The Incorruptibles for Candidates
- serve all people instead of the corporations,
- fight for policies such as universal health care, debt-free college, criminal justice reform, and others that benefit all Americans instead of just the 1%, and
- believe that we should judge our nation not by how many billionaires we have but by how well we treat the most vulnerable among us
We are creating grassroots chapters in each city that build coalitions, knock on every door, and run slates of progressive candidates. These chapters do not just endorse existing candidates; candidates emerge out of their coalition building, door knocking, and town halls.Supporting the chapters rather than individual candidates is a transformative electoral model, because these chapters learn from every election and build the base of support year after year.We have met a number of candidates who are already running for office and we’ve learned how valuable an Incorruptibles chapter would be to them. So, candidates, this is for you.
Why The Incorruptibles is the best thing that ever happened to your campaign
The Incorruptibles chapter in your city is the organization that will build your base before you start your campaign, help you get elected during election season, and help you get your policies passed after you get elected, acting almost as an adjunct staff.
1. Base building
Imagine starting your campaign with an existing coalition, with existing organizations that will endorse you, and existing volunteers ready to knock on doors for you. Because The Incorruptibles chapters work year round every year, this coalition grows every year.Wellstone Action emphasizes the importance of base building in their campaign training. They talk about the danger of running a campaign that “strip mines” the local community, leaving it worse off than before. To build our movement, it’s important to leave the community more organized and energized than it was before your campaign. With The Incorruptibles, you know that the knowledge from your campaign will remain in the community to help run the next progressive candidate, and your next campaign will benefit from other candidates’ campaigns.
2. Campaigning
Incorruptibles chapters have small teams of people who know how to run campaigns. We train our grassroots chapters in every aspect of running campaigns and encourage chapters to maintain at least one or two people who are experts in each element of running a campaign, including campaign planning, fundraising, social media, earned media, and field (voter id, persuasion, and get out the vote). When you join your local Incorruptibles chapter, you will share these campaign resources with other progressive candidates on the slate.As you go through your campaign, The Incorruptibles National offers campaign training and resources when you need them, tailoring the information to fit your campaign.
3. Governing
No-corporate-money progressives who do manage to get onto city councils or school boards often find themselves alone and unable to pass progressive policies. We’ve spoken to many progressive elected officials who told us that this is often the unfortunate outcome of winning. All of us aspire to get progressive policies passed, and we think that winning the campaign is the end of the story. But for the elected official, it is only the beginning. Policies can’t get passed by one progressive politician; they must be backed by other politicians who share the same values.Unlike campaign staff, your Incorruptibles chapter will continue working even after election season -- which highlights our next point.
4. Sustaining Support
Even with more than one progressive on the city council, it can be difficult to pass progressive policies. Often what prevents policies from being passed are things volunteers could easily participate in. Local Incorruptibles chapters help their elected officials by doing research and legwork, contacting organizations in the coalition, mobilizing voters to call other elected officials, and organizing press events and marches.
Wildfire
This model has fired up people in Richmond, CA, Dane, WI, and a few other cities. The way to stop a wildfire is to keep it from spreading...so our mission at The Incorruptibles is to start this fire in the hearts of Americans in every city and town. With us, you have not only support at the local level, but continued support for your campaigns and policies as you move into state and national politics.Our country is ready for real change and energized for a grassroots political revolution. Join us and help us make history together.