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Sister District Project
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| Sister District Project | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Walnut, Calif. |
| Type: | 527 group |
| Founder(s): | Rita Bosworth, Gaby Goldstein, Lyzz Schwegler, Lala Wu |
| Year founded: | 2016 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Sister District Project is a 527 group that aims to flip Republican-held districts in state legislatures to Democratic by raising funds and recruiting volunteers from less competitive districts to work in ones the organization believes can be flipped. The group also operates an affiliated PAC, which can donate directly to candidates for office.[1]
Mission
As of October 2017, the website for the Sister District Project listed the following statement about its mission and vision:[1]
| “ | The Sister District Project activates the power, passion, and creativity of volunteers to win elections and turn states blue. By 2020, the Sister District Project will lead the movement to turn state legislatures blue and ensure fair redistricting by empowering an enduring community of volunteers who are formidable in their ability to help Democrats win elections.[2] | ” |
Background
The Sister District Project was founded by Rita Bosworth, Gaby Goldstein, Lyzz Schwegler, and Lala Wu 10 days after the 2016 presidential election. Speaking in a March 2017 town hall, Bosworth said the organization was founded as a way to distribute volunteer hours and money from less competitive, Democratic-controlled state legislative districts, to more competitive districts controlled by Republicans.[3]
Speaking with Bustle in February 2017, Bosworth explained the rationale for starting the organization, saying she saw the organization as "a way to use our numbers to our advantage and allow people to channel their volunteer energy and resources across political boundaries to communities that share our values and need our help."[4]
Work
The Sister District Project chiefly works to pair volunteers and donors from Democratic districts with candidates in districts held by Republicans. In September 2017, the Sonoma West Times and News reported on how the project is organized, writing, "The national Sister District office, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, matches local groups with candidates across the country, then asks candidates what kind of support they’d like their sister district group to provide, whether it’s fundraising, phone calling, letter writing, or people on the ground knocking on doors."[5]
Collaboration with similar groups
The Sister District Project also collaborates with other Democratic organizations focused on down-ballot races, such as Flippable, Code Blue, and Resurgent Left. According to Mother Jones, the groups "are more collaborative than competitive. They link to each other’s websites on their home pages, share resources, and talk regularly to coordinate their activities."[6]
Political activity
2017 elections
Sister District Project supported the following candidates in 2017 state legislative elections:[7]
Delaware
Stephanie Hansen (D), Delaware State Senate District 10.[8]
Virginia
- Jennifer Foy (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Chris Hurst (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Danica Roem (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Elizabeth Guzman (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- David Reid (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Kathleen Murphy (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Kathy Tran (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Lee Carter (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Karrie Delaney (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Cheryl Turpin (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- John Bell (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Mike Mullin (D), Virginia House of Delegates
- Shelly Simonds (D), Virginia House of Delegates
Washington
- Manka Dhingra (D), District 45 of the Washington State Senate
Legal status
The Sister District Project is a 527 group. 527 group refers to the IRS section 527 designated nonprofit organization such as a political party, committee, association, or fund operating primarily for the purpose of influencing the election or selection of candidates to political office. Many political action committees and super PAC groups are designated 527 groups.[9] 527 groups can engage in campaign politics with no campaign limits, specifically supporting or attacking candidates, and must disclose donors. A 527 group may not, however, coordinate its activities with any campaign.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Sister District Project'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sister District Project, "What We Do," accessed October 25, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ YouTube, "Sister District Project Town Hall #1: About Us," March 15, 2017
- ↑ Bustle, "The Sister District Project Proves That Grassroots Politics Can Make A Huge Difference," February 22, 2017
- ↑ Sonoma West Times and News, "Can the Sister District Project turn red states blue?" September 27, 2017
- ↑ Mother Jones, "The Secret Slack Group Plotting to Turn Your State Government Blue," February 13, 2017
- ↑ Sister District Project, "2017 Sister Races," archived October 25, 2017
- ↑ Vice, "The new grassroots," March 4, 2017
- ↑ Internal Revenue Service, "Exemption Requirements - Political Organizations," accessed January 12, 2015
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