Contest Every Race

🚨Our 2025 Impact Report is LIVE.🚨 🗺️ Supported 390 local Dem teams with $503K in grants, organizers, and monthly trainings 💪 Recruited 908 candidates 🎉 Won 444 races This is how we contest every race, in every corner of the country. Read the full report: contesteveryrace.com/downloads/2025…

Happy New Year! We're gearing up to train dozens and dozens of rural leaders over the next few months. We want you to join us! The deadline to apply for our February + March Cohorts is January 23rd at 8pm ET. For application, dates, and details: dirtroadorganizing.org/apply

Happy Holidays from the Contest Every Race team! ❄️🎁 This year was full of hard work, big wins, and people stepping up to lead — and we’re so thankful for everyone who made it happen. Our office will be closed for the next two weeks, but we can’t wait to jump back in and keep rebuilding democracy in the new year! 💪🗳️

We’re excited to share that @GrowProgress is supporting Contest Every Race’s Holiday Party this year! We look forward to gathering as a community to celebrate the season and the work ahead. ✨

🎉 Big thanks to our friends at Moxie Media for sponsoring Contest Every Race’s 2025 Holiday Party! We can’t wait to celebrate with our community on December 17 at 5:30 PM — it’s going to be a night full of cheer, connection, and festive fun. ❄️

📣 Georgia Special Election Update — District 121 Last night’s special election came down to just 200 votes, and that razor-thin margin shows exactly why we organize everywhere. A huge shoutout to our two incredible CER Grant Teams in Clarke County and Oconee County, as well as Eric Gisler who stepped up to run. Their door knocking, calling, and local organizing made this race truly competitive — in a district that’s been overlooked for far too long and even went for Trump by 12 points. This is what happens when communities get involved. This is how we build power. And this is why we run candidates in every race, because every district deserves a choice 💪💙

🌟 Grant Team Spotlight of the Week 📍 DeSoto County, Mississippi The DeSoto County Democratic Executive Committee helped make history in November! 🔵✨ Ahead of the November 4 election, the team pulled out all the stops, knocking doors, making calls, sending texts, hosting visibility events, and organizing poll watchers. Their work paid off across four Mississippi State Senate special elections. They won one new seat, held another, and came strikingly close in a third. And history was made. Senator-elect Theresa Gillespie Isom broke the GOP supermajority in Jackson for the first time in 13 years — becoming the first African-American, first woman, and first Democrat to hold a Senate seat in DeSoto County. Leaders from both Tennessee and Mississippi gathered to celebrate this milestone moment for the county and the state 🎉 With 65 new volunteers and 500+ doors canvassed, DeSoto County showed what happens when a community organizes with purpose, determination, and heart. We’re so proud to spotlight their work and the grassroots power they’re building every day 💪💙

We’re rebuilding democracy from the hemline up. Get all your Contest Every Race merch at bonfire.com/store/contest-…

Keep warm while you run: • To the store • At the park • For local office Get all your Contest Every Race merch at bonfire.com/store/contest-…

🚨 Big news — our Substack newsletter The Contest launches December 1 Our monthly newsletter will dive deep into the issue of uncontested races, highlight the local Democratic Parties in our grants program, and keep you up to date with Contest Every Race’s work. Subscribe today! contesteveryrace.substack.com

Perfect for farmers’ markets, errands, and lit drops. Get all your Contest Every Race merch at bonfire.com/store/contest-…

On 11/22 in D.C., join us and Grassroots Comedy for a night of laughs to support our Rapid Recruit program in its efforts to mobilize potential activists to emerging campaigns! We're teaming up for a night of laughter and action that’ll leave you both cracking up and fired up. The show will feature some of the funniest comedians in the Mid-Atlantic, all bringing their best material to help power the movement for a more informed, engaged, and representative democracy. Rapid Recruit is building a vibrant and strategic mass movement to protect democracy by identifying the most strategic actions in real time and using technology to connect millions of potential activists to these emerging campaigns. So grab your friends, grab a drink, and grab democracy by the ballot box - it’s time to laugh our way to a more powerful, participatory future. eventbrite.com/e/comedy-show-…

🎉 Big news! Contest Every Race has launched our official merch shop! From bold tees to water bottles and totes, our gear celebrates the grassroots victories that turn local wins into national impact. Every purchase helps support CER’s work recruiting candidates, empowering volunteers, and flipping races across the country. Tap the link in bio to shop and wear your commitment to local power! 🌟

🎉 Celebrating Last Night’s Wins! 🎉 We’re still collecting stories and data from our grants teams across the country, but in the meantime, we’re thrilled to celebrate some of the incredible victories we saw yesterday across Georgia, made possible by the hard work of local volunteers, organizers, and candidates — all supported by our county grants program, which helps Democrats organize, recruit, and build lasting power in rural and red communities. Some of those wins 🏆 💙 Columbia County: Statewide Democratic candidates earned a majority for the first time in recent memory 💙 Morgan County: Voters shifted 14 points toward Democrats compared to 2024, and the county party nearly doubled their turnout goal 💙 Monroe County: Democrats won a city-council seat and came within 32 votes of flipping another 💙 Spalding County: Flipped a county-commission seat, electing a young LGBTQ+ Democrat These Georgia victories are just one example of how Contest Every Race empowers candidates and volunteers nationwide. When communities, organizers, and resources come together, blue waves are possible anywhere. Let’s keep this momentum going into 2026! 💪💙

County by county. Volunteer by volunteer. Stitch by stitch. We’re rebuilding Democratic power from the beltline up. Our new merch store is live — bonfire.com/store/contest-…

🌟Grant Team Spotlight of the Week 📍Aston Township, Pennsylvania The Aston Democrats had a powerful September 🌻 They kicked off the month by partnering with the Upper Chichester Dems for a cleanup at the Garden of Love, a memorial honoring childhood victims of gun violence, welcoming 61 volunteers from across Delco and Chester County. The cleanup helped prepare the space for a vigil later in the month and sparked discussions about how to make the garden more inclusive and welcoming to all faiths They also hosted Adam Garber, Executive Director of CeaseFirePA, who spoke about legislative efforts to end gun violence in Pennsylvania. Members attended the Delco Council meeting to thank municipalities who participated in the cleanup, canvassed for local and county candidates, and joined a vigil to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims 💙 Plus, they’re growing — adding to their mailing list, recruiting a new Election Day greeter, and collecting two dozen cans of soup for a local food bank 🥫 It’s been a month full of service, reflection, and community building — and we couldn’t be prouder to spotlight the work of the Aston Democrats for showing what grassroots leadership looks like 💪🌟

Democracy doesn’t protect itself — it needs people willing to show up and lead. When seats go uncontested, politicians like Jon Husted walk into power 🚨 In 2006, Husted ran unopposed for re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives, paving the way for his rise through state government and now as a U.S. Senator. Since then, Husted has defended restrictive voting laws, opposed abortion rights, and supported policies that make it harder for working people to organize and vote. If we want real representation, we need strong candidates stepping up in every district, every election 🗳️

We’re thrilled to welcome Lauren Gepford as our new Missouri State Finance Chair! 🌟 With over 15 years of experience in political and nonprofit leadership, Lauren has dedicated her career to strengthening Democratic power. She previously served as Executive Director of the Missouri Democratic Party and spent four years at Movement Labs — including two as Executive Director of Contest Every Race — where she helped scale one of the largest rural candidate recruitment and local investment programs in the country, supporting 9,000+ candidates and moving $1.5M+ to grassroots groups across 40+ states. Today, Lauren also runs her own coaching and consulting practice, guiding leaders and organizations to clarify their vision, build sustainable systems, and lead with impact. As Finance Chair, Lauren will play a key role in driving our efforts to recruit and support Democrats at every level. We’re thrilled to welcome her leadership! 🎉

🌟Grant Team Spotlight of the Week 📍Walworth County, Wisconsin The Walworth County Democrats have been on fire this month 🔥 They wrapped up the Walworth County Fair, celebrated Constitution Day, and joined the Darien Corn Fest Parade — all while keeping their community front and center. On top of that, they hosted a blood drive, held multiple sign brigades (with each Neighborhood Team doing one weekly!), and organized a Weekend of Action with phonebanks to engage local voters ☎️ Between monthly meetings, coffees, committee gatherings, and their Volunteer Best Practices Project, it’s been a nonstop month of organizing, with over 1,200 event attendees and 45 new members joining the movement 🙌💙 At Contest Every Race, we’re proud to support county parties like Walworth County Dems who are showing what grassroots energy looks like and building Democratic momentum all year long 🌟

🌟Grant Team Spotlight of the Week 📍Gila County, Arizona The Gila County Democrats have been busy the past few weeks building power on the ground ✨ They spent three days at the Northern Gila County Fair registering voters, gathering candidate petition signatures, and making sure Democrats were visible in the community. They also hosted a rally for the Women’s March on Climate Change, and held their Cocktails for Change fundraiser with 38 supporters in attendance. On top of that, they organized a successful Democrats Work event collecting school supplies for local students, and ended the month by welcoming 12 brand-new members 📚🙌. At Contest Every Race, we’re proud to support county parties like @gila_dems who are organizing year-round and strengthening Democratic power at every level 💪