Grandparents for Democracy is a Democratic Party-aligned get-out-the vote organization, which describes itself as comprised of people who came of age in the 1950s and 1960s “protesting injustice and inequality.” ¹

It is part of the Field Team 6 coalition, a Democratic-aligned political coalition. ² The organization claims credit for helping to flip three U.S. Congressional seats to Democrats in 2018 and focused on flipping the states of Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina from Republican to Democratic in the 2020 presidential race. ³

Background

Grandparents for Democracy is a left-leaning group that describes itself as people who were children in the 1950s and 1960s and came of age “protesting injustice and inequality.” ⁴

Grandparents for Democracy is part of the Field Team 6 coalition, a pro-Democratic Party get-out-the-vote group that tries to register Democratic voters in ten states to support Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress. ⁵

Grandparents for Democracy has chapters in California, New York City, and North Carolina. ⁶

The organization claims members’ grandchildren face a future where government is controlled by the wealthy and science and truth will be held in disrepute. The group says the United States must “act now,” otherwise “our country and our earth as we know them will cease to exist” for their grandchildren. ⁷

The organization also says it is mobilizing grandparents to restore respect for ethical conduct by working for candidates for national office that support “social justice” and a clean environment. ⁸

Youth for Democracy is a spinoff of Grandparents for Democracy. ⁹

Political Advocacy

Grandparents for Democracy says its 2022 strategy is to focus on key battleground states for Congressional races. It ranks the top U.S. Senate races for its voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts of Democratic voters. It said it chose Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District as a key battleground and is also focused on elations in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Nevada. ¹⁰

The organization asserts its work helped flip three congressional seats in the 2018 midterm election from Republican to Democratic control. These districts are New York’s 19th and California’s 25th and 39th Districts. ¹¹

In the 2020 president election, the group says it focused on flipping Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina from Republican to Democratic. ¹²

The group says in 2020, it sent about 20,000 personalized handwritten letters and thousands more postcards, phone calls, and text messages to turn out Democratic voters for U.S. Senate races. ¹³

Leadership

Larry Sarezky is the co-founder and executive director of Grandparents for Democracy. He is a retired attorney and former chairman of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Family Law Section and the Fairfield, Connecticut Human Services Commission. He began protesting at age 14, getting involved with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee’s Mississippi Summer Project. ¹⁴  

Rick Kurshner is the co-founder of Grandparents for Democracy. He is a Beverly Hills media and entertainment attorney who has represented performers, writers, directors, producers, and entertainment companies. ¹⁵

Nancy Kurshner is the director of West Coast operations of Grandparents for Democracy, and the wife of Rick Kushner. She has had a career as a TV and live event producer. She has worked for independent television producers and HBO for more than 30 years and produced numerous comedy programs and major events. ¹⁶

Lorraine Fitelson is the director of East Coast operations of Grandparents for Democracy. She is a retired special education teacher and has worked on local, state, and federal political campaigns. ¹⁷

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9.  Vincent, W. Curt. “Grandparents for Democracy join with Democratic Party to hold a street-side demonstration Saturday.” Young Voices. October 26, 2020. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/42623/young-voices
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12. “Our 2022 Strategy.” Grandparents for Democracy. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://www.grandparentsfordemocracy.org/our-2022-strategy
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16. “About Us.” Grandparents for Democracy. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://www.grandparentsfordemocracy.org/about-us
17. “About Us.” Grandparents for Democracy. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://www.grandparentsfordemocracy.org/about-us