Swing Left Announces Support for California Ballot Initiative Countering GOP’s Efforts to Redraw Congressional Maps Ahead of the 2026 Midterms
One of the nation’s largest grassroots political organizations will mobilize volunteers and donors to protect the path to a Democratic House majority.
AUGUST 14, 2025 (WASHINGTON, DC) — Swing Left, one of the largest national drivers of grassroots action to competitive elections, today announced its support for California’s newly launched ballot initiative. The initiative is a key countermeasure to Republican-led efforts in Texas and other states to redraw congressional maps mid-decade to cement control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms. The measure will give voters the chance to approve new temporary maps in California—directly shaping the national landscape in the fight for a Democratic House majority in 2026.
“If Republicans want to try to steal the midterm elections through gerrymandering, they’ll first have to go through Swing Left’s one million members — including 260,000 in California,” said Tomás Kloosterman, National Political Director at Swing Left. “Californians are ready to fight back and make their voices heard. This ballot initiative is our chance to mobilize the state’s incredible grassroots power to stop Republicans from rigging the midterms before voters even get to the polls.”
Swing Left was founded to build the massive grassroots movement that helped Democrats flip the House in 2018, when it was the largest driver of volunteer shifts directly to Democratic U.S. House campaigns. Its 1 million members have raised more than $140 million for Democratic candidates, organizations, and voter mobilization efforts, and reached out to more than 50 million voters through phone calls, door knocks, and letters.
California is the state where Swing Left has the most donors and volunteers, including 263,000 members and 52 strong and aligned local groups. In 2024, Swing Left volunteers and donors raised $1.4 million and made more than 500,000 voter contact attempts to support Democrats in California’s most competitive congressional races. These efforts helped California counteract national rightward shifts in voter behavior, contributing to narrow victories for Democratic candidates in competitive races such as George Whitesides (CA-27), Dave Min (CA-47), Derek Tran (CA-45), and Adam Gray (CA-13).
Swing Left will now direct its grassroots members in California to take part in voter contact efforts in support of the ballot initiative. The organization will also raise grassroots funds to help fuel the campaign.
Swing Left will also continue to focus on supporting Democrats to win the critical swing districts needed across the country to flip control of the House, its top electoral priority this cycle. Swing Left members have already been organizing in a number of competitive districts across the country this year, engaging voters early, mobilizing support, and fundraising for Democrats. Winning a House majority will give Democrats the power to set the legislative agenda, control committees, shape laws, and hold Trump accountable.
Now, in an attempt to steal congressional seats and rig the midterm elections before voters have their say, Republicans in Texas have moved to redraw their maps mid-cycle, and Trump is urging other GOP-led states to pursue similar actions.
“California is the front line in the fight for the House,” Kloosterman added. “Republicans know their policies are deeply unpopular, and they’re afraid of what will happen if voters get a fair say. They’re trying to rig the midterm elections because they understand how much is at stake: a Democratic House majority can block their extremist agenda and protect our rights. Our volunteers are fired up to stop Trump and his allies from stealing power. And we’re ready to help elect a Democratic House majority in 2026.”
Focusing on the most competitive races where the last election came down to a few thousand or a few hundred votes, Swing Left channels grassroots time and money where it will have maximum impact on swinging the national balance of power. Swing Left also recently launched a large-scale canvassing initiative called Ground Truth to rebuild Democratic voter contact efforts from the ground up.
Swing Left will announce additional program details for the ballot initiative in the coming days.
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About Swing Left
Since launching in 2017, Swing Left has proven the effectiveness of early, sustained, and smart grassroots organizing. Our 1 million members have raised more than $140 million for Democratic candidates, organizations, and voter mobilization efforts, and reached out to more than 50 million voters through phone calls, door knocks, and Vote Forward letters.
In 2024 alone, Swing Left’s volunteers knocked on 1.6 million doors, made 3.8 million calls, wrote more than 11 million letters, and raised more than $25 million—critical actions that helped Democrats in swing districts buck national trends and secure razor-thin victories. Our highly strategic, data-driven approach resulted in Democrats significantly outperforming national trends in our target areas.
For more information, visit www.swingleft.org.
