May 2024 Newsletter
JOIN US to help Democrats get elected on Nov. 5! Ensure that your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors are registered to vote.
As in 2020, the swing states shaded in purple below — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — will likely determine control of the White House. And while the numbers of registered Democratic and Republican voters are roughly equal across the nation, the number of non-partisan, unaffiliated or Independent voters has risen greatly over the last four years, meaning they will presumably decide the presidential and many other races.
Chapter News - Michigan
Michigan is the tip of the spear in this election. While the state remains purple and holds its cards close to its chest until Nov. 5, we are still vulnerable to turning red again. In 2020, Joe Biden reassuringly won Michigan — which Donald Trump carried by just 10,000 votes in 2016 — with a 150,000-vote margin. While 2020 showed the robustness of the pro-Biden/anti-Trump vote turnout, it’s important to note that Trump still received an additional 400,000 votes when compared to 2016. Unfortunately, polls this year consistently show Biden losing to Trump in the state.
The war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis may depress turnout of the large Muslim and student population in Michigan, compounded by a projected decline in Black voter turnout. This may challenge the stability of the Democratic Party coalition. To win, Biden will need to replicate the impressive 2.8 million votes that he received in 2020 and the sizable South Asian population in the state will no doubt play an important role in helping to bring victory. Tailoring messaging to address the issues important to our community will be a crucial aspect of voter outreach in this election.
The One Michigan campaign, encompassing Biden and downstream Democrats, including a critical open Senate seat, is in the process of establishing 30 offices statewide and mobilizing grassroots support. We will need volunteers nationwide to join us in making calls, donating, and writing postcards to keep Michigan blue.
Our democracy is strongest when everyone participates and ... our democracy as a nation is weaker when people are left out. So this is the fight. This is the fight of our lifetime."
— Vice President Kamala Harris
Working Groups Update
The Membership Working Group kicked off the year with our first Book Club Meeting. We had an engaging discussion on Simon Sinek's book "Leaders Eat Last." Attendees discussed how they related to the book and what they do as leaders in various situations. Our next book is "Oath and Honor" by Liz Cheney. On March 24, the working group held our first TSB Virtual Happy Hour, which was attended by nearly 50 TSB members. With an open discussion format, attendees asked the TSB Strategy team leaders questions and received immediate feedback. We were also joined by candidate Ashwin Ramaswami, who is running for the Georgia state senate seat for District 48. The 24-year-old Ashwin is an impressive young man, who eloquently answered our questions.
The Election Strategy Working Group (ESWG) has been meeting regularly to set up the TSB strategy for elections in key states that will be crucial in deciding the presidential race as well as significant Senate and congressional races across the U.S. The ESWG reviews several important criteria such as the South Asian population in a district, whether a district leans Democratic or Republican and the margin of victory of previous elections. The ESWG will contact individual chapters to coordinate efforts and determine actions to help Democrats win.
"In our bones, we know democracy at risk — is at risk. But we also know this: It’s within our power, each and every one of us, to preserve our democracy."
— President Joe Biden
TSB National Youth Chapter
We are a small team of Gen Z and Millennial teens and adults who meet weekly for one hour via video call. Although our members currently range in age from high school to young working professionals, we welcome anyone who is interested in helping us promote issues that are important to us. We connect young people in They See Blue and offer them:
A structured way to get involved in advocacy work.
An advisory board format to help assist TSB's various working groups and chapters about youth-focused approaches to grassroots organizing.
Connections internally such as to TSB committees and chapters and externally to campaigns and volunteer organizations.
A community for like minded students and/or early-career professionals who want to make a difference.
Sign up for the TSB National Youth Chapter. You can join through our website by mentioning "Youth" in the comments section of the form.
Summer Fellowship for High Schoolers
We are planning to offer a summer fellowship for high schoolers seeking to learn about political advocacy and build their civic engagement skills. Participation will likely be one hour per week for six weeks that will include readings, discussions, guest speakers and skill-building projects. If you’re in high and school and interested, please email Akash Borde at borde.akash@gmail.com.