The Virginia Young Democrats hired 12 full-time organizers for the critical 2009 Gubernatorial and State Legislative elections. Our organizers had two, simultaneous goals: get large numbers of volunteers incorporated into the campaigns, and identify new members and volunteers as a way to build our membership for future elections.
135,300 Voter Contacts Later, We Have Done Just That
Early on, VAYD recognized the importance of the Abbott race and our ability to play a major role in the outcome. The first organizer we hired was in-kinded directly to Robin Abbott's race. The picture above comes from our organization's first large invasion of the cycle, which we held for Robin Abbott's race. Our invasion accounted for 4,500 voter contacts and included 60 Young Democrats from the William & Mary Young Democrats, the Christopher Newport Young Democrats, the York County High School Young Democrats, and a large contingent of College Democrats from American University, Catholic University, and Trinity College in Washington, D.C.
All in all, VAYD contributed 14,250 voter contacts to Robin Abbott's race for Delegate.
Organizer 93 - Our Gal On The Ground, Hannah Wiegard
Hannah was our first in-kind organizer and blazed the trail for our fellow organizers. From her tale of love on the campaign trail to her taking a role in multiple parts of the Abbott Campaign, Hannah made herself a valuable asset to the Abbot Campaign from very early on, when the campaign needed it most. Hannah's September 1st start date allowed the Virginia Young Democrats to make a huge impact on this race.
Building New Volunteers and New Chapters
The Virginia Young Democrats are a year-round organization. By hiring organizers and in-kinding them directly to campaigns in key areas, VAYD has been able to identify hundreds of new volunteers and dozens of potential new chapter leaders. Hannah has been very successful at using her position on the Abbott campaign to identify key new young leaders throughout the peninsula. The York County High School Young Democrats, pictured with Governor Tim Kaine, above, is a newly identified VAYD chapter that arose out of this election, and a prime example of the infrastructure building that our organizers have been able to do.
Young Dems Chapters
From canvasses for local city, county, statewide and legislative races, to tabling and visibility programs, to distributing tickets for President Obama's rally for Creigh Deeds, the Young Dems in the Newport News area have been active in all levels of campaigning. The William & Mary Young Democrats (pictured above with Governor Tim Kaine), the Christopher Newport University Young Democrats, and the York County High School Young Democrats all played a critical role in special events and operations for campaigns on the Peninsula.
