2025 Strategy

It is Up to uS

The new administration in Washington wants to dismantle every institution that protects and uplifts Americans. We’ve already seen huge assaults on programs that help our most vulnerable in all 50 states and around the world. At Lean Left, we believe our government works for US, not for the millionaires and billionaires and the GOP/MAGA politicians who use our tax dollars to enrich themselves and gain more power.

So What Can we do?

We can fight like hell, on all fronts, in all ways. It’s not 2017 anymore. We have eight years of experience behind us, and we know what works.

  • We know that local organizing in red and purple states builds a strong, cohesive base that turns out at election time to vote for progressive statewide policies.

  • We know that electing leaders who share our values—who believe in the foundation of our democracy, who believe in a government of, by, and for the people, and who believe in the greater common good—are the kinds of leaders who will protect and serve our most vulnerable populations.

  • We know that supporting candidates to win local and state races helps them rise to become our Congressional leaders. And we all know that what happens in Congress affects every single American.

  • We know that legacy media has not served us well and continues a both-sides news perspective that relegates them to the “can’t be trusted” realm with conservative- and liberal-leaning audiences alike.

  • We know from 2024 studies that swing voters were more likely to rely on alternative sources of media for their news. Their number one source of political information via social media was Facebook; number two was YouTube. Many voters described their news consumption as “none at all.” Instead, they were subconsciously exposed to “concepts” through social media platforms.

We have the experience and the strength to stay focused on what we know makes a difference.

Our 2025 Plan

In a nutshell, we will

  • continue to leverage the collective power of grassroots organizations to elect progressive candidates running for local, state, and federal offices in our chosen states;

  • push the National Democratic Party to build upon the proven successes of local, on-the-ground groups that are directly in touch with both urban and rural voters;

  • support independent media and reach out to voters via social media and print with fact-based information about the effects of policies coming out of Washington and their state legislatures, especially those related to vital bread-and-butter issues.

What can i do?

Grab a friend and attend one of our promoted Events. Sign up for one of our State Teams (below). Start your own Giving Circle. And keep an eye on the Take Action page for specific ways to support our states.

The States we’ll Support this year

Virginia

Virginia will elect a Governor, Lt Governor, Attorney General, and all state House of Delegates seats this November. This election will be a bellwether for 2026 and the first big test of the new regime. Lean Left will be supporting voter protection efforts for the primary in May and the general in November; we will support the Democrat for Governor as well as critical House of Delegates seats.

North Carolina

Although the state didn’t vote blue in the presidential, North Carolina proved to be the brightest state in the nation in 2024: Democrat Josh Stein won the Governor’s seat over MAGA extremist Mark Robinson; Democrats won additional statewide seats for Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction (hugely important for a state headed toward charter schools); and Democrats broke the Republican Supermajority in the State House (meaning Governor Stein will have veto power over the MAGA-dominated legislature’s most egregious bills). Still up in the air as of Feb 21, 2025 is Justice Allison Riggs’ race for the NC State Supreme Court, where the Republican refuses to concede and is challenging the votes of 60,000 voters (a tale of voter disenfranchisement). What’s ahead: In 2026, Democrats have a chance to oust Republican Senator Thom Tillis, win another State Supreme Court seat, and whittle down the Republican majority in the legislature. Sign up for the NC Team here.

Pennsylvania

We lost some important races. U.S. Senator Bob Casey’s narrow loss to Dave McCormick was heartbreaking. There was recount of the votes, but he eventually conceded the race. U.S. House races also saw the Democrats lose ground: before the elections, the Democrats held 8 districts to the Republican’s 9, but after the 2024 election, the GOP gained 3 seats. Congresswoman Susan Wild (D-PA7), who lost her race, chalked up the losses to “Democrats may have underestimated Trump’s coattails. . .really underestimated that because they weren’t [here] as long as in other states. The GOP grassroots efforts to get people registered clearly paid off.” As it stands now, the PA Congressional delegation is Dems 7, GOP 11.

The 203-member state House of Representatives is evenly divided with one vacancy of seat formerly held by a Democrat. A special election in March will determine which party has the advantage of a single vote in the House. The outcome of a state Senate race in red-leaning Lancaster county could also be a referendum — as in the surprising win in Iowa. The state Senate is currently 27 GOP and 22 Dems. The special election could move us closer to taking this chamber back. Remember inch by inch we will win. November 2025 will also see the election of 3 state Supreme Court justices. Finally, as of February, Senator John Fetterman (D) has been a terrible disappointment in voting to confirm most of the administration’s cabinet nominees.

What’s ahead: We will support the state supreme court races in 2025 and prepare for 2026 to win seats in the U.S. House, keep a Democratic governor (not sure if Shapiro will run again) and lieutenant governor, and gain seats in the state House of Representatives and in the U.S. House.

Sign up for the PA Team here.

New Hampshire

NH won both U.S. House races—Hassan and Goodlander—in 2024, but Republicans increased their majority in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and retained the governorship. The little-known but powerful Executive Council remained under Republican control. Lean Left will be back to work in NH in late 2025.