The States Project -- a BFD

[ancianita]

Ever heard of it? I hadn't until today. Thank you, NYT.

When the stakes of 2024 are the highest, we might finally be catching up with the Koch billionaire network through our own billionaires' investing in liberal representation across states.

Mr. Squadron and Mr. Pritzker are quick to point out differences between the States Project and its conservative counterparts. For one, their group doesn’t lobby lawmakers to pass specific bills or have lobbyists on the payroll. And its efforts in state capitols have a much smaller budget: roughly $5 million per year, with about 20 full-time staff members working in 15 states.

The group is funded by Future Now Action, a tax-exempt, so-called dark-money group that is not required to disclose its donors. The States Project declined to reveal its donor list.

While most organizations seeking to craft state policy share their model legislation and plans out of the public eye, The States Project posts all of its proposals on its website.

“When people get elected, there’s no real road map to being able to take the things that you campaigned on and turn them into real, tangible efforts and good governance and policymaking,” said Erika Geiss, a Democratic state senator in Michigan. She said the States Project’s online policy library had been helpful for drafting the final version of a bill she wrote on paid family leave. (The bill hasn’t advanced, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a Democrat, mentioned it as a top priority in her “What’s Next” address last month.) ...

One popular States Project program: a message-board-meets-liberal-dating-service interface that allows the group’s officials to identify state lawmakers in different places who are most likely to help one another on a project.

“A quick call to someone in the States Project saves me time,” said Sarah Anthony, a Democratic state senator from Michigan who serves as chair of the budget committee. Otherwise, she added, “My team and I try to scour the internet to try to figure out who’s tackling which problems where.”...

With Democrats likely to continue to focus on abortion rights as a key issue in 2024, the States Project is girding for another busy year in state legislatures.

“Abortion was definitely an important catalyst that brought an enormous amount of attention to the states,” Mr. Pritzker said. “I don’t think any of us expected that there would be a spotlight on states the way there is now.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/politics/states-project-democrats.html


Non-paywall

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/politics/states-project-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=--GXF-CwVF8yTQZFEMICApddI0-KhGQvWEn8GdxkNm5RXX0oxSqzt2y0mgZkm0eqf_2iE8bIOvszqzwi-umYOee-C90FCuJykwgNxw59SFnVL7_FnYo8fwHkzbCedo28JG97EHvRl12HUo2a6T9vfOc64_Bd_s8uTkzIDfXocASKJJknj9hY6Fmm9pCx-b_5h08YM2x4aTZFOGTJdM2oDwcGI3JVDSYTCUIdMhqaBx1pcW_Per3n6mWhcyfhGJivCzOz7NaQ58Cb-3dVG3Yswdzxi1z1MTkq2E6MlXqtETtcys6i3jwPHrRPn4XLwnqty5ZoBwRdlCq7PxwP_mhmiV9Aa3plkA&smid=url-share

[mountain grammy]

1. This looks interesting

is there a non paywall link to the article?

[ancianita]

2. So sorry. I was using my subscription account and thought it could be accessed.

Here's the 'gift' link, which I believe will work for readers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/politics/states-project-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=--GXF-CwVF8yTQZFEMICApddI0-KhGQvWEn8GdxkNm5RXX0oxSqzt2y0mgZkm0eqf_2iE8bIOvszqzwi-umYOee-C90FCuJykwgNxw59SFnVL7_FnYo8fwHkzbCedo28JG97EHvRl12HUo2a6T9vfOc64_Bd_s8uTkzIDfXocASKJJknj9hY6Fmm9pCx-b_5h08YM2x4aTZFOGTJdM2oDwcGI3JVDSYTCUIdMhqaBx1pcW_Per3n6mWhcyfhGJivCzOz7NaQ58Cb-3dVG3Yswdzxi1z1MTkq2E6MlXqtETtcys6i3jwPHrRPn4XLwnqty5ZoBwRdlCq7PxwP_mhmiV9Aa3plkA&smid=url-share

[Qutzupalotl]

3. It works, thank you for the gift link!

It's encouraging to know people are focusing resources right where they're needed.

[mountain grammy]

7. Thank you!

[dalton99a]

4. Kick

[Recycle_Guru]

5. good to see--we were in bad shape re: states in mid to late 2000's but recent years

seeing great turnarounds flipping state houses and governors.

[ancianita]

6. Indeed. This project will add to what College Democrats are doing in 50 states,

even as the project works primarily in battleground states.

I hope the project will invest in FL's 2024 Democratic candidates like Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who is running for Senate against Medicare fraudster Rick Scott, so we can increase our Senate majority.

With David Hogg's SuperPAC running Dems for the FL legislature, and FL College Democrats getting college students registered, FL could turn purple, if not blue, by 2024.