The National Coordinated Campaign
Building a Table for The New Democratic Majority
As we enter a new – and challenging – era for the Democratic Party, Ken Martin believes it’s time for the DNC to re-establish a National Coordinated Campaign, bringing party committees and key stakeholders together on a regular basis to organize a modern political framework that will win across the ballot for years to come.
With shared skin in the game, this new coordinated campaign table would work together to develop, vote on, and execute political plans around the calendar – not only during elections – and empowers the table to hold elected officials accountable to their promises.
Ken has always said we can’t treat important partners (many working on the ground in a grassroots capacity) like ATMs. And he has heard mounting frustration from many who feel like the Democratic Party no longer values or includes stakeholder expertise in election strategy. Knowing this, he believes we have to learn from what our partners are seeing and leverage their know-how to make better electoral decisions at every level.
When he took over the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) in 2011, Ken Martin saw an organization lacking identity, stability, and accountability. One of the most effective early moves he made was to create a year-round coordinated campaign table at the state level with a continuity of partners – including the direct voices of worker-led organizations and community service organizations.
Under his model, the DFL has gone 25-0 in statewide races, secured two Democratic trifectas, and leveraged slim majorities to pass one of the most impressive legislative agendas in the nation. Ken wants to bring this model to the DNC.
Under Chairman Ron Brown and through the passage of BCRA in 2002, the DNC previously convened a coordinated campaign to great effect, helping Democrats reclaim the White House, win at every level, and giving key party stakeholders an opportunity to help build winning strategies – not just cut checks.
Recent court decisions and FEC opinions now allow the party to reawaken a strategy that has worked before. This approach will enhance – not replace – the efforts of our other national, state, and locally-focused campaign committees, and unleash the capacity of our party and partners, allowing us to execute our work more effectively, with continuity, and ultimately more success.
The coordinated campaign will be the convener and key driver of what will be the Democratic Party’s ten-year strategic plan, based on the blueprint Ken is laying out to reform and refocus the DNC to win. The combination of working in partnership and committing to structural and operational reforms will better position the Democratic Party to cultivate sustainable majorities across America.
Learn More about Ken's Plan
A New DNC Framework: Build to Win, Build to Expand, Build to Last
