The core of DC Unite for Progress’ efforts is a team of motivated volunteers committed to working to elect politicians who will defend our communities and civil liberties, build governing bodies that respect diversity, and represent the rights of all people.
DC UP Elections History
2023
We’re focusing on partnering with other organizations this cycle, please reach out to us at dcuniteforprogress@gmail.com if you’d like to be connected with opportunities to knock doors in Virginia!
2022
In 2022, DC UP mobilized over 50 volunteers to knock more than 2,000 doors for Democrats up and down the ticket in Pennsylvania. We organized carpools to PA throughout the fall to canvass for now Senator Jon Fetterman and Governor Josh Shapiro. We also pushed hard for candidate Shamaine Daniels (PA10) who ran against avid Trump-supporter Scott Perry. We were disappointed to see her lose but hope to see her in the arena again in future cycles.
This was also our first year partnering with DC College Dems for our GOTV efforts; doubling our group in November!
2021
In 2021, DC UP mobilized over 30 volunteers to knock over 15,000 doors in Virginia’s state elections. While the main candidate we supported, Briana Sewell, did win her election for a seat in the House of Delegates (D51), the Democrats lost the House of Delegates and Governorship, and have had to rely on their razor thin margin in the Senate of 21-19 to block many dangerous priorities. DC UP will be active in Virginia’s 2023 state elections again with the goal of retaking the House and holding the Senate.
2020
In 2020, DC UP mobilized over 100 volunteers to call more than 30,000 voters across Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Florida. Our efforts contributed to the victories of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the elections of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff that flipped the U.S. Senate blue, and the successful re-elections of Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-6) and Rep. Susan Wild (PA-7). DC UP was also proud to work on the campaign of Justice Pat Timmons-Goodson (NC-8), and to assist Justice Pat’s team in moving a former Republican stronghold district much further left.
2019
In 2019, DC Unite for Progress (DC UP) built on its 2017 work in Virginia; promoting candidates who would work actively to build a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable democracy for all of their constituents. This work, along with the work of many other volunteers and groups, led to the Democratic control of both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates: the first time since 1994, that Democrats would be in control of the Virginia State Legislature. Through mobilizing 64 volunteers to knock over 4,000 doors and engage in conversations with approximately 1,200 individual voters, DC UP helped to flip VA-40 with the election of Delegate Dan Helmer and helped to keep the recently flipped VA-31 in Delegate Elizabeth Guzman’s control. The newly elected progressives have wasted no time in asserting their inclusive priorities.
2018
During the crucial midterm elections, DC UP concentrated canvassing efforts in support of U.S. House of Representatives candidate Leslie Cockburn, who faced a challenging race in one of Virginia’s most gerrymandered districts: VA-5. In 2018, DC UP knocked on more than 2,000 doors across Fauquier, Madison, Greene, and Albemarle Counties and talked with nearly 800 voters about Leslie Cockburn’s progressive vision for the district. While Cockburn ultimately lost the race, she picked up a huge number of votes and shifted the district blue by 10 percentage points over the 2016 congressional race.
Our community also contributed to a number of other close races across the country as we used phone and text banking to get out the vote for women of color candidates working to make a difference in their communities, including Lucy McBath, Xochitl Torres Small, Stacy Abrams, and Gina Ortiz Jones.
2017
Devastated by the results of the 2016 election but energized to resist hatred and oppression, DC UP galvanized volunteers to work on flipping the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017, focusing most of our support on electing Delegate Danica Roem. Seventy-five unique volunteers came out with DC UP over the course of four months to canvass and phone bank. As a group, we knocked on close to 3,000 doors and spoke with hundreds of voters. Together, we built a strong community to support Danica Roem, an incredible candidate and now a formidable delegate, and other delegates, including Lee Carter, Dawn Adams, Jennifer Carroll Foy, and Hala Ayala, who are working hard on behalf of Virginians every day.
2016
During the 2016 presidential campaign, DC UP mobilized close to 200 volunteers who knocked on 5,000 doors, talked to an estimated 1,500 people, and registered 100 new voters in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Read more about our inaugural year on the About DCUAH page!