Our Approach
The fight for our future isn’t in Congress — it’s in state legislatures.
Our Mission
States Win builds enduring progressive power in state legislatures. We do this by supporting candidates, mobilizing volunteers, empowering lawmakers, and educating voters.
Why State Legislatures?
Real progress starts in the states. For years, Democrats have treated national politics as the main stage — leaving state races underfunded and overlooked. Yet state legislatures are on the frontlines of protecting our rights, expanding our freedom, and building the groundwork for national progress.
Abortion Access
When Roe vs. Wade was overturned, it wasn’t Congress that took action — it was states. That year, abortion rights won in every state where it appeared on the ballot.
Workers Rights
The federal minimum wage has stayed at an unlivable $7.25 for more than 15 years. But over half of all states have raised their own minimum wage — showing progress is possible in state houses.
Voting Rights
While the federal Voting Rights Act continues to be gutted, almost half of all states have passed laws expanding voting access including automatic registration, early voting, and vote-by-mail.
LGBTQ Rights
Of the 71 anti-LGBTQ bills that became law in 2025, 62 of them were under Republican trifectas. Who holds power determines our safety.
Redistricting
State legislators draw the maps for more than 300 Congressional districts and nearly 6,000 legislative seats. Who draws the lines decides our future.
Preventing Gun Violence
Nearly every year this century, red states have had higher rates of gun violence than blue states. Building Democratic trifectas can save lives.
Our Plan
States Win aims to play a pivotal role in putting Democrats in the strongest position possible for redistricting in 2031, laying the groundwork for a post-Trump era that restores American democracy and ushers in unprecedented progress.
We’re taking back state power — one seat at a time. It may not always feel like it, but Democrats hold more power at the state level today than they did when President Trump was first elected.
When States Win was founded in 2017, there were just 6 Democratic trifectas (states where Democrats control both legislative chambers and the governorship). Today, that number has more than doubled to 15.
This extraordinary progress is no accident. By channeling remote grassroots power into critical state legislative races, States Win has helped flip 10 legislative chambers — unlocking real, measurable benefits for people across the country.
- Flipped the PA House (2022)
- Secured Democratic trifectas in MI and MN (2022)
- Flipped the VA House (2023)
- Maintained control of the PA House and MN Senate (2024)
- Broke GOP supermajority in the NC House (2024)
- Secured the largest Democratic caucus in the GA House in decades (2024)
- Secured a Democratic trifecta in VA (2025)
- Broke GOP supermajority in Iowa (2025)
- Flipped MN House and held MN Senate (2025)
- Arizona: Create a Democratic trifecta
- Michigan: Flip the House and hold the Senate
- Wisconsin: Flip both chambers to create a Democratic trifecta
- Pennsylvania: Hold the House and make inroads in the Senate
- North Carolina: Sustain Governor Stein’s veto in the House and break the GOP Senate supermajority
- Iowa: Prevent a GOP supermajority in the Senate
- Minnesota: Break the tie in the House and hold the Senate majority
- Hold the Virginia Senate and House and defend our gains in preparation for the next presidential election, where an open-seat race will drive national attention.
- Prioritize and defend crucial four year term seats as they face voters for their last time prior to redistricting after the 2030 election.
- Win state chambers in the final opportunity before redistricting and the next round of legislative map-drawing.
- Emphasizing the stakes will be critical to motivating voters and educating them about the Census.
- Compete in newly-expanded state legislative battlegrounds, seizing opportunities to build long-term Democratic power.
- The prior 8 years’ work will culminate with this cycle, ushering in a new era of progressive leadership up and down the ballot.
Electoral Strategy
To the ballot box and beyond. Each year, we identify key battles to flip chambers, hold chambers, and make inroads into states badly gerrymandered by Republicans. And although winning elections is thrilling, we know that enacting bold, progressive policy at the state level requires more than just one successful campaign. That’s why we also invest in long-term strategies to support lawmakers, support state-based community organizations, and educate voters.
Campaign Services
Gold standard political support. States Win takes a candidate-centered approach to the next level. Our political team integrates closely with our candidates, providing best-in-class campaign guidance on a wide variety of specialties including field and fundraising plans, staff and consultant management, and communications and digital strategies — all completely free of charge.
“The resources Sister District provided have been invaluable in helping [lawmakers] better serve our constituents. I’m grateful for this partnership that strengthens our ability to lead and govern effectively.”
— Georgia Representative Shea Roberts
We proudly support Democratic candidates from all backgrounds, with a strong commitment to uplifting women, candidates of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, and those from nontraditional or underrepresented communities — because a healthy democracy must reflect the full diversity of America.
1. Determine chambers and districts to target
We first identify the most competitive districts with flippable seats or vulnerable Democratic incumbents. We analyze how each district has voted in recent local, state, and federal elections, track voter registration trends, and consider demographic shifts and trends in the district which may provide new opportunities or challenges for Democratic candidates.
2. Gather further state and local knowledge
Next, we review our preliminary list of chambers and districts with trusted local and national partners. This kind of local knowledge is critical for our ability to assess opportunities and understand what data alone can’t show.
3. Individual candidate evaluation
Finally, we evaluate each candidate based on factors like their community leadership, public positions on key policy issues, how well they reflect their district, the coalitions of support they’ve built, the quality of their campaign team, and their interest in partnering with us.
We require all endorsed candidates to agree with these statements, which we believe all Democrats should agree:
- We must protect and expand the legal right to abortion, dismantle barriers to reproductive health services, and pursue policies that create the conditions to achieve reproductive justice, where all people can choose to have a child, not have a child, and parent with dignity.
- We must protect and expand our social safety net, not dismantle it.
- We must pursue common-sense gun safety policies, consistent with the Second Amendment and local community standards, which vary from community to community.
- Climate change is real and we must protect our environment.
- We must protect all members of our diverse community, and ensure that everyone, including the most vulnerable, is treated with fairness, justice, and equality.
- We must ensure that districts are drawn fairly and protect and expand the right to vote, so that everyone can have a voice in public policies that affect our lives.
As Seen in
Our Vision
We envision a country where all people enjoy health, wealth, fairness, and freedom, driven by progressive state legislatures.
About Us
States Win is the only national grassroots organization focused exclusively on building progressive power in state legislatures. The cornerstone of our work is our electoral program: getting bold Democrats elected to strategic state legislative seats that can shift the balance of power. Every year, our deeply experienced political staff and robust network of volunteer teams become an extension of our candidates’ campaigns. But we know that winning elections isn’t enough, which is why we complement our electoral work with civic engagement, including supporting community-based organizations, empowering state lawmakers, and educating voters.
Our Values
- Data-driven: We conduct cutting-edge research and deploy evidence-based tactics across all programs.
- Collaboration: We embrace partnerships to force-multiply our collective impact.
- Innovation: We are curious problem-solvers and fearless experimenters.
- Equity: We commit to dismantling white supremacy and structural oppression in everything we do.
States Win’s mission to build progressive power in state legislatures is inextricably linked to our vision for racial equity and justice. Racism and discrimination has been codified into our government infrastructure and laws since the founding of our country. Sadly, state legislatures continue this legacy of structural racism today through policies that disproportionately affect communities of color such as voter ID laws, lengthy incarceration for non-violent offenses, gerrymandering, attacks on reproductive rights, and dismantling the social safety net.
We believe that in order to dismantle this system, we must organize at the grassroots level to elect progressive representatives who will enact policies that are unapologetically anti-racist. We must also ensure that we are electing officials who represent all the voices in our communities.
CloseOur Partners
To build progressive power in state legislatures, collective action is the key. We are proud to partner with prominent organizations across the country.
We’re Hiring!
Seattle Field Organizing Fellow
This is a 27 week training internship/fellowship. At 15 hours per week over 27 weeks, Field Organizing Fellows will serve as the on-the-ground catalyst for building new States Win chapters. Fellows will activate existing volunteer leads, recruit new supporters, develop local leadership, and build the infrastructure needed for volunteer-led teams to thrive beyond the fellowship term.
This is an in-person role based in Seattle with work taking place across the city and nearby communities within approximately a one-hour radius.
Denver Field Organizing Fellow
This is a 27 week training internship/fellowship. At 15 hours per week over 27 weeks, Field Organizing Fellows will serve as the on-the-ground catalyst for building new States Win chapters. Fellows will activate existing volunteer leads, recruit new supporters, develop local leadership, and build the infrastructure needed for volunteer-led teams to thrive beyond the fellowship term.
This is an in-person role based in Denver with work taking place across the city and nearby communities within approximately a one-hour radius.
San Diego Field Organizing Fellow
This is a 27 week training internship/fellowship. At 15 hours per week over 27 weeks, Field Organizing Fellows will serve as the on-the-ground catalyst for building new States Win chapters. Fellows will activate existing volunteer leads, recruit new supporters, develop local leadership, and build the infrastructure needed for volunteer-led teams to thrive beyond the fellowship term.
This is an in-person role based in San Diego with work taking place across the city and nearby communities within approximately a one-hour radius.
Learn About Our Wins
Our work across 18 states strengthens democracy at every level.
