Send me requests: Do you know Democrats who need to be primaried? Republicans in swing districts?
I do. Tell me who yours are. Let's kick them out of office together.
In this corporate oligarchy we call “American Democracy”, we all know politicians who don’t work for us. Well, I’d like to make our system a lot more democratic, both small d and big D (Democratic Socialist, that is). Voters, activists, and candidates all need data to achieve their political goals. So, as a leftist political data analyst, I’m taking requests: Who needs to be primaried? Whose seat should be flipped from red to blue? Which leftist third-party/independent candidates deserve a shot at making history?
Submit your requests: Which races should I analyze?
If I choose to cover a race you request, I will write a post about it, similar to the post I provide at the end of this section. The post will include some basic modeling of voter data/polls, dirt from campaign finance records, and links to shared google maps so you can translate the data into action via canvassing, phone-banking, or running for office yourself! This is not Nate-Silver-style “forecasting”, where a putatively non-partisan data analyst pretends to read electoral tea leaves. I will not be crunching poll numbers so I can diagnose some races as winnable, and others as lost causes. Instead, I will model plausible paths to victory, and how we can make them happen. I will be honest about the fact that some victories would require overcoming more obstacles than others. But, I won’t promote the fallacy of popularism: the idea that all politicians can do is align themselves with public opinion, never change it.
I will select races to cover based on both data-driven and subjective criteria. On a practical level, this criterion must be true:
There is accessible data that can provide actionable info within a reasonable investment of my time. You don’t have to find the data, I will do that. This is just an FYI that you might have a great race, but if I can’t find data, I won’t cover it.
And, at least one of these three must also be true:
The elected officials are key votes/decision-makers on consequential policies or partisan-control over a branch of government.
Unseating these politicians would be a blow to corporate interests or the military industrial complex.
There is something else interesting about the race(s): the politicians involved are bonkers, there is a scandal, the races fly in the face of conventional wisdom, etc.
Also, make note:
I will take into account the frequency with which a race is requested (including Substack likes and Reddit upvotes). However, there will not be audience capture. If I cover a race, I will call it how I see it.
There do NOT have to be any declared challengers to incumbents, or candidates in races for open seats. However, if there are, let me know who they are.
I will consider races from all over the country, at all levels of government, for all branches of government, and all elected positions.
If you are an organizer or a candidate, let me know what would be helpful. I will prioritize it. If you’re not, submit your race anyway. I want to cover races in areas where there is a lot of leftist organizing, and also where there is very little to none —to inspire people! The races I discuss in my post today fall into both categories.
To submit a race for consideration, comment on this article or e-mail me. Specify the race you’re requesting, and any other information you’d like to include (keep it brief).
So far in this series:
Let’s keep Duke Energy Democrats out of power in North Carolina:
NC House Rep. Rodney Pierce knows how to primary corporate Democrats from the left: He represents the values of rural North Carolina. His opponent, Michael Wray, represents Duke Energy.
Carla Cunningham’s politics have no place in Charlotte: She doesn’t represent the politics of her district —she might not even live there