A memo from a progressive candidate recruitment organization shows that Democrats are looking beyond the “blue wall” and are ready to spend millions to challenge Republican states in the 2028 general election.
The donor memo from Run for Something, originally shared with Politico, asks for $50 million to execute a five-year plan to make up for lost ground as every state shifted more red in the 2024 presidential election.
However, instead of following the typical protocol of focusing on their base while winning over independents, the memo lays out a strategy for finding and training Gen Z and millennial candidates in a dozen states outside the Democratic stronghold of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which didn’t even make the list of potential targets. (RELATED: Why Do Democrats Suddenly Care About Epstein? Ro Khanna Explain)
The memo focuses on purple states, such as Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio and Georgia, and crimson red states like Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Run for Something co-founder Amanda Litman told Politico that changes in these states’ demographics and populations are “going to open up more opportunities” for Democrats.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 25: Amanda Litman speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on September 25, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for New York Hilton Midtown)
Litman added that Democrats shouldn’t give up on Blue Wall states but will need to expand their operation beyond short-term engagement by creating “political infrastructure.”
“The core Blue Wall states, which Democrats have invested in for years, are not sufficient,” Litman told Politico. “We cannot keep hyper-targeting our work to only places that are seen as competitive right now. We have to prepare not just for the likely fall of the Voting Rights Act and the current round of redistricting, but what comes after in 2032. That’s why we have to expand the map.” (RELATED: Supreme Court May Deal Democrats A Huge Blow To Ever Taking House Back)
She said they can work to “shift the brand” in states with little Democratic representation by “[fielding] candidates who are vetted, with local ties, authentic.”
Run for Something was founded after Trump’s first electoral victory and primarily focused on non-congressional local races. Although the organization has contributed to the wins of 1,500 Democratic candidates, it wants to return to form.
“We only find those people by getting them to run for city council and school board,” Litman said, explaining that putting high-quality local Democratic candidates on the ballot can encourage left-leaning voters to the polls and hopefully motivate them to vote up the ballot for Democrats running for national positions.
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