FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It Starts Today Launches ‘Dump Trump’ War Chest Campaign
Funds will be used to jumpstart the Democratic nominee’s presidential race
During this multi-month funding gap, the presumptive democratic nominee finds themselves financially weakened by the primary battle and without the means to fight back against unrelenting Republican attacks.
It Starts Today is looking to change the equation. Today, with the launch of their new video, “Dump Trump” It Starts Today is proud to announce their initiative aimed at ensuring that the presumptive nominee can kick off his or her race to the White House with the resources to win.
“I had a front row seat for the tens of millions of dollars that Karl Rove and George W. Bush unleashed on John Kerry and his all-but-bankrupt campaign in April 2004, successfully framing him as an untrustworthy ‘flip-flopper,’ a moniker from which he never recovered,” said Jonathan Zucker, founder of It Starts Today, who served as National Director of Operations for Finance at the Democratic National Committee for the 2004 cycle. “I’ve spent the decade since then working on a variety of projects designed to ensure that this never happened to another Democratic nominee.”
“While the Democratic candidates raise and spend millions of dollars running against each other in the primary race, Trump is building the war chest he’ll unleash on whoever wins the Democratic nomination,” added Michele Hornish, Executive Director of It Starts Today. “Dump Trump gives the presumptive Democratic nominee the funding he or she will need to fight back when they need it the most.”
From now until the day in mid-2020 when Democratic nominee emerges, It Starts Today hopes to raise several million dollars under the auspices of a 2004 Advisory Opinion from the Federal Election Commission. In accordance with that Opinion, It Starts Today will hold the donated funds and will transfer them to the nominee’s campaign account as soon as he or she has the required number of delegates to secure the nomination on the first ballot.
While there are some efforts similar to Dump Trump, such as SwingLeft’s Unify or Die Fund and ActBlue’s Democratic Nominee Fund, these funds, like the Party support, does not kick in until after the Convention. What distinguishes It Starts Today’s Dump Trump project is the strategic timing of its funding, coming after the nomination has been clinched, but before the Convention. Only in the event of a “brokered convention” will Dump Trump funds be distributed to the nominee after the convention.
To learn more and to contribute, go to: https://contribute.itstarts.today/dumptrump.
ABOUT IT STARTS TODAY
It Starts Today is building a privately funded public campaign finance system for Democrats. It began on election night 2016 as a way to crowdsource support for Democratic congressional candidates. The organization encouraged people to make a monthly contribution that was then split among every single Democratic nominee for House or Senate. In 2017, it expanded to include a demonstration project for state legislative funding in Missouri. Dump Trump works in the same way, but this time the goal is winning the White House and all funds are directed to the nominee.
ABOUT COLLECTIVE AGENCY
Collective Agency produces multi-platform digital campaigns created by the world’s most informed and most motivated activist creators. Every member of the Collective Agency team passionately pursues progressive values in their work, in their politics and in their life. Formed in response to the 2016 elections, Collective Agency has produced dozens of the most engaging campaigns for leading progressive and socially responsible causes, including Indivisible, Swing Left and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.