Philanthropic and Political Consulting
AL Advising works with progressive philanthropists to create a portfolio of civic engagement, policy, and advocacy investments including 501c3, 501c4, candidate, and related political giving.
One week, everyone. It’s all hands on deck. Remember, we don’t know what the early vote is telling us. The 2020 election was a Black Swan event and we cannot compare apples to oranges. Polls were not designed to measure races this close and margin of error is real. This could be a relative blowout either way or an extremely close race that takes weeks to decide. Brace yourself.
Read MoreIf you’re in full freak out mode, get off the computer and DO SOMETHING. My family and I knocked doors in CO-8 last weekend and it felt wonderful to be out there (and not just because of the beautiful fall weather in Colorado). We’re heading to Las Vegas to canvass this weekend and have been doing postcards with MomsRising and letters with Vote Forward as well.
Read MoreBelow are our personal recommendations on federal, state, and local candidates as well as statewide and local ballot measures. We also provide non-partisan resources to help you vote, research the ballot, and additional information on how to volunteer.
Read MoreLabor Day is the unofficial kickoff of campaign season. While Election Day is 61 days away, absentee ballots will be mailed out in North Carolina THIS Friday, 9/6, and early voting starts in Pennsylvania on 9/16. We cannot let our foot off the gas. This will be a very close election at the top of the ticket and down the ballot.
Annual polling reminder: Margin of error is real. Every battleground state is within the margin of error. They will all be close. Stop refreshing FiveThirtyEight and get to work.
Scroll down for how to help key candidates, battleground state GOTV efforts, and election administration and election protection efforts.
Read MoreI normally do not talk to reporters about the nature of my work. My individual donor clients either wish to be anonymous or do not want extra attention. But the moment called for helping to consolidate support for Vice-President Kamala Harris and then reporting out the donor excitement I am hearing from all corners.
Here are some clips and articles from the last few weeks:
A look at the historic fundraising haul for Kamala Harris. CBS News 7/23 (video)
Harris was expected to have fundraising trouble. Here’s why big donors are actually lining up in droves. Politico 7/31
Democratic Billionaires and Donors Rush to Back Harris After Biden’s Exit. The New York Times 7/22
Female Donors Mobilize for Harris, Moving to Stamp Out Opposition. The New York Times 7/23
Diverse donors race to help Harris make history. CNN 7/23
Key Democratic donors back Harris but others warn against ‘coronation’. The Guardian 7/22
President Biden drops out, endorses VP Harris as nominee. NPR 7/21
So, how was your July?
President Biden has stepped aside and Vice-President Kamala Harris locked up the Democratic nomination in a record 32 hours, raising $100m for the campaign.
Aside from the candidate, what has changed? Not a lot. The basics haven’t changed but nuances in geography and demography will continue to change on the margins. This will still be a very, very close election fought in 6-7 states. Our voters are more energized -- but so are theirs.
Whereas before Sunday, I was planning for worst-case scenarios, now I am trying to dream big. More to come on that…
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