Indivisible Calais is pleased to be partnering with Lean Left Vermont (LLV) during this crucial 2018 mid-term election year.

Lean Left Vermont (www.leanleftvt.org or email leanleftcvt@gmail.com) is a grassroots organization that leverages the talents and resources of our Vermont community to help elect Democratic and Progressive candidates. Its mission is to flip seats from red to blue, or to keep them blue, at the state and federal levels.

The focus of Lean Left Vermont’s actions this year are:

–   the U.S. Congressional races in NH-01, NY-19 and ME-02, and

–   two Democratic candidates for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, being PA 157 House and PA 160 House

The strategy behind the LLV mission is two fold: flipability and geographic proximity.

1. Flipability

Both ME-02 and NY-19 are currently held by Republicans. Both are considered vulnerable, particularly NY-19, and therefore are good opportunities to flip to blue.  NH-01 is currently held by a Democrat, but she is retiring.  This seat is one of the ‘swingiest’ in the country.  It has changed hands 5 times in the past 12 years.  With no Democratic incumbent, this is one seat (perhaps the only seat!) Republicans think they can flip their way.  We need to hang on to it.  National organizations such as Swing Left and the Cook Political Report have identified all of these important seats as flipable.

LLV is also working in NH with Let America Vote to break the Republican trifecta at the state level (Republicans control both state houses of the legislature as well as the governorship).

In the Pennsylvania state house races, both of the candidates LLV are supporting are challenging Republican incumbents.  The goal in PA is to break the Republican super-majority in the state house, if not take outright control.

1. Geographic Proximity

Another reason LLV has selected these congressional districts is our close geographic proximity.  LLV is “all in” with these congressional races.  In addition to financially supporting these Democratic candidates, LLV volunteers are physically boots on the ground canvassing the districts, phone banking, text banking, etc.  LLV volunteers have already been to NH twice.  We feel a degree of knowledge of the district and a connection to the area.  Many of us have friends and/or family there, some have lived there, etc.

Regarding races in other states that some consider far more crucial to flip, the good news is . . . there are grassroots organizations everywhere, all across America, that are doing the same work locally as Lean Left Vermont is doing here.  There’s a national “grand plan” that has been strategically designed to work everywhere.  So those other “red” states and congressional districts are being addressed locally by organizations like LLV, but from their own backyard!

We hope you’ll join Indivisible Calais and Lean Left Vermont in this important work!