Presidential Dynamic Updates with Ludovic Blain
I wrote last month “We are truly living in unprecedented times. An explicitly fascist presidential candidate with the full backing of a major political party, a compliant judiciary, and now an assassination attempt…We face a choice between two competing futures: one where our leaders implement real solutions or one where we allow MAGA Republicans to control us, including unleashing more violence in our communities.”
I wrote last week “Let me tell you, even though most of the convention evenings went past my bedtime, I am feeling fired up! I’m sure you are as excited to win as I am. Watching the first reformer district attorney from CA and a Midwest governor who’s delivered unprecedented progressive policies to his state was inspiring…and Kamala got here partially with support from the founders of CDT!” For more on that go here.
This Democratic Presidential ticket with 2 Blue staters, including Kamala from California is truly inspiring! CDT founding donors played a key role in Kamala’s 2010 AG race, including being a major part of the SuperPAC that backed her in that race. Leading political communications strategist (and CDT friend) Anat Shenker-Osorio explains Why Kamala Harris’ New Politics of Joy Is the Best Way to Fight Fascism.
But Californians need to do more than donate to (and win!) the Presidential race. We need a federal trifecta, and one with big enough legislative margins to avoid having to trade away victories to the worst Senate or House Democrat (a la Manchin, Sinema and don’t forget Stupak’s role removing abortion from Obamacare). With this new momentum it’s vital that we empower Democrats to secure victory in the House. CDT-founded Battleground CA’s independent expenditure coalition has already raised over $2.8 million to support their efforts in winning at least 6 competitive congressional races. This groundbreaking investment aims to ensure California wins more than its share of contested races, positioning the Democrats to reclaim the House from two years of Republican control.
If you haven’t invested yet, now is the perfect time! You can make contributions of $2,500 or less via ActBlue. For larger contributions, please contact Michael or Rebecca who can share giving instructions. Don’t forget, we are in the 24 hour reporting period for some donations so speak with us BEFORE you give! And if you have the opportunity to engage with friends who can support Battleground CA, please let Michael or Rebecca know.
Lastly, August is Black Philanthropy Month. We celebrate that in August, as #BPM2024, but we actually do it year ‘round like this hashtag says #BPM365! CDT lives our values: 40% of our founding donors are Black, 25% of our current board is Black, both our Executive Director and Deputy Director are Black. With that leadership we’ve powered black-led organizations like Inland Empire United, Lift Up Contra Costa, Safe Return Project, Initiate Justice, and Black Women for Wellness. We’ve also funded substantial independent expenditure efforts for progressive Black elected officials like State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Contra Costa DA Diana Becton, Antioch City Councilmember Tamisha Torres Walker, Alameda County DA Pamela Price, LA Supervisor Holly Mitchell, LA Mayor Karen Bass, Assemblymember Tina Mckinnor, San Diego Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe and many more. And we’ve funded black campaign managers for many of those races. This cycle we are supporting at least 8 Black candidates including Sacramento mayoral candidate Flo Coffer, Assemblymember candidate Sade Elwahary, and Senate candidate Jovanka Beckles. You can support them by funding our PAC (progressiveerapac.org). We’re working with the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) on a 9/24 panel about giving beyond c3 and in particular, how state donor alliances are engaging donors to support shared infrastructure that builds shared power, capacity, and impact toward growing a multiracial democracy. That panel will spotlight Black state donor table directors, including me, Christine White, ED of the Georgia Alliance, and Monia Riley, ED of the Alabama Alliance.
