Not to be confused with Majority Forward, another Democratic-aligned PAC

Forward Majority Action is a Democratic-aligned super PAC that focuses on electing Democrats in the 2020 election ahead of the 2021 redistricting process.

Election Strategies

On January 3, 2020, Forward Majority officially published its plan to gain seats in key election states during the 2020 presidential election. What makes Forward Majority unique is that it targets state-level elections, generally in the local state’s lower house. The states it focuses on are Texas, Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. The importance of winning these state houses lies in the fact that 2020 is a census year: there will be redistricting that could assure Democratic or Republican control in a given state until the next decade. Forward Majority aims to take seats at the margins – where no one is really paying attention – to flip enough influential statehouses to gain simple majorities that will redistrict favorably for Democrats. ¹ Per a report from The Hill, “‘There are four states that represent the most powerful points of leverage to fortify our democracy,’ said Vicky Hausman, Forward Majority co-founder. ‘Quite simply: these states are where Democrats face the greatest risk of being locked out of power nationally for the next 10 years.’”²

Texas

According to Forward Majority, Texas is “the crown jewel” of the redistricting process. Democrats picked up 12 seats in 2019, and there were 17 “near losses” (pegged as elections where the Democrat won 45 percent or more of the vote) in the Texas State House. Flipping just nine of those seats while losing none would ensure a majority that could redistrict Texas more favorably for Democrats.

Florida

In 2019, Forward Majority began a $2.2 million “Florida House program” to win seats in the Florida State House. In 2018, the Democrats gained five seats and caused 22 “near losses.” Should 14 seats be picked up, Florida’s state house would turn blue and offer more favorable redistricting for Democrats to win future elections in the state.

Forward Majority Action announced a partnership with Mayor Andrew Gillum in hopes of achieving a Democratic majority of seats in the Florida State House in 2020. Andrew Gillum was the former Democratic candidate for Governor and Mayor of Tallahassee. Forward Majority Action’s stated goal is to gain a Democratic majority in the Florida State House. It plans to do this by focusing on 25 political races located in South Florida and along the I-4 Corridor.

The Republican party currently holds a majority in the Florida State House by a margin of 73 seats to 47. It has held a majority in the Florida State House for 24 years. The Democratic party is currently only 14 seats away from a majority. In 2018, Forward Majority Action ran a digital advertising and mail campaign in Florida to flip existing Republican state House seats. Florida Democrats ultimately gained five House seats. ³

Arizona

Arizona’s population explosion and new suburban voting patterns have made it a purple state in recent years. After gaining two seats in 2018, Democrats are just two more seats away from taking the State House and three from taking the State Senate. Forward Majority claims that “GOP-Held Competitive Seats” in the State Senate are any Republican-held districts where Senator Kyrsten Sinema garnered 47 percent of the vote or more. Of those there are six, with just three needed for majority in the Arizona State Senate.

North Carolina

Forward Majority wants to focus on the State House of North Carolina. With Democrats gaining nine seats and 10 “near losses” in 2018 for Republicans, Democrats need just six more seats to gain outright majority and the right to redistrict North Carolina.

Funding

In 2018, Forward Majority Action Super PAC received $1,000,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund. ⁴

1. Forward Majority. “Capturing the Most Powerful Points of Leverage to Unwind Republican Power.” ForwardMajority Action. https://www.forwardmajority.org/news/roadmap-2020.
2. Axelrod, Tal. “Democrat super PAC unveils campaign targeting critical state legislatures,” The Hill. January 3, 2020. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/476728-democrat-super-pac-unveils-campaign-targeting-critical-state-legislatures.
3. “Andrew Gillum Partners with Forward Majority.” Forward Majority Action. November 27, 2019. https://www.forwardmajority.org/news/andrew-gillum-partners-with-forward-majority.
4. “Forward Majority Action Super PAC.” The Center for Responsive Politics. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib_all.php?cmte=C00631556&type=A&cycle=2018