WELCOMEPAC ENDORSES JOHN AVLON IN NEW YORK’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
WelcomePAC, which works to elect moderate Democrats in conservative-leaning congressional districts, announced today its endorsement of John Avlon in New York’s First Congressional District. WelcomePAC invested more than $2 million in the 2022 election cycle supporting Democrats Will Rollins (CA-41) and Adam Frisch (CO-03).
“John Avlon has spent his career fighting extremism and polarization, something we at Welcome endeavor to do each day and each election cycle,” said Lauren Harper Pope, co-founder of WelcomePAC. “We’re thrilled to support John Avlon in his primary election and when he takes on Nick LaLota in November.”
John Avlon said, "I’m honored to accept the WelcomePAC endorsement. They’re playing an essential role in electing Democrats who can win in swing seats like NY-01. Democrats are the last big tent political party that believes in bipartisanship. WelcomePAC understands that Democrats need to build a durable majority to stop the cycle of hyper partisanship and restore common sense problem-solving to Congress.”
Welcome’s full write-up on the endorsement and the district can be found on WelcomeStack.org
ABOUT WELCOMEPAC:
WelcomePAC launched in November 2021 to build a “Justice Democrats for the Center" by recruiting and backing brand-differentiated Democratic challengers with the capacity to defeat democracy-undermining GOP incumbents on their home turf. Operating in three geographies (CO-03, CA-41, Ohio), WelcomePAC identified districts where voters were not given an alternative - where Democrats were "Conceding Democracy" by not supporting credibly funded challengers. By elevating candidates and messengers who appeal to swing voters in center-right districts, WelcomePAC supported two of the most over-performing challengers and is now partnering with the team of the third challenger.
These were districts where Nate Silver gave Democrats just a 2% to 5% chance of winning.
California-41: boosted the bipartisan credentials and Republican endorsements of former Gov. Schwarzenegger aide Will Rollins. Ranked 3rd most over-performing Democratic campaign in any GOP district. Silver rated this race as "Solid Republican" with a 5% chance of flipping.
Colorado-03: conducted polling, primary election voter engagement, and party-switching voter identification for independent-turned-Democratic Adam Frisch. Vote went to recount and was rated 2nd most over-performing Democratic campaign in any GOP district. Silver rated this race as "Solid Republican" with a 3% chance of flipping.
Analysis and perspective can be found in The Bulwark (continued electoral importance of Never Trumper voters), The New York Times (missed opportunities in the 2022 cycle), and The Washington Post (split ticket voters). Weekly reflections on the broader context of our work can be found on our Substack.
In 2022, WelcomePAC invested more than $2 million in three targeted geographies in its inaugural cycle informed by our perspective on the inefficiency of the Democratic marketplace and the ballooning value of each congressional seat.