New Virginia Majority is a left-of-center mobilization group which works to expand voting in left-leaning demographics to support left-wing to radical-left economic and social policy in Virginia. The organization played a role in establishing and maintaining Virginia’s electoral college “flip” from Republicans to Democrats starting with the 2008 presidential election. The New Virginia Majority primarily targets low income, ethnic, and racial minority communities in the metropolitan regions of Northern Virginia, Greater Richmond, and Hampton Roads. It also advocates for stricter regulations on employment, increased education funding, increased government control of health care and health care spending, and expanded housing subsidies. ¹

On November 6, 2019, co-executive director Tram Ngyuen published an op-ed in the New York Times claiming credit for helping Virginia Democrats take control of the Virginia General Assembly and governorship simultaneously for the first time since 1993. Ngyuen cites the New Virginia Majority’s efforts to register over 300,000 voters and knock on 2.5 million doors over the last twelve years. ²

The New Virginia Majority has ties to radical-revolutionary left organizations and people. New Virginia Majority is a member of State Power Caucus, a radical-left-influenced network of community organizing and advocacy groups. ³

Radical Left Influence

New Virginia Majority is a member of the State Power Caucus, a collection of at least 20 similar organizations including California Calls, New Florida Majority, Washington Community Action Network, and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth working on organizing and voter registration among left-leaning blocs in states throughout the US. ⁴

Jon Liss, a career left-wing organizer and radical-left ideologist, co-founded the Caucus⁵ and the New Virginia Majority, as well as serving as one of its first executive directors. Liss has aligned with Liberation Road, a radical leftist American organization founded on Maoist revolutionary principles. ⁶⁷

Steve McClure used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help the New Virginia Majority identify ethnic and low-income potential voters who would likely vote Democratic in the 2008 election, thereby flipping the state to the Democrats for the first presidential election since 1964. ⁸⁹ Since 2012, McClure has also worked as a consultant for Wuda Geo,¹⁰ a Chinese engineering company, and he lived in Wuhan, China in 2011. ¹¹

Methods

New Virginia Majority utilizes a “hub” strategy where the organization leads and coordinates smaller support organizations to promote voting in particular blocks across Virginia. The hubs include Tenants and Workers United, an organizing outfit founded by Jon Liss¹² in the mid-1980s¹³ that targets Hispanics and other immigrants; Virginia Student Power Network, targeting public university students on six campuses; Virginia Black Organizing Collaborative, targeting black voters; and Asian Pacific Islander Civic Engagement Collaborative, targeting Asian voters. ¹⁴

New Virginia Majority operates in conjunction with the New Virginia Majority Education Fund, a registered 501(c)(3). ¹⁵ Unlike the New Virginia Majority, the Education Fund is able to accept tax-deductible donations.

Voter Outreach

New Virginia Majority increases voter turnout for Democratic voting blocks by supporting legislation to expand enfranchisement, and through direct get-out-the-vote efforts.

Voter Registration

Since 2015, the New Virginia Majority has registered 200,000 voters in Virginia. ¹⁶

Felon Voting Rights Outreach

In 2016, then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) attempted to restore voting rights to Virginia’s 200,000 convicted felons through an executive order, but was blocked in the courts. However, over the following two years, McAuliffe granted voting rights to 173,000 Virginians on an individual basis. His successor, Gov. Ralph Northam (D), continued the practice for 22,000 more felons.

New Virginia Majority reaches out to re-enfranchised felons to inform them of their restored voting rights. Since 2017, the organization has encouraged over 500 individuals to vote. ¹⁷

2013 Election

From August-November 2013, the New Virginia Majority reached out to 31,000 voters in Norfolk City, Richmond, and Northern Virginia. On Election Day, the organization deployed 58 trained poll monitors and six attorneys to detect voter interference at six polling stations.

Redistricting

In 2015, New Virginia Majority challenged the electoral districting of Virginia on the grounds of racial imbalance. ¹⁸

Funding

In July 2020, it was announced that the Sandler Foundation would be donating $200 million to “racial justice groups” in response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests, and New Virginia Majority was one of the eight grantees named. The funds will help recipients advocate for left-wing policies in battleground states and create long-term constituencies that support these issues. ¹⁹

1. “Our Ten Year Vision for Democracy, Justice & Progress.” New Virginia Majority. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/newvirginiamajority/pages/3384/attachments/original/1576526247/Final_Policy_Agenda_English_%281%29.pdf?1576526247.
2. Nguyen, Tram. “Democrats Could Learn a Lot from What Happened in Virginia.” The New York Times. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/opinion/virginia-election-democrats.html.
3. Liss, Jon. “Seize the Moment: Paving the Road for a Mass Left ” Organizing Upgrade.” Organizing Upgrade, July 23, 2019. https://organizingupgrade.com/seize-the-moment/.
4. Liss, Jon. “Toward a Movement 40 Million Strong.” Portside, June 24, 2019. https://portside.org/2019-06-24/toward-movement-40-million-strong.
5. Liss, Jon. “Toward a Movement 40 Million Strong.” Portside, June 24, 2019. https://portside.org/2019-06-24/toward-movement-40-million-strong.
6. “Seize the Moment: Paving the Road for a Mass Left.” Organizing Upgrade. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://organizingupgrade.com/seize-the-moment/.
7. “Building Political Power: 2016-2018 FRSO Strategic Orientation.” Road to Liberation. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://roadtoliberation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2016-FRSO-Strategic-Orientation-v1.pdf.
8. McClure, Steve. “Action research, mapping and civic engagement in Virginia.” Steve. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://dcsteveinwuhan.over-blog.com/article-action-research-mapping-and-civic-engagement-in-virginia-82403603.html.
9. McClure, Steve. “Actionable Intelligence and Prince William County.” Steve. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://dcsteveinwuhan.over-blog.com/pages/Actionable-intelligence-and-prince-william-county-5665344.html.
10. “About.” Facebook. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/steve.mcclure.3367/about?lst=100008012924330%3A739554542%3A1510844354&section=education.
11. McClure, Steve. “Home.” Steve. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://dcsteveinwuhan.over-blog.com/.
12. “Board of Directors.” Tenants and Workers United. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.tenantsandworkers.org/board_of_directors.
13. “Our Story and Victories.” Tenants and Workers United. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.tenantsandworkers.org/about.
14. “About.” New Virginia Majority. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.newvirginiamajority.org/about.
15. “The New Virginia Majority Education Fund Board (501C3).” The New Virginia Majority Education Fund. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.nvm-educationfund.org/c3board.
16. “About.” New Virginia Majority. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://www.newvirginiamajority.org/about
17. Barthel, Margaret. “Nearly 200,000 Formerly Incarcerated Virginians Have Their Voting Rights Back. Will They Use Them?” WAMU 88.5. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://wamu.org/story/19/11/05/nearly-200000-formerly-incarcerated-virginians-have-their-voting-rights-back-will-they-use-them/.
18. “United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Richmond Division.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/sites/default/files/Personhuballah%20v.%20Alcorn%20Amici%20Memorandum%20on%20behalf%20of%20Common%20Cause%20and%20New%20Virginia%20Majority.pdf.
19. Herndon, Astead W. “Progressive Donor Susan Sandler to Give $200 Million to Racial Justice Groups,” September 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/us/politics/Susan-Sandler-donation-racial-justice.html.