•DSCC: We've been hollering for quite some time that Democratic falloff in non-presidential elections is the biggest electoral problem the party faces today, so it's good to see that some folks with the power to do something about it are actually, well, doing something about it. The New York Times profiles a 10-state, $60 million DSCC effort called the "Bannock Street project" that aims to mobilize Democratic-leaning voters who don't ordinarily turn out during midterms—in particular, single women, minorities, and younger voters—rather than focusing on changing the minds of those who typically do.
The piece is short on specifics, but the general approach involves devoting fewer resources to television ads and more toward what journalist Sasha Issenberg calls "targeted mobilization" using modern analytics to drill down and reach potential voters at the individual level. One interesting detail is the list of states involved:
The Bannock Street project is specifically focused on ten states—Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Michigan, Montana, and West Virginia—with plans for senior field operatives and other staff members to be in place by the end of the month.Not on the list: South Dakota, where the DSCC has brushed off likely Democratic nominee Rick Weiland, and Colorado and New Hampshire, where polls have show Democratic incumbents facing potentially competitive races. Presumably this means the DSCC is feeling pretty good about those latter two states, though a program like this could conceivably be expanded later if need be.