A progressive group announced Thursday that it would spend nearly $3 million on a nationwide phone-banking campaign to engage Democratic-leaning voters in states seen as crucial to the Democratic Party in 2020.
In a press release, the Progressive Turnout Project (PTP) announced that it would spend $2.9 million on Turnout 2020, a phonebanking effort targeting states such as Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as Democrats hope to win the states that President Trump won in 2016 to the surprise of many analysts.
The campaign will also target Senate races in Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Iowa, Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina, according to organizers, as well as House races in those states and possibly others.
“With COVID-19, activists are looking for ways to engage with voters while practicing safe distancing and Turnout 2020 helps with that,” said PTP Executive Director Alex Morgan in the news release, referring to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
“Whether it’s on the phone or at the doors, meaningful voter contact is how we inspire voters to get out to the polls. We’re excited to have so many great progressive organizations join us in reaching voters in every pocket of the country, who will ultimately decide the fate of the most contested races in the nation,” Morgan added.
The group has already announced commitments from other left-leaning groups such as the Women’s March, Democracy for America and Newtown Action, which will provide volunteers for the effort. Organizers estimate that the project will produce 12 million calls in swing states during the 2020 season.
“We are living through an unprecedented moment brought on by COVID-19 that has made remote voter outreach the only way forward,” added Women’s March Chief Operating Officer Rachel Carmona.
”Women’s March is moving with the shifting landscape and engaging in voter outreach through Turnout 2020. Our current political landscape has been a live demonstration of the need for an America that works for everyone,” she added.