Party Work

Now is our chance to get Big Money out of the Democratic Primaries — we can’t let it slip away! 

AIPAC has defeated too many progressives in election after election, and now Elon Musk is threatening to fund primary challenges for anyone who dares disobey him. This CANNOT stand.  

The DNC is electing new leadership on February 1st, and NOW is the opportunity to push our demand for change. Bernie just doubled down on his demand that the DNC ban Super PACs from interfering in Democratic primaries and destroying our democracy. Together, we are throwing all of our weight behind a push for DNC reform, supported by our top progressive allies.  

If there was EVER a time to act to stop dark money from overtaking our political system, IT IS NOW. But we have to move quickly — transforming the party starts with the fast-approaching DNC elections (and Our Revolution will host a LIVE Call with candidates this Monday!). 

Our Revolution is mobilizing a coalition of progressive groups and activists around the country to ensure new DNC leadership commits to stopping Musk and other billionaires from buying elections. Can you chip in NOW to support our political team in this  campaign to force the DNC to ban Super PACs in primaries? 

The terrifying truth is that we’ve entered a new era of American oligarchy where Musk and other billionaires can use their vast wealth to unseat anyone they disagree with — particularly targeting progressives in primaries. 

We saw it with AIPAC, which spent millions of right-wing, pro-Netanyahu money to send a clear, ominous threat to members of Congress: stand against the horrors unfolding in Gaza, and we’ll come after you. After ousting Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush last year, AIPAC’s super PAC is now emboldened to do it again and again. And now Musk has made it clear he can’t wait to join in too. 

We HAVE to stop them. And here’s how: 

Our Revolution’s political team and volunteers are showing up at regional meetings, organizing media events like Monday’s LIVE candidate forum, and working behind the scenes to ensure new DNC leadership hears from the grassroots.

If we want to have any hope of electing progressives up and down the ballot in 2025 and the midterms in 2026, we HAVE to stop Musk and his billionaire friends from buying Democratic primaries as a way to stop our movement. We have to get the DNC to BAN SUPER PACS IN PRIMARIES — and this is our best opportunity to exert the pressure to do it.

Will you chip in now to help us win this fight?

Our Revolution Massachusetts organizers just won the state Democratic Party’s support for Medicare for All, union organizing rights for state house staff, and an audit of the state legislature! 

Meanwhile, resolutions calling for a majority-elected Party Leadership, more transparent governance, and incentives to get “dark money” out of primaries were defeated – but with major declines in party membership, the fight for a more democratic, grassroots-oriented party continues. 

“We are thrilled that four resolutions were adopted by the state committee,” said Michael Gilbreath, a Wayland Democrat and leader of Our Revolution MetroWest. “However, we have to keep fighting for a more active, democratic, and transparent Democratic Party.” 

Our progressive coalition beat back a power grab by establishment Democrats that would have disenfranchised thousands of grassroots party members.

Virginia Democrats rejected a change to state party rules that would have altered how the commonwealth’s DNC delegates are elected, TYT reports. 

This is a major win for progressives! Our Revolution Northern Virginia’s Sandra Klassen (who is also a State Central Committee Member of the VA Dem Party) was thrilled that “all of our work and our allies paid off!”.

ARE YOU RUNNING TO BE A DELEGATE TO THE DNC NEXT YEAR? If so, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to political@ourrevolution.com.

We polled thousands of Our Revolution members, and 41% told us they’re feeling depressed, angry, or unmotivated about the 2024 election. A quarter said the plan to vote for someone other than Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries. 

In our online Dem Primary Poll, 44% said they are likely to vote for Biden, 41% said they are likely to vote for another candidate, and 7.6% said not likely to vote. 

Meanwhile, despite Democrats pointing out all the horrors of Trump, national polls show him tied with or beating Biden in 2024. Democrats have a problem: the base is not excited about a Trump/Biden rematch and tacking to the right is crushing enthusiasm among key voting blocs. 

Voters want to see action on healthcare, climate, unions, and more – and the President still has time to act. There’s no getting around it, Democrats need to raise the standard of living for voters and go being messaging to show whose side they’re on. 

In an academic study of Our Revolution members by SUNY and William & Mary colleges, 47% say progressive groups should probably or definitely mount a nomination challenge to Biden in the 2024 Democratic Primary, and another 15% were unsure. 

Willingness to be involved in a Biden 2024 reelection campaign is down even from 2020 to just 47% if Biden is the nominee, the study showed. 

There’s a serious risk we could face another Trump term in 2024 – unless Democrats can deliver tangible results for working people in order to earn trust and votes. 

That’s why Our Revolution and our allies are working overtime to unify the progressive movement and focus our pressure on key demands like student debt relief, an end to medical debt, and urgent climate action. 

Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen had choice words for the DNC ahead of January’s Winter Meeting in Philadelphia, where our growing progressive bloc is pushing to ban dark money from primaries. 

Larry, a longtime labor leader and party reformer, laid out the stakes on our National Organize-to-Win Call on Monday.

“If we don’t get the dirty money out, it becomes increasingly impossible to elect the grassroots challengers,” Larry said. “It’s not just about the rulers, it’s also the rules.” 

“For those of us who believe we must fight in every possible way to advance progressive issues and win real power, we ignore party reform at our peril,” Larry wrote in In These Times.