Blueprint for Victory: How We Protect the Planet at the Polls

by Mia DiFelice

As we head further into the 2024 election season, the stakes for our planet and democracy are reaching fever pitch. But luckily, Food & Water Action has a strategy that’s proven to beat the odds — and it involves you! 

Building grassroots power and electing allies to office are some of the strongest ways we can protect our health, environment, and democracy. These allies are dedicated to protecting our families, our economic wellbeing, and our livable future on this planet. 

With our growing community of volunteers and supporters like you, Food & Water Action helps candidates win — even against conventional wisdom and predicted outcomes. We’ve played a key role in electing climate champions in western Pennsylvania, in the heart of fracking country, as well as in upstate New York, California, and more. 

This November, we’re poised for more wins. Here’s how we’ll do it, together.

Identifying and Endorsing Key Races

In 2024, the House is considered a toss-up that will come down to a handful of races. Side by side with you and thousands of fellow activists, we’ll be active in several of these.

To protect our planet at the polls, we’re taking on two major strategies. First, champion progressives who will fight for the bold policies we need. Second, fight for a Democratic majority that will give a progressive coalition more power and defend our government from right-wing extremists.

Endorsing Progressive Champions in Congress

No one has fought harder against the Trump and right-wing Republican agenda than the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and no one has fought harder for common sense food, water, and climate protections. They will stake out the bold positions we need and move the needle for the whole Congress. Progressive lawmakers have been key to everything from addressing corporate consolidation to building support for needed water infrastructure funding.

This year, we’re endorsing and organizing for progressive candidates like Dr. Clarence Lam in Maryland’s 3rd district. Dr. Lam directs the preventive medicine residency program at Johns Hopkins University, so he sees firsthand how harmful bad air quality and polluted drinking water are to his patients.

As a state senator, Lam introduced legislation to ban fracking chemicals, regulate a harmful pesticide, and more. He’s pledged to support a ban on oil and LNG exports and fight climate scams like carbon capture in Congress. With progressives like Lam in office, we’ll have real allies in the halls of power.

Defending and Flipping Key Seats for Democrats

Along with electing progressive champions, we’ll also be defending and flipping battleground seats for the Democrats. We know that with Democrats in office, progress is possible. If Republicans maintain control of the House and/or flip the Senate, even a strong progressive caucus will have much less power. And in a worst-case scenario, we’ll need a Democratic Congress to act as a safeguard against a second Trump presidency.

With the combined strength of our community, we took on this strategy in the 2022 midterms with big wins. For example, in battleground Pennsylvania, we elected Chris Deluzio, a progressive champion for workers. These wins were essential to reducing the predicted “red wave” in the House to a mere puddle. Now, we’re working to defend these incumbents in their races this fall.

At the same time, to bring back a Democratic House majority, we’re working to flip seats like that of New Jersey’s contested 7th Congressional District. Our endorsed candidate, Sue Altman, has a history of standing up for New Jersey families and has made environmental issues a top focus of her campaign. 

Building Power and Connections on the Ground

After endorsing our champions comes the fun part — Get Out the Vote! At a time when inboxes are overflowing and TV commercials blur together, we know that person-to-person communication can move voters.

Whether knocking on doors or sending handwritten letters, we make politics personal. That’s why, with supporters like you, Food & Water Action prioritizes tactics like door-to-door canvassing in hotly contested elections.

With work like this, we’ve created an established network of experienced volunteers who consistently help drive our grassroots actions. And, we’ve been building power in key areas around the country, including in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Florida.

Ahead of the 2022 midterms, in Pennsylvania alone, we knocked on 20,000 doors, turned out more than 220,000 phone calls, and sent 4,600 handwritten letters to get out the vote. As a result, not only did our endorsed candidates Reps. Deluzio and Summer Lee win their races; thousands of Pennsylvanians turned out to vote blue in tight races up and down the ballot.

With Your Help, We’re Ready for Wins

With victories like these, the Food & Water Action community is laying the groundwork for a strong democracy and a livable future for all. We’ve blocked many extremists, climate deniers, and corporate-backed cronies from gaining power in Congress. We’ve elevated climate champions across the country who fight for bold policies that will protect our food, water, and climate. 

Now, we’re once again pouring our all into winning key races. And we’re playing the long game: building the relationships, the infrastructure, and the grassroots energy we’ll need to continue winning for years to come. With you, we’re not only fighting like we live here — we’re winning.

Time to face it~it’s people or plastics.~We can’t have both.

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