Introduction—2018 is Coming
The original Indivisible Guide focused on how to act locally to influence your elected officials. This guide focuses on how to act locally to replace them.
What we wrote in the Guide nearly a year ago remains true today: Trump’s agenda doesn’t depend on Trump, but rather on whether your elected officials go along with him or resist. Indivisible groups in every congressional district in the country have taken that to heart.
Your local application of constituent power has, incredibly, altered the national political landscape. Ten months in, Trump’s plutocratic, white supremacist cabal has yet to enact a single significant piece of legislation. Instead, a ragtag bunch of volunteers just doing their civic duty on their home turf have won a breathtaking series of victories.
But you know these victories aren’t final. To stop the Trump agenda of racism, authoritarianism, and plutocracy, we have to take back power.
The authors of this guide are political staffers who have worked on campaigns all over the country. But you don’t have to be a campaign veteran to know that we’re all at risk as long as Trump’s forces control Congress and the states. To make our victories against this regime permanent, we have two electoral goals:
First, we must retake the reins of power. It matters who controls Congress, state governments, and local institutions. Beating Trump’s lackeys is a general election goal, and it’s absolutely necessary if we are to stop this Administration from causing further harm.
Second, we need leaders who will not just be anti-Trump, but who will fight every day for progressive values and stand indivisible with us all. That means we have to care about who wins not just the general election, but primary elections as well.
We know elections—especially primaries!—can be scary for many groups. We also know there are best (and worst) practices for engaging in campaigns. This guide demystifies the process a bit, with guidance for local Indivisible groups on how best to engage in both primaries and generals.
2018 is coming. It will be here sooner than you think. Indivisible groups, acting in concert with thousands more around the country, have the potential to help bring about the change we need. We can’t wait. Fight on—we will win.
Endorsement Guide Summary
Ch 1: Why Candidates Care about Your Indivisible Group
What the campaign wants: people, media, money. Campaigns are focused on one thing: winning. They win by getting votes. They get votes by acquiring and deploying three resources: people, media, and money. Indivisible groups are unique because you are real, locally-based, engaged constituents, which is rare. Candidates seek out Indivisible group support because they recognize it will bring people, media, or money.
Ch 2: What Makes Your Group’s Endorsement Powerful
Powerful endorsements are not just empty statements. Powerful endorsements pack a punch. Specifically, these endorsements are three things:
- A public, definitive, stated preference.
- A commitment of tangible support.
- A distillation of your group’s values.
Powerful endorsements grow your group’s power while influencing the debate (and potentially even getting your pick elected!).
Ch 3: Why your group should consider Primary Endorsements
Primaries are a critical part of the democratic process. They can be done wrong, and they can be done right. A key part of getting involved in elections is deciding if your group will get involved in primaries. This chapter walks through why primaries matter, how to decide if you’ll get involved, and best practices to ensure the process strengthens your group – and the ultimate nominee – while actively promoting progressive values. It can be done!
Ch 4: Factors to Consider when Endorsing a Candidate
Policies and values, community representation, and (maybe) viability. What do you care about? Who is the candidate? And, how strong a candidate are they? This chapter walks through some common ways to evaluate candidates as your group considers whether to endorse.
Ch 5: How to Make an Endorsement
Step-by-step advice on how to endorse and when. We take you from initial candidate conversations, all the way through the decision-making process and finally, the endorsement itself. And we walk through common pitfalls organizations run into when making these important statements of position and value.
PLEASE NOTE: How you engage in elections depends a lot on your group’s organizational status. This guide is intended for unincorporated local groups and those spending money under 501(c)(4) tax rules–independently, or through fundraising tools we plan to offer as a 501(c)(4) organization ourselves. We don’t recommend you incorporate as a 501(c)(3): 501(c)(3) organizations have serious limitations on their ability to participate in elections.
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