New York, NY -- November 9, 2018 -- The People PAC, an organization using storytelling to redefine politics, helped democrats win 33 statehouse seats across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and North Carolina. 25 of the victories flipped a previously red legislative seat to blue.
The PEOPLE is working from the ground up, making digital media and developing social distribution strategies for candidates in local races fighting for healthcare expansion, better education, women's rights, voters' rights, and workers' rights. Many of these candidates were running for the first time on shoestring budgets, against better-funded, dark money-backed Republicans.
"The Republicans, supported by hundreds of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, had a decade of free running room to flip 1,000 statehouse seats,” said Michael Hirschorn, co-founder of The People PAC. "That changed on Tuesday.”
Examples of The People PAC's success in the 2018 election include the following:
- Three of The People PAC’s New York candidates won, helping flip the state senate and putting the first woman and first African-American in charge of the chamber.
- Eleven of The People PAC's Minnesota House candidates won, helping Democrats flip the chamber blue.
- In North Carolina, Five of The People PAC's candidates flipped red seats to blue, helping democrats in the state break the supermajority and eliminating the Republican-controlled legislature’s ability to hijack balanced government by routinely overriding Democratic Governor Cooper’s vetoes.
- In Michigan, eight of The People PAC supported candidates won House races, ending the Republican supermajority. Down-ballot enthusiasm supported the Democrats’ retaking of the Governor’s seat, breaking the Republican trifecta, and boosting the passage of a ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting commission to remedy gerrymandering.
- In Arizona and Florida, four seats so far were flipped by The People PAC-backed candidates, with several races still in recount.
- Nationally, the People PAC helped fuel Democratic AG dominance with the creation of a DAGA brand video earlier this year.
"In just this cycle, democrats flipped 300 state legislative seats, six state legislatures, seven governorships, and claimed a majority of the nation’s Attorney General offices," said Mara Gerstein, Executive Director of The People PAC. "Our collective midterm successes have helped put Democrats on stronger ground for the critical battles ahead."
The People PAC
The People PAC is a a broad coalition of film makers, creatives and local grassroots activists using the tools of reality TV, movies, pop culture, and social media, combined with next-generation social media targeting, to educate and engage American voters and defend our liberal democracy.
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