WHY STATE PARTIES?
State parties serve as the Democratic Party’s most critical infrastructure. Between 2008 and 2016, state parties eroded, contributing to enormous gains by Republicans in states across the country. Democrats lost 13 Governorships and the majorities in both chambers of 14 state legislatures between 2009 to 2016. Republican gains were fueled, not only by the erosion of strong Democratic state parties, but the GOP making unprecedented investments in infrastructure building within their state and local parties to help build a pipeline of candidates ready to rise in ranks from the school board to the Senate. During this same period, Democratic State Parties remained grossly underfunded, with less than $100k total guaranteed to them per year - not even enough to cover overhead. State parties were left to raise their own funds if they wanted to build programs in support of their candidates, which is something many did not have the connections or resources to achieve.
In December of 2019, the State Party Advancement Network (SPAN), was formed to create a community of donors committed to working together to build strong and effective state parties. SPAN members recognized the critical infrastructure that well-run, well-funded state parties can provide.
State Parties Have Responsibilities that Only They Can Do
State parties are essential to Democrats winning elections at all levels, because they are the constant, on-the-ground infrastructure connecting Democratic power with grassroots movements and they have work only they can do
★ They own and maintain the data that campaigns collect each cycle. This data, which includes voter contact records, voter ID’s, survey responses, vote history, and more, is one of the movement's most valuable assets and must be well maintained.
★ They have the unique ability to collaborate with candidates to develop plans tailored to the specific needs of the campaign, and help underfunded and overlooked races run smarter, more efficient, campaigns.
★ They appoint or elect through partisan elections 60% of the election administration positions nationwide.
★ They maintain a vast network of activists and volunteers ready to be mobilized.
★ They understand the unique dynamics of their own states and electorates.
What Sets SPAN Apart?
SPAN’s core mission is to build stronger state parties by identifying their challenges, problem solving to find solutions, and creating continuity within our movement. One key pillar of our success is building the SPAN membership/donor network to support this work. SPAN is addressing the challenges that state parties face when connecting with donors, while helping donors identify worthwhile investments. Before SPAN, state parties always took a back seat to candidates, national committees, and political non-profit organizations when it came to Democratic dollars. State parties received far less attention from donors, and hardly ever had the opportunity to reach donors outside of their own state. Even when donors were interested in supporting state party work, they found it daunting to connect with state parties across the country, navigate the funding and political rules, and identify where their dollars would be best spent. SPAN addresses these issues, connecting donors to state parties who are building valuable, permanent infrastructure, and expanding state funding opportunities, which is far less limited than federal funding.