Swing Left is a Democratic Party-aligned fundraising and voter mobilization PAC (political action committee). The PAC provides connections to Swing Left team members, information concerning specific districts, fundraising services, and canvassing opportunities within competitive districts.¹ It also offers volunteers free online training programs, simulcast technology, and interactive webinars. ²

Vote Forward is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of Swing Left which focuses on letter-writing campaigns encouraging historically Democratic Party-leaning constituencies to vote. ³

Background

Swing Left was established after the 2016 presidential election by Ethan Todras-Whitehill, a freelance writer for the New York Times;⁴ Joshua Krafchin, a marketer and entrepreneur; and Miriam Stone, a brand strategist.¹

Swing Left was designed as a mobilization PAC that helps raise money for Democratic candidates while also helping individuals find and commit to supporting Democratic candidates in specific swing districts during the 2018 midterm elections. The PAC has raised over $10 million for Democratic candidates.⁵

Swing Left partners with Democratic Party and left-of-center groups such as Soros Fund Management LLC, investment firm owned by left-wing mega donor George Soros; the Advocacy Fund (Tides Advocacy Fund), a donor-advised fund provider; North Six, an international production agency; and Onward Together, political action organization established by former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. ⁶

Political Activity

In January 2024, Swing Left launched two campaign groups for the fall elections: Team Up and Crash Course. Team Up developed community organizing by matching activists with three to six other activists in their community while encouraging them to work together. Crash Course allegedly assisted with forming groups on college campuses and universities in order to campaign for the campaigns of Democratic Party candidates. ⁷

In July 2024, Swing Left claimed that it raised $160,000 within 24 hours of then-President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. The group raised the money for a fund that would be used to support Biden’s replacement on the Democratic ticket. ⁸

In July 2024, Swing Left focused on 24 U.S. House races including 10 in New York and California. The group claimed it would focus on elections in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin down the ballot. The group also focused on Ohio and Montana for the U.S. Senate races and New York and California for the U.S. House races. ⁹

In August 2024, Swing Left’s Yasmin Radjy claimed then-Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was, “a return to a level of hope that I don’t think that we have collectively experienced since 2008.”  ¹⁰

In September 2024, Swing Left launched its Immediate Impact Fund, which attempted to connect smaller donors with larger Democratic Party federal-level campaigns. The campaigns were allegedly selected based on “historical election returns, current polling, assessments of the national political climate, fundraising data, national committee expenditures and independent ratings to select its target campaigns.” ¹¹ As of September 2024, Swing Left had raised $15 million for the campaigns of Democrats running in several federal and state-level races while having roughly 1 million volunteers for canvassing and phone banking. ¹¹

In October 2024, Swing Left’s Yasmin Radjy wrote an op-ed in Teen Vogue claiming, “The stakes couldn’t be higher — for our freedoms, our democracy, and literally every issue any of us cares about, from abortion to climate to student loan debt to the cost of living to the state of the world. And we won’t have a chance in hell to make progress if extremist Republicans have power.”  ¹² Swing Left also encouraged potential voters to vote through Swing Left’s affiliate Vote Forward, to donate contributions through Swing Left’s Immediate Impact Fund (the Sister District Project), and to host in-person or virtual organizing events. ¹³

In October 2024, Swing Left teamed up with Vote Save America to produce an online media special with actors Billy Eichner and Will Ferrell called “Billy on the Street with Will Ferrell.” The special featured both men talking to passersby in the streets of New York promoting Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. The two men encouraged New Yorkers to vote early and volunteer for Harris. The video drew 12 million social media views in its first 24 hours. ¹⁴

Funding

In the 2020 election cycle, Swing Left raised $15,793,106.97 from over 22,000 donors. Former New York City Mayor and then-Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was the largest single donor, giving the group $2,000,000. Wall Street investor Aaron Sosnick donated the second most at $1,250,000. Other donations included $520,000 from Laura Gottsman, $500,000 from Majority Forward, $495,000 from Nicholas Pritzker, $202,846.07 from Flippable, $315,000 from Edward Snowdon, Jr., $100,000 from Tides Advocacy, $100,000 from Wellness Advocacy Fund, $50,000 from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s Onward Together, $50,000 from actor Kevin Bacon, and $45,000 from actress Kyra Sedgwick. ¹⁵

In the 2022 election, Swing Left raised $12,217,564.98 from over 32,000 donors. The largest single donor was Majority Forward, which donated $500,000. Other donations included $450,000 from Aaron Sosnick, $190,000 from Edward Snowdon, Jr., $45,000 from Kyra Sedgwick, $25,000 from Onward Together, and $20,000 from Kevin Bacon. ¹⁶

In the 2024 election, Swing Left raised $ 16,523,464.70 from almost 30,000 donors. Aaron Sosnick was the largest donor, giving $1,000,000. Other contributions of note were $840,000 by Deborah Simon, $500,000 from Senate Majority PAC, $390,000 from Quinn Delaney, and $295,000 from William T. Hillman. ¹⁷

Expenditures

In the 2018 election cycle, Swing Left spent a total of about $10 million. Swing Left spent $5.1 million on contributions with $4,861,748 of that sum being applied to federal candidates and $91,451 being applied to state and local candidates. The PAC spent a total of $981,000 on media with about $522,134 of that sum being applied to web advertisements. It also spent $773,232 on campaign strategy and communications consulting. ¹⁸

In the 2020 election cycle, Swing Left spent almost $16 million. The group spent or funneled $734,381.12 on behalf of its supported federal candidates. The group spent most of its money on digital advertising through Facebook, Stackadapt, and Google. The group also spent funds on text messaging services through Knockco, LLC. ¹⁵

In the 2022 election cycle, Swing Left spent $14.3 million. The group funneled over $1.2 million to its supported federal candidates and groups. The group spent funds on digital advertising through Google and donations were made to non-federal campaign committees. ¹⁶

In the 2024 election cycle, Swing Left spent $15.3 million. The group sent $2.2 million to its supported federal candidates and groups. In addition to spending on digital advertising with Google and Facebook, the group used digital advertising on Snapchat. ¹⁷

Leadership

Yasmin Radjy is the executive director of Swing Left. Before joining Swing Left, she worked in the Biden administration as senior advisor for Recovery Program Outreach at the Department of the Treasury. Prior to this, she was the national political director at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the director of organizing and training at PPAF and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Virginia state director at Mobilize America. ¹⁹

Andrea Riveron is the chief of staff of Swing Left. Before joining Swing Left, Riveron worked for several media production companies as a manager handling client accounts. ¹⁹

Nick Hutchins is the former head of communications and Digital for Swing Left, serving in the position since February 2024. He previously worked as the communications director for get-out-the-vote organization (GOTV) Vote.Org and in several positions with the Human Rights Campaign. ²⁰ Hutchins left Swing Left in March 2025 to launch a public relations firm. ²¹

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12.   Radjy, Yasmin. “5 Ways to Get Involved in the 2024 Campaigns That Matter Right Now.” Teen Vogue, October 10, 2024. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ways-to-get-involved-2024-campaigns.
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