Folks, we've done a review of the CD-7 primary election numbers for Rebecca Bennett — and it seems to bolster our theory of the case for canvassing and direct voter contact.
Here's the bottom line: Rebecca Bennett won 44% of the CD-7 Democratic primary vote in a four-way race, winning every CD-7 county and all but six of the district's 94 municipalities.
In this primary cycle, Door-to-Door Democracy concentrated most of our efforts on canvassing the towns of Sparta and Byram in Sussex County. Rebecca won 44% of the vote in Sussex County's ten CD-7 towns — the same as the district-wide average. But Rebecca did considerably better in Sparta and Byram, getting 50% and 49% of the vote there, respectively.
Contrast that with Hopatcong, a Sussex County town where we didn't have a presence. Rebecca got just 39% of the vote in a town that is similar to both Sparta and Byram in size and population.
Taking all of this together, it's clear that there is a positive correlation between greater voter share and the important work that Door-to-Door Democracy volunteers do. We will continue to parse the primary election data over the summer to tease out additional insights that can inform and improve our efforts.
But, generally speaking, we are going full steam ahead!
In partnership with the Rebecca Bennett for Congress campaign, we'll be ramping up our ground game in July — joining forces with the Democratic state party's coordinated campaign to speak with a wider swath of voters at the doors in a greater number of service areas.
Please join us in this incredibly consequential and rewarding work, as we link arms with our friends and partners to empower the civic life of our communities, strengthen representative democracy here in New Jersey, and restore checks and balances in the halls of Congress this November.
In an election season this existential for American democracy, you won't regret it.
-Leslie Huhn
