For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Claire Rogerson
847-220-2984
June 16, 2016
Progressive Turnout Project Launches Voter Turnout Program in IA-1
National Democratic group making a substantial early investment in IA-1 as part of push to stop Trump and take back the House
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Progressive Turnout Project (PTP) has launched an ambitious voter turnout program in Iowa’s First Congressional District in support of Democrat Monica Vernon.
In contrast to groups that flood the airwaves, PTP is focused on engaging with Iowa voters one-on-one at their doors. The group already has more than 10 field representatives on the ground talking to voters and they plan to ramp up their investment as the November election approaches.
“Decades of research has shown that connecting with voters one-on-one at the door is the best way to get people to the polls, boosting turnout by as much as 8 percent, and having a lasting impact on voting behavior,” said PTP National Field and Training Director Alex Morgan. “We know that voters in IA-1 share our Democratic values, but Republicans like Rod Blum, Donald Trump and their allies think they can buy this district. By building relationships with voters and talking about the issues that matter we know we can take back this district and ensure that the people of Iowa’s first district get the representation they deserve.”
Iowa’s First Congressional District is one of the most competitive congressional races in the country. Victory here is key to Democrat’s plans to take back the House as it is one of the most Democratic districts currently represented by a Republican. It is ranked as D+5 by the Cook Political Report, and President Obama won this district by more than 18 percentage points in 2008 and 13 percentage points in 2012. If Democrats succeed in flipping the district, Vernon will make history as the first woman Democratic Member of Congress from Iowa.
Progressive Turnout Project is a grassroots Political Action Committee (PAC) with a single mission: get Democrats to the polls. They design, test, and execute specialized voter turnout programs targeting sporadic Democratic voters in the most competitive congressional districts in the country. In the 2016 election cycle, they will send their trained teams to districts across the country to run tailor-made turnout programs complementing the work campaigns do and boosting Democratic turnout. The group has already announced investments in seven congressional districts for the 2016 cycle: CA-52, IA-1, IL-10, ME-2, MN-8, NY-3 and NY-24. They are funded by a national grassroots network of more than 800,000 supporters with an average donation of just $14.00.
