The results of the 2019 elections give reason for optimism. We won the gubernatorial contests in Kentucky and Louisiana, and we flipped both legislative chambers in Virginia. These wins show what can be achieved when Democrats run top-notch, data-backed campaigns. But significant gaps in our campaign apparatus remain, and opportunities for wins are still being missed. The elections in Mississippi - where Empower Engine worked with the state party - offer a perfect example of where more investment and training is desperately needed.

The under-resourced Mississippi Democratic party worked valiantly to coordinate work among campaigns and run modern operations. What we saw in Mississippi demonstrates how much further we have to go to build nationwide campaign infrastructure.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Empower Engine worked closely with the state party, offering our data visualization platform to the legislative campaigns, empowering them to track their voter outreach and make the most of their limited resources. When used to its full extent, our platform can give campaigns a real-time look at voter outreach progress to drive resource allocation. Here’s a map of a state senate district that shows the voter contact by precinct.

Precinct-level map showing voter contact

These maps can easily be shared with field teams in every locality in the district, helping them see their progress, and plan accordingly.. They can also be used to motivate volunteers and entice donors. But the key to everything is data.

There are examples where the legislative campaigns ran strong voter outreach programs and used Empower Engine to augment them. For example, Aisha Sanders’ campaign (HD 96) ran a very well-rounded ground campaign, using Empower Engine to track their work. Specifically, they were able to keep their volunteers engaged, giving them a graphic representation of their work through our platform. Similarly, Inez Kelleher’s campaign (HD 117) used Empower Engine to visualize their data and select their target precincts.

These campaigns were using VAN properly to log their contacts with voters. Through our ability to sync that data, they could make visuals that automatically updated daily. Unfortunately, they represented the exception not the rule.

At Empower Engine, we believe in the motto that “if it’s not in VAN, it didn’t happen.” Despite encouragement from the state party, many campaigns used individual methods to track their work. Too few campaigns were following best practices. This lack of data limited our ability to help.

For Democrats to truly break into Republican strongholds, we must invest in proper campaign infrastructure. We must ensure that our campaigns are running data-backed operations, resisting the temptation to rely on old school tactics and keep their data in spreadsheets (or not retain it at all).

Part of this infrastructure relies on campaign coordination. Reports from the ground paint an unfortunate picture, where the state party struggled to coordinate with the campaign at the top of the ticket. The Hood campaign ran competitively in perhaps the most Republican state in the country. Unfortunately, that campaign didn’t translate down-ballot. Their data was not tracked in VoteBuilder, and there was little coordination with the down-ballot campaigns. This was a missed opportunity.

We’re grateful for our opportunity to work with the state party during this campaign cycle. We believe in the importance of supporting Democratic efforts in every part of the country. Our tools -- SHOWING people what they’re doing and why -- should be an integral part of getting everyone comfortable with modern campaigning.

With aggressive investment, we can turn bright red Mississippi into a state where we have a fighting chance. The wins we saw in Kentucky and Virginia were the result of a long-term vision and strong campaigning. We must take the long-view everywhere.

Onward!

Lessons from Working in a Red State