Force Multiplier is a left-of center activism group founded to oppose President Donald Trump. It now raises money via direct donations through Act Blue for Democratic candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts in swing states. ¹

Force Multiplier raised $7 million during the 2020 election cycle and supported 11 Congressional and three Senate winners, as well as helped organizations that turned out Democratic Party voters in five key states that assured President Joe Biden’s victory. ²

The organization is part of Field Team 6, a coalition of nearly 100 national and state organizations that work to turnout Democratic Party voters in key states. ³

Background

Force Multiplier is an organization that was founded in Brookline, Massachusetts to oppose President Donald Trump and the Republican Party shortly after Trump’s election in 2016. The group focused on political donations from Massachusetts residents initially and expanded nationally in 2020. ⁴

Force Multiplier generates financial support for Democratic congressional candidates, as well as groups that promote voter registration and turnout. Candidates are chosen in key races in battleground states and races based on available seats that its research indicates are critical in sustaining a Democratic Party majority in both houses of Congress and voter turnout organizations that are aligned politically in critical states. ⁵

The group raises money that is channeled through ActBlue and goes directly to the candidate or organization that the donor specifies. Force Multiplier claims to have raised $7 million for the 2020 election cycle and supported 11 House of Representatives and three Senate winners as well as helped organizations that turned out the vote in the five key states that assured President Joe Biden’s victory. ⁶

Activities

Force Multiplier plans to use $9 million raised from 9,300 people to date in the 2022 election cycle. The ActBlue donations were made to Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) as well as candidates in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The group is backing House of Representatives candidates in Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, New Mexico, and California. ^{7 8}

Force Multiplier voter mobilization efforts resulted in $2.2 million raised for the benefit of the Movement Voter Project, which was then directed to 60 locally led groups in seven states. ⁹

The organization has created the Democracy in Action Slate as a fund-raising vehicle which splits money raised equally amongst the left-of-center Arizona Center for Empowerment; You Can Vote; the New Georgia Project, formerly headed by Stacey Abrams; Make the Road PA; and the Asian Community Development Council. ¹⁰

Partnerships

Force Multiplier is a partner of the left-of-center Field Team 6, a coalition of nearly one hundred national and state organizations that attempt to raise Democratic Party voter turnout in swing states. ¹¹

The organization works with left-of-center Fair Fight Action (FFA), funded by left-of-center Fair Fight Political Action Committee (FFPAC) founded by Stacey Abrams after her failed 2018 campaign for governor of Georgia. A major grantee of FFPAC is the Senate Majority PAC. FFA is funded by the United Auto Workers Union (UAW), the Communication Workers of America (CWA), the National Education Association (NEA), Michael Bloomberg, AFL-CIO, and AFSCME.. ¹²

Force Multiplier also partners with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) from which it receives data upon which it makes candidate recommendations. ¹³

Force Multiplier supports the Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI), a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, in support of groups like Down Home North Carolina and GALvanize Action, as they work to increase Democratic turnout in rural areas. ¹⁴

The organization is also a partner with the left-of-center Courier Newsroom, designed to provide a counterbalance to conservative newspapers and local radio stations. ¹⁵

Force Multiplier and America Votes, a left-of-center lobbying group that supports left-of-center advocacy and expanded voting access, have partnered to form The Blue Surge Turnout Fund and identified 35 groups—five each in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—that will support voter turnout initiatives in their respective states. ¹⁶

America Votes partners with organizations like the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), Democratic Governors Association (DGA), Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), Senate Majority PAC, Emily’s List, Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). ¹⁷

Force Multiplier is active in challenges to redistricting maps that it perceives as unfair to Democratic Party candidates and challenging what it and Democrats term as “voter suppression,” including measures requiring voter identification, the elimination of same-day voter registration, and the elimination of pre-registration for students over 16. ¹⁸

Leadership

Force Multiplier is led by co-founder and co-chair Tom Hallock, a retired sales manager in the book publishing industry. ^{19 20}

Cindy Rowe is a co-founder and board member who was an attorney and political activist. ^{21 22}

Laura Weisel is co-chair and was executive director of the Harvard Catalyst at the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center. ²³

1. “Results.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/results
2. “Results.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/results
3. “Field Team 6.” FieldTeam6. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
4. “Results.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/results.
5. “Strategy.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/strategy.
6. “Results.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/results.
7. “Hold the House.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/fm-the-house.
8. “Hold the Senate.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/fm-the-senate.
9. “Results.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/results.
10. “Chip in!” ActBlue. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/forcemultiplier2022democracyinaction?refcode=Web_home.
11.  “Field Team 6.” FieldTeam6. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
12. Fair Fight PAC PAC Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/fair-fight-pac/C00693515/donors/2020.
13. “Slates Messaging.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/slates-messaging
14. “Support RDI.” Rural Democracy Initiative. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://ruraldemocracyinitiative.org/support
15. “Courier.” COURIER, June 4, 2022. https://couriernewsroom.com/.
16. “End of the Year Giving to Support Democracy.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/voter-empowerment.
17. “Our Partners.” America Votes. July 19, 2016. https://americavotes.org/our-partners/.
18. “End of the Year Giving to Support Democracy.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/voter-empowerment.
19. “Leaders.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/leaders.
20. “Tom Hallock” Linkedin. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hallock-61a8557.
21. “Leaders.” Force Multiplier. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/leaders.
22. Susie Davidson. “Brookline@Home: Cindy Rowe Rallies the Troops with Feb. 23 Town Meeting.” Wicked Local. February 17, 2021. https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/brookline-tab/2021/02/17/brookline-home-cindy-rowe-rallies-troops-feb-23-town-meeting/6757281002/.
23. “Laura Weisel.” Linkedin. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-weisel-932bb74.