Sister District

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Sister District Project is a left-of-center political organization that helps elect Democrats to state legislative seats across the United States. The organization leverages the efforts of volunteers from safe ("sister") districts in other states to campaign for Democrats who are attempting to win or hold seats in competitive districts. [1] [2] Among the activities volunteers engage in are phone banking, postcard writing, on-site canvassing, and fundraising for selected candidates. Sister District includes 527 and a PAC funding mechanisms as well as facilitating direct contributions to selected campaigns and organizations. [3] ..

Contents

History

The Sister District Project is a woman-led operation [4] founded by Rita Bosworth, Gaby Goldstein, Candis Mitchell, Lyzz Schwegler, and Lala Wu [5] following the 2016 United States presidential election. [6] [7] In 2017, Sister District Project reported raising over $350,000 in small-dollar donations. [8]

Political action

Bosworth argued more Democratic statehouses would reduce partisan gerrymandering. [9] [10] [11]

Building on Tea Party movement tactics such as field organizing, identifying likely supporters, and tracking door knocking, [12] progressive movements like Indivisible, Swing Left, and Sister District Project brought new energy to progressive grassroots organizing. [13] [14]

Sister District helped flip the Virginia House and Senate to Democratic control. [15] [12]

References

  1. "Sister District Project". Influence Watch. Retrieved July 31, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Narea, Nicole (30 December 2022). "Democrats made historic gains at the state level. Can they build on them?". Vox.
  3. "Sister District Project". Ballotpedia.
  4. Ehisen, Rich (16 November 2023). "Sacramento Sister District Project helped turned tide in favor of Dems in Virginia". Capitol Weekly.
  5. "What is Sister District? | Learn Who We Are & What We Do". 2 April 2019.
  6. Smith, Kevin B.; Greenblatt, Alan (5 October 2021). Governing States and Localities. CQ Press. ISBN   978-1-5443-8862-5.
  7. "Windham County Group Sells Their Soup To Support Democrats Around The U.S." Vermont Public. 19 September 2019.
  8. "Virginia Candidates Win Office With Help From Vermont Group". www.sevendaysvt.com.
  9. "Meet Rita Bosworth, pushing for blue-tinged mapmaking reform – The Fulcrum". thefulcrum.us.
  10. Williams, Omkari L. (24 October 2023). Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World without a Bullhorn. Storey Publishing, LLC. ISBN   978-1-63586-689-6.
  11. Narea, Nicole (30 December 2022). "Democrats made historic gains at the state level. Can they build on them?". Vox.
  12. 1 2 Pittman, Ashton. "How 'Sister District' Helped Shanda Yates Unseat Longtime Mississippi Republican". www.jacksonfreepress.com.
  13. Resnick, Barbara; Gwyther, Lisa P.; Roberto, Karen A. (27 December 2018). Resilience in Aging: Concepts, Research, and Outcomes. Springer. ISBN   978-3-030-04555-5.
  14. Murphy, Austin (June 16, 2019). "Sonoma County Sister District chapter pairs donors in deep blue states with faraway candidates". The Press Democrat.
  15. Levitin, Michael (19 September 2023). Generation Occupy: Reawakening American Democracy. Catapult. ISBN   978-1-64009-556-4.