Focus on Taking Power

Organizing in GOP-Held Purple Districts

By Steve Schear

On March 31, a digital billboard flashed on in California’s Congressional District (CD) 22. CD22 is in the state’s Central Valley, where much of the country’s food is grown. Farmworkers don’t make much money, and about two-thirds of CD22 residents are on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. David Valadao, a Republican, represents CD22 in the House of Representatives.

The billboard, in Spanish, said, “Tell Valadao – Don’t be an April Fool. Vote No on Cuts to Medi-Cal!” The next week, the same message went up in English. On April 14, under pressure to oppose Medi-Cal cuts from lots of different sources, Valadao signed onto a deceptive letter of 12 GOP House members that pretends to oppose cuts to Medicaid benefits to “vulnerable populations,” while leaving open the possibility of massive cuts to Medicaid covering low-income adults.

Attacking MAGA’s Weakest Flank

The billboard was the first public manifestation of The Purple Project (TPP). The idea behind TPP is simple – organize where we are most likely to take power from MAGA. Organize now to help Democrats take back the House — we need just three seats to regain the majority, preventing MAGA from passing more terrible laws. Taking the House won’t stop MAGA abuses, but it will be the first step in limiting its power, attacking MAGA’s weakest flank.

TPP’s attack began by identifying the 15 Congressional Districts where Republicans won by the smallest margins. With effective organizing and messaging this year, we can tie those representatives to unpopular MAGA actions like Medicaid cuts and tax cuts for the rich, helping to flip the House in 2026.

Working With Local Leaders

Across America, county Democratic parties have been underfunded and neglected by the national and most state parties. Candidate campaigns get most of the money, but after elections all they leave behind is a pile of unused door-knockers. As a consequence, most counties have little local party infrastructure and no regional or neighborhood leaders.

Because relational organizing, influencing people we know, is the most effective means of persuasion, supporting local activists who can organize their friends, neighbors and co-workers makes sense.

TPP’s approach is not complicated. The first step is to identify good local leaders, then work to help them. In CA-CD22, the leaders of the Tulare and Kings County Democratic parties asked for help both messaging and in funding offices. TPP helped them organize a Zoom fundraiser that took in more than $40,000. Fundraising efforts continue.

Where feasible, TPP tries to strengthen county Democratic parties. Supporting local parties helps build the networks necessary to do effective year-round organizing. Messaging like the billboards in CA-CD22 also helps restore the Democratic brand, showing the party standing up for working people. To make that point, the Valadao billboards prominently noted that they were paid for by local Democratic parties.

Some have expressed skepticism about working with local Democratic parties, because of their history of ineffectiveness. TPP recognizes that some target CD’s may lack adequate local leadership. In those districts, TPP will look for local activists in groups like Indivisible or Swing Left who are ready and willing to organize this year.

Sharing Resources

In Iowa’s CD1, the Johnson County Democratic Party, described in this article, has developed a highly effective listening tour that, despite the red wave that enveloped most of the country, propelled very high Democratic turnout last year. TPP can help share Johnson County’s program and training with activists in other purple districts.

Likewise, billboards, radio ads, yard signs or leaflets can be prepared for one district and easily adapted for use in others. With just $5-10,000, local activists can purchase billboards and radio ads to weaken incumbent Republicans. TPP has also developed a research template to help local activists find useful information.

Stopping Medicaid Cuts

Pressuring GOP members from purple districts to vote against Medicaid cuts puts us in a win-win situation. If they vote against the cuts, then we have preserved healthcare for the 72 million Americans who depend on the program. If they vote for the cuts, then we have a powerful issue to use against them next year. Medicaid is extremely popular, even with Republicans.

Five of the purple district GOP House members signed onto the deceptive April 14 letter stating that they will not support “any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.” These ten did not: Marionette Miller-Meeks (IA-CD1), Gabe Evans (CO-CD8), Ryan McKenzie (PA-CD7), Scott Perry (PA-CD10), Nick Begich (AK-CD1), Derrick Van Orden (WI-CD3), Ken Calvert (CA-CD41), Zack Nunn (IA-CD3), Tom Barrett (MI-CD7) and David Schweikert (AZ-CD1). Now is the time to exert maximum pressure on these representatives, using very public campaigns.

And we still need to put similar pressure on the twelve House members who did sign the letter. As explained in this article, the letter is an elaborate deception. In fact, these “moderates” are planning to cut $561 billion from Medicaid by eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion that covers adults making less than 138% of the federal poverty level. That could cause as many as twenty million people to lose their health insurance. In the districts of those twelve House members, we should campaign specifically against cuts to adults on Medicaid.

The budget reconciliation bill containing Medicaid cuts may come up for a vote in the House in May, so organizing now in those districts is critically important.

How to Help

Both groups and individuals can help by raising money for messaging and for local organizations in purple districts. Some CD’s can also use help with phone-banking, training or research. Optimally, groups will adopt one or more of the targeted purple districts and focus on flipping those districts to blue. Anyone interested in helping TPP should contact steveschear@gmail.com.

Organizing Is the Key to Beating MAGA

Protests are great and must continue. They create a sense of community, give activists a feeling that they are doing something, and demonstrate opposition to the MAGA regime, helping to move public opinion. However, protests alone won’t take power from MAGA.

Winning control of the House is the best way to take some real power from MAGA. Flipping purple districts held by Republican House members is crucial if we are to end the fascist control of our government.