In 2022, interest groups spent 1.3 billion on just five U.S. Senate races. Long election cycles and huge stakes mean big spending on all sides – especially by political parties.
Term limits would go a long way to making the playing field a bit more level for regular folks. Many Nebraskans just want to see more turnover in representative leadership!
Knowing that incumbents will spend millions to hold onto their Senate seats next year, what would we do with $2 million to support change and majority positions on reproductive freedom, medical marijuana and so much more?
We’d spend the majority of our budget making sure grassroots donors and activists directly support our candidates. Millionaire incumbents have a big advantage even as voters struggle with pocketbook issues like the price of groceries and gas (41% of Nebraska voters said this is their top issue). It takes working class representation to make change on working class issues! Influencers, direct mail, peer-to-peer, and email all have a role in fueling grassroots campaigns.
Next is a quarter of the budget on education and persuasion – it’s even more important to educate and inform voters about working class candidates than it is to talk about the incumbents’ broken promises. Social media, web, mobile, and streaming TV and audio plus physical and digital billboards all help tell the story.
How would you spend a $2 million budget to make change in the U.S. Senate? Tell us!