Democracy Matters

The organization works closely with allied Democratic strategists and advocacy groups, particularly through initiatives such as the “Working Class Project,” which examined why blue-collar voters shifted toward President Trump in 2024. The project concluded that many voters viewed Democratic politics as overly “woke” and disconnected from working-class concerns, while also arguing Democrats could regain support through economic messaging on inflation, housing, and health care. ^{5  6}

As of May 2026, Democracy Matters’ leadership remained closely connected to Brock’s network, with longtime Brock associate Bradley Beychok working as president and chairman of the organization. Democracy Matters also maintains extensive financial and operational ties to AB PAC, the Democracy Matters Foundation, and other organizations within the broader Democratic donor and media ecosystem. ^{7  1  8  9}

Background

Democracy Matters was established in its current form in 2024 as an outgrowth of left-of-center political strategist David Brock’s American Bridge 21st Century (AB PAC) network. Brock and his broad network of Democratic donors have long held a “Democracy Matters” conference to discuss campaign fundraising strategy. Following the 2024 conference, Democracy Matters launched as an independent political advocacy organization in a rebranding attempt to elect Democratic political candidates following the election of President Donald Trump in 2024. ^{1  2  3  4}

Prominent speakers at the 2024 Democracy Matters conference that launched the group included former Biden administration official and former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu (D), historian and author Heather Cox Richardson, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, and President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina. ¹

Activities

Democracy Matters raises funds for Democratic political campaigns. It has contributed to several left-of-center groups including Evidence for Impact and American Bridge 21st Century (AB PAC). ^{7  1}

In 2025, Democracy Matters partnered with AB PAC to complete the Working Class Project, a survey initiative to analyze voting trends among blue-collar voters and assess why the working-class voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. The two groups conducted 39 focus group discussions with approximately 400 working-class voters across 21 states. The Working Class Project also analyzed media consumption trends, ad testing, and messaging strategies with the participants. According to former Biden administration official and former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu, co-chairman of Democracy Matters and AB PAC, the survey revealed that blue-collar voters voted for Trump to escape far-left, “woke,” and “weak” Democratic politics. However, Landrieu also claimed that working-class voters were disappointed in the first year of President Trump’s second term, citing inflation, housing, and health care as key issues. Landrieu predicted in the study that Democratic political candidates could recapture the working-class vote by emphasizing these issues in the 2026 midterm elections and 2028 presidential election. ^{5  6}

Democracy Matters Foundation

The Democracy Matters Foundation is the 501(c)(3) sister organization that provides funding and pass-through financial services to Democracy Matters. The group changed its name from the Franklin Education Forum to the Democracy Matters Foundation in 2024. As of May 2026, Bradley Beychok was the foundation’s president and chairman. ^{10  11}

In 2024, the Democracy Matters Foundation provided $31,380,000 in funding to Democracy Matters. ¹¹

People

Co-Founder

According to a December 2024 New York Times article, David Brock is a co-founder of Democracy Matters, as the organization grew out of the broader Brock network of American Bridge 21st Century (AB PAC) and its affiliated groups. ¹ Brock is a former conservative journalist turned liberal political consultant and strategist. He has worked as a close ally and consultant to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In 2008, he helped orchestrate a $40 million media campaign with George Soros and Paul Begala against then-Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). ¹²

David Brock has been described as one of “the most influential operatives in the Democratic party.” ¹³ He is the founder of several prominent left-wing PACs and media organizations, including AB PAC, Media Matters for America (MMFA), and the American Democracy Legal Fund. He has been appointed chairman and board member of several left-wing groups, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Priorities USA Action, Media Matters Action Network (MMAN), and the Democracy Matters Foundation. ^{14  15  16  17  18  4}

Leadership

As of May 2026, Bradley Beychok was listed as a co-founder as well as the president and chairman of Democracy Matters. ^{7  1} Beychok has been a longtime associate of David Brock, serving as a co-founder and previous president of AB PAC and holding several leadership roles at Brock’s organizations. ^{19  20} Beychok worked as president of Media Matters for America (MMFA) until 2016. ²¹

From 2023 to 2026, Beychok donated a total of $34,123 to the Virginia state political campaigns of several prominent Democratic politicians and PACs, including $8,000 to Virginia Future Generations PAC, $7,000 to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s (D) campaign, and $4,088 to Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones’s (D) campaign. ²²

As of May 2026, Pilar Martinez was listed as the chief financial officer and a director at Democracy Matters. ⁷ She was also listed as a board member at Media Matters for America (MMFA) and has worked as the chief financial officer at the Democracy Matters Foundation. ^{23  10  11} Martinez has also served as the chief financial officer for the Media Matters Action Network and MMFA. She has also managed finances and accounting for the American Independent Foundation, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), AB PAC, and Correct the Record, all of which are current or former Brock-associated projects. ^{24  25}

As of May 2026, Danny Kazin was listed as a director at Democracy Matters. ⁷ At the time, he was also a director at New Engagement PAC and has worked as a leading political strategist at prominent Democratic PACs, including the AB PAC. He previously served as the deputy executive director for campaigns and the director of the independent expenditure at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Kazin is also a former senior advisor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). ²⁶

As of 2025, Mitch Landrieu was listed as a co-chair of both Democracy Matters and the AB PAC. In 2025, he helped Democracy Matters run the Working Class Project, a survey conducted to assess why blue-collar voters voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 and how to win back the working-class vote. Landrieu served as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2010 and as the mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. In 2024, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Landrieu as a senior advisor to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. He resigned from the position in January 2024 to work on President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign. ^{5  6  27}

Financials

In 2025, Democracy Matters reported $21,023,471 in total revenue, $50,944,528 in total expenses, and $925,611 in total assets. Its net assets after the year totaled$1,759,683. ⁷ In 2024, Democracy Matters reported $28,323,061 in total revenue, $46,430 in total expenses, and $28,308,706 in total assets. ²

Grants and Donations Received

In 2024, Democracy Matter’s largest donor was its 501(c)(3) sister organization and financial passthrough house, the Democracy Matters Foundation. That year, Democracy Matters received $31,380,000 in grants from the Democracy Matters Foundation for “educational and lobbying activities.” ²⁸

In 2024, Democracy Matters received an $11 million grant from the American Independent Foundation (AIF), a left-of-center media outlet in David Brock’s advocacy network. ⁸ That same year, Democracy Matters also received a $450,000 grant from American Independent Media. ²⁹

Grants and Donations Issued

In 2025, Democracy Matters issued four grants, totaling $46,750,000. The group issued a $42 million grant to Evidence for Impact, a left-of-center nonprofit founded by Ezra Reese. That same year, Democracy Matters issued a $4,250,000 grant to American Bridge 21st Century (AB PAC), making Democracy Matters AB PAC’s fourth largest donor from the 2024-2025 cycle. ^{9  30}

In 2025, Democracy Matters also issued a $450,000 grant to American Independent Media and a $50,000 grant to Project 218 PAC. ⁹