At the beginning of the year, I asked Political Charge readers the following question: What’s your biggest concern about politics going into 2020? The #1 response was that they were concerned that Trump might win re-election.

Now I like to focus on those things where we can exert some control. Being worried all the time really isn’t good for me, and shortly after the disastrous election of 2016, I learned quite fortuitously, that taking action made me feel so much better. I couldn’t control everything, but there was always some thing I could do, and deciding to take that small action was absolutely in my control.

So back to everyone’s chief concern, the question I asked myself is, what can we do, (assuming we are already voting for the Democrat on the ticket in November), to get Trump out of office? The answer is: Focus on the swing states. 

Most states have voted for the same party for president for decades. A small handful have voted for both parties over that same period of time, and an even smaller group flips between the two regularly. That last group is called the swing states.

What we can do to ensure that Trump loses in November is focus our political activities on turning out Democratic voters in the swing states. Whatever time you set aside each week to focus on politics would be best spent helping swing states turn out their left-leaning voters. Moreover, I encourage you to adopt a swing state.

There is consensus among the most respected ratings outlets (including Cook Political Report, Political Wire/Inside Elections, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball) that the most competitive swing states are:

Florida
Michigan
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin

The other states that are considered to be swing states by at least two of those ratings outlets are:

Arizona
Colorado
Georgia
Iowa
Minnesota
Nevada
New Hampshire
Ohio

I strongly encourage you to pick just one swing state to focus on for the next 7 months. Spreading ourselves too thin is a recipe for burnout, and let’s face it, we have enough on our plates right now. So, pick one right now.

Once you’ve picked your swing state, you can focus the time you’ve set aside for your political activism to look for opportunities to help that state. Look for ways to register voters in that state, help them learn how they can vote by mail (now more important than ever!), send/text reminders when their primary or general election date is near, and more. Regular readers know that I post opportunities to help on a regular basis.

And, because I am here to help you achieve your political activism goals, let me know if you’re having trouble finding ways to help in the swing state that you adopt. Leave me a reply in the comments, or send me an email through my website’s Contact form.

One final thought: This strategy of picking one swing state to focus on is only for those folks whose primary political goal in 2020 is to get Trump out of office. If you have a different top goal, like flipping the Texas state House of Representatives, or flipping the Senate seat in Maine, then you’ll need a different strategy to reach your goal.

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Tags: 2020 Election, 2020 presidential election, Elections, Explainers, featured, presidential election, Swing State Series, swing states, Take Action