A Blueprint to Slow the Trump Agenda and Flip the House

Activate America’s Multiplier Project

By Marguerite Young

Activate America was founded in 2017 to empower grassroots activists in America’s most competitive Congressional races. Our focus has always been helping Democrats win elections, recognizing that who controls Congress shapes so much of what is possible in our democracy. But the chaos of this moment calls for an expanded approach.

Since winning last November, Trump has followed through on all his worst impulses. As our democracy erodes before our eyes, we can’t wait for the November 2026 elections to save our country. We need to leverage our power now to slow and stop the MAGA agenda.

With the House controlled by the narrowest majority in nearly a century, Activate America saw an opportunity. What if we could increase constituent pressure on vulnerable Republicans, forcing them to stand up to the worst Trump policies? In competitive Republican-held swing districts, we could give members of Congress a choice: listen to your voters and stop the most egregious things this administration is doing, or lose your seat.

Thus, the Multiplier Project was born.

The project was first deployed in CA-22 in the lead-up to the April 5 Hands Off! Day of Action. That memorable day was made possible through our strong collaboration with local activists and leaders who, with our training and support, organized impactful rallies.

Together, we flooded Republican David Valadao with phone calls and letters urging him to oppose cuts to Medicaid and resist Trump’s harmful tariffs. These collective efforts made a difference. After previously supporting a massive $880 billion cut to Medicaid, Valadao chose to dodge the next vote on the issue.

Our success showed that even in challenging times, grassroots mobilization and political pressure can have a substantial impact. Now our activists and leaders are eager to further challenge Valadao. And we’re excited to take this collaborative approach nationwide.

Activate America has hired two new organizers to expand on our initial work in CA-22 into swing districts across the country. Our focus is on the 18 most flippable Republican-held House districts in the country..

The Multiplier Project is a model for building power through local organizing. When in full swing, our goal is to increase the number of activist organizers – Multipliers – by 1,000 or more in each district. As we expand this program, we aim to work with local organizations and activists to provide sophisticated voter targeting and data tools, training, and ongoing mentorship.

Many national organizations have excellent programs, yet they often struggle to support local activists in key districts. Our goal is to tailor tactics to each unique community. By training activists to select topics most suitable to their needs, and by offering “office hours” (meetings one-on-one with experts), we can ensure that each district gets the needed support.

The Multiplier Project doesn’t just aim to take back Congress; it aims to shift power back to the voters who have been ignored by Congressional Republicans. These “representatives” think angering Trump is more dangerous than angering their constituents. Our mission is to change that calculation. Our democracy is experiencing its greatest stress test of our lifetimes. The Multiplier Project intends to meet this moment, giving our democracy a fighting chance before the midterm elections.

Let us know if you’d like to help! Visit https://activateamerica.vote. To learn more about the Multiplier Project contact me at Marguerite@activateamerica.vote

Marguerite Young has trained hundreds of organizers and managed more than four dozen campaigns across the labor and environmental movements, including running her own campaign to beat a five-term incumbent for a seat on her local water district.