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About Us

Contest Every Race is a movement to ensure that every public office across the country is contested.

Our Story

Founded in 2018 with a single goal in mind, Contest Every Race set out to help rural Democrats find candidates for elections that were otherwise going uncontested. What began with one race quickly grew into a nationwide initiative, recruiting over 11,000 candidates and building a community of over 200,000 local leaders. 

We believe that no election should go unchallenged and that regular people with shared values can step up to make a difference. 

Our mission is to strengthen democracy by empowering individuals to run for office, especially in communities where Republicans and the radical right have taken control unopposed. 

By building a bench of future leaders, we are creating opportunities for everyday Democrats to rise and lead at every level of government.

Our Impact

11,899

Candidates Recruited

5,216

Democrats Elected to Local Office

43%

Of Candidates Won Their Race

 $1.5M

Granted to Local Organizing Groups

Our Values

Voters Deserve a Choice.

In 2022, Democrats failed to contest 51% of partisan races. In 2024, Democrats lost 80% of all uncontested partisan races. These races mostly occur where you expect: rural and non-urban areas where Democrats have had a fading presence.

When only one party runs, voters lack choice on the ballot and voice in their local government. This results in MAGA extremists having free reign to enact their radical anti-democracy agenda.

Local Races Matter.

Of the 520,000 elected government offices in the country, 96% are local. These offices shape our everyday lives yet are often overlooked by media and political strategists. When Democrats run for these seats, they fight for policies that lift up their communities and improve the lives of the people who live there.

Democrats Can Win Anywhere.

Since our inception in 2018, Contest Every Race has recruited over 9,000 Democrats to run for local office in red, blue, and purple states. 43% of these candidates won their race.

In 2024, we had our most successful year yet. We recruited 2,907 candidates across 17 states to run for local office in rural and non-urban areas. 1,408 recruited candidates won their race — a winning percentage of 48%.

Local Organizers Need Support.

In 2024, we gave $1 million to under-resourced local Democratic Parties in rural and non-urban communities. In return, they drove measurable results:

  • 1.4 million doors knocked and 1.3 million phone calls made.
  • 367,636 voters canvassed and 25,719 new voters registered.
  • 64,393 volunteer shifts completed.
  • 13 million hyper-local texts sent through 2,500+ campaigns.

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