DAGA Sees Best Fundraising Quarter in Committee History; Launches New “Who is my AG” Tool  to Educate Voters about State AGs ahead of 2020 Elections

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) reported raising over $8 million across all platforms in the first quarter of 2020. Shattering previous committee fundraising records, DAGA raised more in Q1 of 2020 than in any quarter in organization history and surpassed the total amount raised in 2017, the first full year after the committee’s revamp. Grassroots supporters continue to play an important role in the committee’s growth with over 20,000 individual donors powering online fundraising records for Q1; the grassroots donor program has grown nearly 200% since 2018.

“We appreciate the continued growth in financial support from all our donors. Once again, we are breaking records, and the increased levels of support for DAGA and Democratic AGs demonstrate that donors at every giving level have grown in their recognition and understanding of the need to elect Democrats to the office of state Attorney General,” said Sean Rankin, Executive Director of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. “Since Trump’s election, there has been no group of elected leaders more effective at protecting our democracy and defending the rights of citizens than Democratic AGs. We are working hard to elect more Democratic AGs who will fight to protect health care, promote equality, and serve as watchdogs on government for the people—something that Americans need more than ever.”

The Q1 fundraising record follows other trends in DAGA success. Since revamping the committee in 2016, DAGA has won elections in eight battleground states (NC, PA, VA, CO, MI, MN, NV, and WI), competing head-to-head with the Republican Attorneys General Association in purple, and even red, states. With the promotion of Abi Strayer to National Finance Director and the growth in DAGA’s political department under Farah Melendez’s leadership, DAGA is on track to see continued success in both fundraising and elections for cycles to come.

“We are in a national fight with escalating costs,” added Rankin. “The Republican Party clearly understands the role that state Attorneys General can have in developing and executing national policy—thankfully DAGA is here to ensure the same is valued on this side of the aisle.”

“DAGA will continue to stretch resources strategically and focus on building partnerships to continue our momentum, set records, and win races,” continued Rankin. “I am incredibly grateful to our extraordinary co-chairs, our committed executive committee members, all of our engaged Democratic AGs, and a dedicated committee staff. Together, we are building a platform to make a positive difference in the lives of all Americans.”

In November, there will be 12 AG seats on the political map with ten AGs elected by popular vote, including four incumbent Republican AGs and one open seat in Montana. All five are Democratic targets. In an effort to retake the majority of state AG seats, DAGA’s electoral strategy is built on three balanced programs:

• Incumbency Protection Project: activities centered on re-electing Democratic AGs in North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington.
• Back-to-Blue: programming designed to help Democratic AG candidates flip currently held Republican seats in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Utah, and West Virginia back to blue.
• GOP Accountability: efforts focused on ensuring voters know where Republican AGs stand on issues like health care, women’s equality, and workers’ rights.

As part of DAGA’s 2020 efforts to educate voters, the committee launched a new digital tool, “Who is my AG”, that allows voters to search by state and learn key facts about their state Attorney General. The tool includes information about when and how each state Attorney General is elected or selected including if/when they are next on the ballot.

“Democratic AGs are on the front lines of the fight for health care, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, and so many other issues that are top of mind for voters,” said Farah Melendez, Political Director at the Democratic Attorneys General Association. “Over the past three years as a reinvigorated committee, we’ve learned that when voters know who their state AG is and what they are doing on issues that are important to them, voters will pick the Democrat. In 2020, we are utilizing new tools such as our expanding digital platforms and allocating resources to educate voters on the Democratic AG difference—the positive difference having a Democratic AG makes in our everyday lives.”

In 2016, DAGA moved from a part-time committee based in Colorado to a full-time organization that won two out of three battleground state races going head-to-head with the Republican Attorneys General Association. In 2017, DAGA secured the re-election of Virginia AG Mark Herring and launched a Women’s Initiative (“the 1881 Initiative”) to elect more women to the office of state Attorney General with an expressed commitment to equal representation. In 2018, DAGA helped flip four seats blue and elect the most diverse coalition of Democratic Attorneys General in history. The committee is currently spearheaded by two women for the first time in history, Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum and Massachusetts AG Maura Healey. Most recently, DAGA earned the attention of top Democrats and reproductive rights leaders for becoming the first Democratic campaign committee to require candidates to publicly commit to protecting reproductive rights in order to receive financial support from the committee.