DNC Announces Second Round of “Battleground Build-Up 2020” Investments 

Good to see Virginia on this list of “Battleground Build-Up 2020” investments. We’ll see how much those “investments” will amount to, but it sounds potentially promising…and we definitely will need help in protecting first-term Representatives Elaine Luria (D-VA02) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07)!

DNC Announces Second Round of “Battleground Build-Up 2020” Investments 

New multi-million dollar investment expands the program to six additional states

Today the DNC is announcing the second round of multi-million dollar “Battleground Build-Up 2020” investments — expanding the program to six additional states (GA, NH, NV, OH, TX, VA) to continue laying the groundwork for our eventual nominee and Democratic candidates at every level of the ballot to win in the general election.

This round of investment focuses on three main priorities:

• Expanding the pathways for our eventual nominee to secure 270 electoral votes, while capitalizing on emerging defensive liabilities for the Trump campaign;
• Supporting Democrats at every level of the ballot — for instance, GA, NH, TX and VA have Senate races, state legislative races in Texas will help help determine redistricting, and Supreme Court seats are at stake in Ohio;
• Making additional, early investments in communities of color.

There was no comparable investment made by the DNC at this point during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle. The first round of Battleground Build-Up 2020 investments included AZ, FL, MI, NC PA and WI, and additional states and funding could be added as the cycle continues.

“The DNC is making historic, early investments to build strong, multiple pathways for our eventual nominee to win in November and support Democrats at every level of the ballot,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “By investing in these states now, we’re putting the Trump campaign on defense, helping ensure our eventual nominee will be able grow their general election operation as quickly as possible, and helping make sure that every Democrat running for office has the infrastructure they need to be successful. Every week brings new examples of how Donald Trump has broken his promises and hurt working families — and this program will help build the infrastructure we need to beat him.”

As in the first round, in addition to supporting Democrats at every level, the second round of Battleground Build-Up 2020 nvestments will:

• Roughly double the number of on-the-ground field organizers across the states. In coordination with Democratic state parties, by March there will be hundreds of staff on the ground across the Battleground Build-Up 2020 states.
• Open additional offices in each state.
• Fund on-the-ground data staff to help ensure organizers are reaching out to a universe of potential voters in the most efficient way possible and with the most effective messages.
• Fund additional operations staff — some of the most important behind-the-scenes roles that allow a campaign to grow their organization quickly.

The new investment also builds off the DNC’s previous battleground investments in communications, organizing and voter protection, and general support for Democrats up and down the ticket, including:

• Communications staff who are working to localize and define Trump’s record in six states (PA, MI, WI, AZ, FL and OH);
• Organizing staff in eight states (AZ, CO, FL, MI, NV, PA, TX and WI);
• Voter protection and/or additional organizing staff in seven states (AZ, FL, GA, NC, MI, PA, WI). In partnership with other groups in the Democratic ecosystem, we are building an unprecedented, on the ground voter protection infrastructure across multiple states.
• The DNC has purchased high-quality cell phone numbers for every possible voter in all 50 states and the District of Columbia which will be integrated into the DNC’s national voter file and add tens of millions of new numbers. Additionally, The DNC has built a proprietary data science model (“Sonar”) that helps campaigns prioritize calling phone numbers that will lead to successful phone contacts and reduces the likelihood of calling someone who prefers not receive calls.
• The DNC has also increased its monthly investment in every state party by 33 percent since this time in 2016.