Future Now Fund Announces Virginia Door Knocking Challenge

From Future Now Fund:

FUTURE NOW FUND ANNOUNCES VIRGINIA DOOR KNOCKING CHALLENGE

FNF To Raise More Than $400K to Flip VA Legislature and Create First-of-Its-Kind Voter Contact Program

Gets Candidates Off the Phone with Donors and In Front of Voters

Future Now Fund, a national organization focused on winning state legislative majorities, today announced that it will raise more than $400,000 to flip the Virginia Legislature and create the Virginia Door Knocking Challenge, a first-of-its-kind voter contact program. 

The Virginia Door Knocking Challenge encourages candidates to engage in effective grassroots campaigning, while helping fund their campaigns. Based on Future Now Fund’s unparalleled district-level analytics,^[1] Future Now Fund has endorsed nine inspiring challengers running to flip the most important seats and change the balance of power in the Virginia House of Delegates: Each month during the general election season, the top four candidates who knock on the most doors will each receive a $20,000 direct contribution to each of their campaigns. 

Why did Future Now Fund Create the Challenge?

The most effective way for a candidate to persuade people to vote for them is to ask them personally by going door to door.^[2], [3] Too often, the demand on many candidates to spend a disproportionate amount of time raising money from big donors rather than talking to voters gets in the way of meeting their future constituents.  The Virginia Door Knocking Challenge allows campaigns to focus their most valuable resource – a candidate’s time – on the highest-value tactic to impact the greatest number of potential voters.

“We challenged ourselves to disrupt politics as usual and change the poisonous incentive structure that too often dominates campaigns,” said Daniel Squadron, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Future Now Fund. “The Virginia Door Knocking Challenge is an innovative solution to keep candidates focused on people without sacrificing a well-funded effort. These candidates, and state lawmakers across the country, have the power to change politics and improve lives, one door at a time.” 

Future Now Fund-Endorsed Candidates

Future Now Fund has endorsed the following challengers, all of whom will participate in the Door Knocking Challenge:

• Larry Barnett (HD-27)
• Joshua Cole (HD-28)
• The winner of the June 11 HD-62 Democratic primary, either Lindsey Dougherty or Tavorise Marks
• Sheila Bynum-Coleman (HD-66)
• Clint Jenkins (HD-76)
• Len Myers (HD-81)
• Nancy Guy (HD-83)
• Karen Mallard (HD-84)
• Phil Hernandez (HD-100)

Future Now Fund has also re-endorsed all eight incumbents it supported in 2017 running for their second term: Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD-2), Chris Hurst (HD-12), Elizabeth Guzman (HD-31), David Reid (HD-32), Kathy Tran (HD-42), Hala Ayala (HD-51), Karrie Delaney (HD-67), and Schuyler VanValkenburg (HD-72).

Future Now Fund will also contribute to all of its 2019 endorsees outside of the Door Knocking Challenge.

Challenge Rules & Details

• The Challenge will begin on June 12, following Virginia’s primary election, and continue through October.
• The door knocking count will reset each month, so that every participating candidate has four chances to receive $20,000 for their campaigns.
• Each month Future Now Fund will publicly announce the total doors knocked by all the candidates participating in the Challenge and the recipients of distributions.
• Future Now Fund is working with the Virginia House Democratic Caucus to ensure transparency and accuracy when tabulating the doors each candidate knocks.
• A full description of the Challenge can be found here.

About Future Now Fund

Future Now Fund is rebuilding our democracy by fixing states and improving lives, one legislature at a time. Future Now Fund wins state legislative majorities by determining the highest value political spending to win elections, change politics, and improve lives. Our partner, Future Now, is developing the most robust state legislative support system ever built, to help state legislators achieve meaningful results. Follow us @FutureNowUSA.