid Leave for All, the National Alliance for Caregiving, and MomsRising.
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Despite House Republicans including many many fathers in their ranks and their purported support for working families, none thought it worth their time to join the Dads Caucus, whose main focus is to advocate for policies and legislation to help support American working families.
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While signing the Respect for Marriage Act into law in December, President Biden called for the need to “challenge the hundreds of callous, cynical laws introduced in the states targeting transgender children, terrifying families and criminalizing doctors who give children the care they need.”
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Already in 2023, Republican lawmakers in at least 25 states have proposed over 150 bills that target transgender Americans, especially the youth, including bans on transition care, measures that prevent teachers from using names or pronouns that match students’ expressed gender identities and requirements that schools out transgender students to their parents.
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For a full list of events, see our Calendar at the Crimson Goes Blue Website.
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Crimson Goes Blue
Please forward this newsletter to your friends in the Harvard alumni community who might be interested in Crimson Goes Blue.
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