While focusing on affordability and holding Republicans accountable for making life more expensive, thousands of Democrats will spend the weekend participating in canvasses, community meetings, voter registration drives, volunteer trainings, phone banks, and service events that reach, engage, and mobilize working families
Today, the DNC announced the launch of a nationwide Stuff Costs Too Much Weekend of Action that will train 150 new organizers, engage thousands of volunteers, and include more than 200 on-the-ground events throughout the country today, Saturday, and Sunday. Democratic volunteers, organizers, and campaign staff will spend the weekend having nearly 10,000 conversations with working families during door-to-door canvasses, innovative voter registration drives, neighborhood meetings, Know Your Rights trainings, service events, and phone banks. While holding Republicans accountable for jacking up costs, the weekend will also focus on the work Democrats are doing to make life more affordable.
In response to the launch of the Stuff Costs Too Much Weekend of Action, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
“From groceries and gas to healthcare, childcare, rent, and utilities, everything costs too damn much under Donald Trump and the Republicans. And to stop these skyrocketing prices that are crushing working families, we have to stop the Republicans in November. That’s why Democrats are launching this nationwide weekend of action to reach, engage, register, and mobilize voters who will make the difference in races up and down the ballot. By organizing early and organizing everywhere, Democrats will win these midterms and get to work making life more affordable.”
The nationwide weekend of action will feature affordability-focused events with elected officials and partner organizations. That includes:
- An organizer bootcamp featuring Gov. Lujan Grisham. The bootcamp will train 150 new organizers to join campaigns this cycle.
- A voter registration drive targeting shift workers and gig workers. When We Count fellows will be registering voters at cost-salient locations such as grocery stores, laundromats, thrift stores, gas stations, discount stores, transit stops, dollar stores, food courts, check-cashing areas. This is in addition to targeting shift workers at airport rideshare waiting lots, popular food delivery pickup corridors, and stadium staff entrances.
- Door knocking and block walking in critical and overlooked areas throughout the country. This includes canvassing in all four of Nevada’s Congressional Districts with the following special guests: Democratic nominee for governor Aaron Ford, Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Sandra Jauregui, Democratic nominee for attorney general Nicole Cannizzaro, and Democratic nominee for the Second Congressional District Teresa Benitez-Thompson. Canvasses also include door knocking in Flagstaff, Tucson, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Scranton, Reading, Erie, Pittsburgh, State College, Racine, Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Madison, and many other communities.
- Phonebanking in communities throughout the country. This includes talking to voters in NY-22 and OH-01 about how the affordability crisis has been affecting their daily lives. Both of these districts have seen gas prices rise to levels that are higher than the national average, with the price per gallon seeing over a 40% increase since the start of Trump’s unnecessary war with Iran.
- Service events in battleground states. This includes a North Las Vegas community food drive with the Nevada Coordinated Campaign that mobilizes volunteers to meet, engage, listen to, and serve voters where they are. There will also be a park cleanup event in Nevada where volunteers will listen to families about their concerns around rising costs and share Democratic efforts to make life more affordable. Additionally, the Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign and the Kenosha County Democratic Party are collecting and distributing school supplies to families in need. This is an opportunity to meet, listen to, connect with, and serve voters.
- A national activation call focused on the impact of Trump’s failing economy on Black workers. The call will feature Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Collective PAC Founder and President Quentin James, the Black Men Vote Executive Director Michael Bland, and the Maricopa Area Labor Federation.
The Stuff Costs Too Much Weekend of Action builds on the DNC’s work to reach people where they are, engage communities, register voters, sign up volunteers, and invest in year-round, on-the-ground organizing. In the spring, the DNC held a National Voter Registration Week of Action — with more than 100 events — and published The Playbook, an actionable guide to help build winning campaigns that includes best practices, case studies, and innovations in organizing. Earlier this year, the DNC launched When We Count, the largest-ever campaign to register and mobilize the next generation of Democratic voters ahead of the midterms. The DNC also launched the NextWave Regional Bootcamp, the largest-ever in-person campaign training program. Additionally, the DNC spearheaded Local Listeners, a new voter contact initiative to engage over one million infrequent voters across key congressional districts and states.
As Republicans have gutted healthcare and Trump has bragged that “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” costs for just about everything have continued to skyrocket and inflation has surged to its highest rate in years. The average household has already had to spend at least $3,100 more under Republicans. That includes $310 more on groceries including from their reckless tariffs, $372 more on gas thanks to their war of choice in Iran, $110 more on electricity, and $622 more on housing. This rise in prices is in addition to healthcare premiums jumping by an average of 58% after Republicans repeatedly refused to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.
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