HRC launches $26 million campaign opposing “Trump-Pence regime”
"HRC Rising" will register and mobilize voters for the 2018 midterm elections
The Human Rights Campaign has launched a new grassroots initiative to oppose anti-LGBTQ politics across America.
The $26 million “HRC Rising” campaign is expected to lay the groundwork for the 2018 election, when races for governor, Senate, and House of Representatives will be contested, as well as a majority of state legislative seats.
“It’s not enough to resist the hateful policies and attacks coming from the Trump-Pence regime — we’ve got to accelerate the pace of progress toward full equality and secure protections for LGBTQ people in states and communities across the country,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “That’s why we’re going on offense with the largest grassroots expansion in HRC’s 37-year history.”
As part of the campaign, HRC will recruit 20 additional full-time staff, including dedicated political, field, grassroots organizing, volunteer engagement, communications, and digital staff to help them with their efforts. They will work on recruiting volunteers, mobilizing people in order to defeat anti-LGBTQ initiatives, and registering voters, among other duties.
HRC will make additional investments in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada to help elect pro-equality candidates to various levels of government. Anti-LGBTQ Republicans currently hold governorships in five of those states.
Those states also feature U.S. House districts that could be competitive in 2018. According to HRC, 23 of the 25 GOP-held congressional districts carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016 have representatives with anti-equality records.
Last hear, HRC mobilized voters on behalf of Hillary Clinton, which the organization claims led to the LGBTQ vote earning the designation as the only demographic group that increased its support for Clinton over Obama in 2012. HRC was also deeply involved in working to defeat North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for his support of the anti-transgender HB 2 law.
“Our grassroots army of over 3 million has proven that, even in the face of unprecedented challenges, we can make incredible progress and defeat the hateful politicians who’ve been emboldened by Donald Trump when we organize and mobilize,” Griffin said in a statement. “The power and determination of the 10 million LGBTQ voters and our allies across America will only continue to grow stronger in the face of discriminatory attacks on our rights and freedoms.”
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