Bernie's 'Fighting Oligarchy' Tour Is Organizing, Too

[Nanjeanne]

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-03-26-bernies-fighting-oligarchy-tour-organizing/]

Capitalizing on a surge of Democratic energy, the Sanders team is hiring full-time organizers and pushing supporters toward critical local issues.

Sanders isn’t just growing his already substantial list of grassroots supporters, Shakir said. His team, which is also led by senior adviser Jeremy Slevin, a former top aide to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has begun hiring full-time organizers to sustain this work in places like Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and several Western states.

In Wisconsin, Shakir and Slevin told me, these organizers are helping with get-out-the-vote efforts on behalf of state supreme court candidate Susan Crawford, who is in a high-stakes and high-money race that has drawn the attention of Elon Musk. The organizing for Crawford, who is running against former Republican state attorney general Brad Schimel, is adding a labor focus to the pitch for her election.

The Sanders team is also looking at engaging newly energized Sanders supporters in other state-level policy fights, like a bill in Colorado that would make it easier to form a union. But their main interest is in targeting potentially vulnerable House Republicans. Eight of the ten cities that Sanders has stormed through in recent weeks are home to “purple” districts held by Trump backers. So, one thing the campaign wants to drive people toward is local town halls (real ones, or the “empty chair” variety) that put more heat on those incumbents, in preparation for their re-election battles next year.

Great way to take the energy and turn it into real action. Thank you Bernie.