In Solidarity,
Gustavo Torres
President, CASA in Action
2022 Post Election Report
2022
Post Election Report
A message from our President
Friends,
This election was supposed to be a disaster for our communities. Parties in power lose a massive number of seats in their first midterms. That truism held true in 2018, when under the leadership of one of the worst presidents of modern times, the GOP lost forty seats in the House.
Something similar was supposed to happen in this election–but it didn’t. Instead, 2022 was a massive victory for CASA in Action and our communities! We didn’t win every contest, but it is clear that the Democratic Party–right now the only party in America which represents the interests of CASA in Action’s members–averted a major threat to our communities. Their loss of the House may have been inevitable, but ultimately they suffered a mere defeat where there should have been a death.
How did this happen? The Democrats didn’t do it by themselves. CASA in Action’s core communities of Black, brown, Latino, working-class, and immigrant people turned out for their own priorities. The hard work of an uncountable number of activists, organizers, and institutions like CASA in Action paid off. Thanks to allies like yourself, CASA in Action was able to simultaneously grow and sharpen our electoral operations, covering more states and reaching more voters than ever before. 2022 marked our first full-election operation in our core state of Georgia–and we are now fully poised to mount a major program in the run-off to hold Senator Warnock’s seat, right where we put him in the 2021 run-offs.
We were the ones waiting in line in Atlanta, we were the ones making calls in Harrisburg, we were the ones rallying in Baltimore, we were the ones with one last door we had to knock in the deep suburbs of Virginia. We were the ones who went to work so that the progressive movement in this country can live to fight another day. Our newly elected champions have credited us with this incredible victory, but we credit our unstoppable members and of course, you. Every ally, every supporter, every donor, every volunteer, every institutional funder who has fed our growing electoral machine should read what CASA in Action has done and feel not just proud–we should all feel emboldened.
There is much to do–we have a run-off to win, a majority to regrow, local offices to contest, Virginia 2023 right around the corner, and the collective political agenda of over 120,000 members to fight for.
But now there should be no doubt–when CASA in Action fights, we win.
Our Campaign By the Numbers
CASA in Action waged the largest political campaign in our history, making 179,410 total knocks by 179 canvassers happen across Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. CASA in Action adopted a layered strategy to reach 120,655 voters, including 30 million impressions through TV, radio, and digital ads, alongside our canvassing, mailers, robocalls, texts, and events. The result? Two confirmed US Senate seats with a third in the works, one US House seat, two Governorships, and several more state and local wins, potentially including flipping the Pennsylvania State House. We invite you to go deep on the data that made our programs so effective!
Our voters
CASA in Action targets mid- to low-propensity Black and Latino voters with the dual goals of mobilizing voters to win the election in the short term as an influential voting bloc and bringing those voters into our long-term organizing structure to build year-round power.Our voters represent the rising American electorate, and they turned out.
85,000
CASA in Action’s field program approached nearly 85,000 Latino voters this cycle
75%
75% of all voters contacted identified as a race other than white
70%
Black and Latino voters constituted 70% of CASA in Action’s voter contacts across our four states, with Georgia being the most heavy focus with 86% of such voters.
55%
Reflecting our research on the household vote multiplying effect of mobilizing Latina and Black women voters, our outreach focused on women slightly more than men–over 55% of the voters CASA in Action engaged were women.
Our Overall Field Programs
| Attempts | Canvassed | |
|---|---|---|
| PA State Total | 92,159 | 15,096 |
| VA State Total | 97,029 | 13,512 |
| GA State Total | 61,060 | 5,569 |
| MD State Total | 30,832 | 3,295 |
| All programs, Total | 281,080 | 37,472 |
Our Overall Communications program
| PA | VA | GA | MD | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Ads | 11,799,706 | 3,329,033 | 7,002,706 | 2,171,791 | 24,303,236 |
| YouTube | 1,316,182 | 500,796 | 2,985,816 | N/A | 4,802,794 |
| Radio | 415,100 | 70,900 | 41,000 | N/A | 876,700 |
| Total | 13,530,988 | 3,900,729 | 10,029,522 | 2,171,791 | 29,982,730 |
The PAC’s integration of field and communications work was one of its marquee achievements during this campaign cycle. In highly contested seats, including Spanberger’s in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, messaging amplified the issues that canvassed voters identified as most important to them, such as immigration, economic relief, and inflation.
Our Impact
While complete assessment of our program’s impact will have to wait for the release of updated voter files in a few months, we can glean some insight into just how powerful our work was by examining voter performance over several cycles in counties CASA in Action is active in. CASA in Action can’t claim all responsibility for these shifts, but we know that our work made a huge impact.
The numbers bear that out. As shown in the table below, CASA in Action improved Democratic vote-share in 9 out of 12 counties we worked in compared to 2020, and in 10 out of 12 compared to 2018. What’s more–this was no small shift–on average, CASA in Action counties increased Democratic vote-share by more than 2.5% compared to 2020 and by a whopping 4.2% versus 2018. Nowhere was this effect more pronounced than in York County, PA which saw a nearly 12% swing in favor of Democratic candidates since 2020. All of this took place in four states where overall Democratic vote-share actually decreased slightly compared to 2020–an average drop of 2.24%. That is, CASA in Action counties voted bluer while the states they are in went redder. In states like Pennsylvania and Georgia where margins are razor thin, these small percentage-point movements represent seismic shifts in the political landscape. CASA in Action is proud for its part in organizing this much-needed shake-up.
2.5%+
more than 2.5% increase in Democratic-share compared to 2020
4.2%
4.2% increase in Democratic-share compared to 2018
CASA in Action’s strategic aim was to empower voters in communities of color across these states with an outlook toward protecting democracy and defending these communities’ rights and freedoms. As CASA in Action President Gustavo Torres said, the four-state campaign was intended to remind voters of “what they can accomplish when they keep fighting for the promise of a brighter tomorrow.”
| State | County | 2022 County D Vote share (top of ticket) |
Change, County v County 2022 v 2020 |
Change, County v County 2022 v 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Chester | 60.72 | 3.12 | -0.58 |
| Pennsylvania | Dauphin | 59.81 | 6.41 | 0.81 |
| Pennsylvania | Lancaster | 48.15 | 6.95 | 0.65 |
| Pennsylvania | York | 48.94 | 11.99 | 4.34 |
| Virginia | Prince William | 67.72 | 5.12 | 2.62 |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach | 49.75 | -1.85 | -4.55 |
| Georgia | Clayton | 87 | 2.1 | -0.8 |
| Georgia | Fulton | 74 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Georgia | Henry | 64 | 4.3 | 6.7 |
| Georgia | DeKalb | 84 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Maryland | Anne Arundel | 49.7 | -6.1 | 19.4 |
| Maryland | Montgomery | 74.8 | -3.8 | 19.9 |
| Totals (avg) | 2.5 | 4.22 |
State Results
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Results
CASA in Action has been fighting for Senator-Elect John Fetterman and Governor Elect Josh Shapiro ever since we endorsed them in the primary–and we made sure our communities turned out for both of these up-and-coming political giants.
Summary Statement
In Pennsylvania, CASA in Action mobilized an impressive squadron of more than 80 canvassers, who knocked on a total of 54,566 doors across York, Lancaster, Dauphin, and Chester Counties since the general election program launched in September. The team’s record-breaking performance on the ground was augmented by over 27,000 pieces of persuasion and “get out the vote” (GOTV) door literature, more than 30,000 pieces of a series of three issues-oriented mailers, digital ads that delivered more than 1.7 million impressions, radio ads in Spanish and English with an estimated 410,000 impressions across four counties, an inescapable gauntlet of TV ads, and more.
30k+
more than 30,000 pieces of persuation and GOTV literature
1.7M+
more than 1.7 million impressions on digital ads
410k
410,000 impressions on radio ads across four contries
As Pennsylvania’s importance as a purple state has come to the fore over the last several elections, there has been an explosion in voter turnout, especially voters of color. This includes those new to the state as well as newly naturalized voters. Targeting Puerto Rican and Caribbean-American communities in York and Lancaster Counties, CASA in Action’s bilingual canvassers sought to empower voters across language and cultural barriers so that every citizen could easily cast their ballot in this battleground state.
By the numbers
Our PA voters
Pennsylvania was the most Latino-focused program CASA in Action ran this year with Latino voters representing more than 40% of our total voters contacted. This is due in large part to the significant Puerto Rican population in the South Central region of the state where we focus our work, meaning a large contingent of eligible Latino voters are concentrated there.| County | % Black | % Latino | % AAPI | % White | % Other | % Men | % Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 0.4% | 41.0% | 1.3% | 57.0% | 0.3% | 48.6% | 51.2% |
| Dauphin | 36.0% | 53.0% | 1.0% | 9.0% | 1.0% | 45.2% | 52.1% |
| Lancaster | 11.9% | 47.3% | 2.1% | 37.6% | 1.1% | 45.2% | 53.1% |
| York | 16.2% | 28.4% | 0.8% | 53.8% | 0.8% | 44.4% | 54.2% |
| State Averages | 14.5% | 40.5% | 1.5% | 42.5% | 1.0% | 45.1% | 53.3% |
Our PA field program
Our field program was remarkably successful at engaging voters on the doors, with a contact rate well over 20% across the state. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in York County, where our team engaged more than 31% of voters we attempted to reach–that’s a truly noteworthy statistic for an electoral program to reach, and in the coming weeks we will be implementing a full-scale analysis of knock days, times, and other factors to better understand just how we were able to get so many folks to answer their doors in York County, PA for replication elsewhere.| County | Attempts | Canvassed | % Contact Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 1,735 | 179 | 10.3% |
| Dauphin | 1,671 | 288 | 17.0% |
| Lancaster | 46,880 | 6,848 | 26.4% |
| York | 41,873 | 7,781 | 31.3% |
| State Totals | 92,159 | 15,096 | 21.3% |
Our PA Comms Program
| PA | |
|---|---|
| Digital Ads | 11,799,706 |
| Youtube | 1,316,182 |
| Radio | 415,100 |
| TV | xx,xxx |
| Totals | 13,530,988 |
Our PA Impact
CASA in Action had an absolutely massive impact across the board in our PA turf, with every single county we worked in seeing an improvement in overall Democratic vote share versus 2020 and all but one seeing an improvement versus 2018. Lancaster and Dauphin Counties both swung by over 6% compared to 2020, and York County swung nearly 12% in the same period!| County | 2022 County D Vote share (top of ticket) |
Change, County v County 2022 v 2020 |
Change, County v County 2022 v 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 60.72 | 3.12 | -0.58 |
| Dauphin | 59.81 | 6.41 | 0.81 |
| Lancaster | 48.15 | 6.95 | 0.65 |
| York | 48.94 | 11.99 | 4.34 |
| Totals (avg) | 54.405 | 7.1175 | 1.305 |
Georgia
Georgia
Georgia State Results
While CASA in Action mourns Stacey Abram’s loss in the Governor race, we are now all in for Senator Raphael Warnock’s re-election in the upcoming run-offs. Less than a percentage point separates him from a majority victory–CASA in Action will get him that percentage point!
In the meantime, we have a lot to be proud of–Henry County, where CASA in Action focused much of our effort this cycle, saw the largest blue swing of any county in Georgia compared to the 2020 cycle, voting 64% for Sen. Warnock, a more than 8.8% swing compared to 2020.
Summary Statement
In Georgia’s critical elections, CASA in Action knocked on a total of 45,621 doors in Henry, Clayton, Fulton, and DeKalb Counties, reminding voters of the power and consequence of their vote in the nation’s newest battleground state. The organization delivered more than 28,000 pieces of door literature, made over 737,000 digital ad impressions, distributed more than 20,000 pieces of a series of three mailers geared toward Black and Latino men and women, recruited 268 volunteers through our robust Relational Organizing program, which encouraged voters to mobilize their friends and family to vote through more than 50,000 text messages. And CASA in Action did all of this in a state we have been active for less than two years–we didn’t even have a permanent office until this year! Electing progressives in Georgia demands confrontation with the state’s deep legacy of voter suppression. In the 2021 run-offs, CASA in Action joined the ranks of grassroots organizations mobilizing Black and brown voters who for too long have been counted out. Ever since, we have been showing the country what happens when you chip away at voter suppression policies and tactics by organizing from the ground up. During early voting, 2.4 million voters cast their ballots across the state. When we break down the barriers to the ballot box, the people are ready to exercise their right and vote. There is still work to be done in Georgia, and CASA in Action is here to cement its recent transformation. We must and will bring the same wild progressive energy that fueled the nationwide November results this December. Stay active, stay involved, and stay tuned!By the numbers
In addition to the historic shift CASA in Action helped push in Henry County, we’re very proud of the powerful reach our members had in only our second year in CASA in Action’s newest state of Georgia.Our GA voters
Reflecting the more heavily Black population in the parts of Georgia where CASA in Action operates, our Georgia program had the highest rates of Black voter contact of any of our programs at 68%.| County | % Black | % Latino | % AAPI | % White | % Other | % Men | % Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 69.5% | 26.5% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 2.3% | 42.9% | 57.1% |
| Fulton | 70.8% | 14.8% | 0.8% | 7.6% | 6.0% | 46.0% | 54.0% |
| Henry | 81.9% | 11.4% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 5.0% | 42.0% | 58.0% |
| GA State Totals | 68.0% | 17.6% | 1.5% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 45.2% | 54.8% |
Our GA Field Program
Our 2022 programs focused on Clayton, Fulton and Henry counties, though we are including the all-important DeKalb county in our runoff work.| County | Attempts | Canvassed |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 11,241 | 1,361 |
| Fulton | 39,936 | 3,185 |
| Henry | 9,883 | 1,023 |
| GA State Totals | 61,060 | 5,569 |
Our GA Comms Program
Digital Ads only| County | # of Ads Run | # of Impressions |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 15 | 1,510,485 |
| Fulton | 17 | 2,672,502 |
| Henry | 15 | 1,002,992 |
| Dekalb | 5 | 1,816,727 |
| Totals | 52 | 7,002,706 |
| GA | |
|---|---|
| Digital Ads | 7,002,706 |
| Youtube | 2,985,816 |
| Radio | 41,000 |
| TV | |
| Total | 10,029,522 |
| Total Volunteers Recruited | Total Contacts Added | Friend to Friend Messages Shared | Peer to Peer Messages Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| 279 | 68,500 | 2,072 | 115,002 |
Our GA Impact
Every single county where CASA in Action worked outperformed its 2020 Democratic vote-share, and every county but one did the same relative to 2018 This trend played a large part in pushing Sen. Warnock to a run-off after a very close election. We’re particularly proud of our work in Henry County, where we saw a 6.7% shift compared to the last gubernatorial election in addition to the nearly 9% swing in US Senate vote compared to 2020.| State | County | 2022 County D Vote share (Governor) | Change, County v County 2022 v 2020 (Pres) | Change, County v County 2022 v 2018 (Gov) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Clayton | 87 | 2.1 | -0.8 |
| Georgia | Fulton | 74 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Georgia | Henry | 64 | 4.3 | 6.7 |
| Georgia | DeKalb | 84 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
Virginia
Virginia
Virginia State Results
With CASA in Action’s support, incumbent Representative Abigail Spanberger of VA-7 won against anti-immigrant Republican Yesli Vega in one of the most-watched bellwether races in the nation. Other races, such as Elain Luria’s bid to hold VA-2, did not go our way, but our communities made sure that Republican victory did not come easy.
Summary Statement
CASA in Action’s Virginia canvassing teams knocked a total of 55,281 doors, and our communications team distributed 17,000 pieces of literature, issued more than 32,000 mailers, made over 762,000 impressions through digital ads, aired Spanish and English radio ads making an estimated 420,000 impressions, and booked an array of TV and traditional ads. As a leading voice of immigrant power in Prince William County, CASA in Action’s fight in VA-7 was fundamental. Our members did their homework, and endorsed the candidate that has supported and will continue to support our community, and didn’t fall for an extremist who simply looked like us or came from the same county of origin as many of our members. Joined by elected officials and CASA in Action members, our local coalition released a joint letter in Spanish addressed to the 7th District’s Salvadoran community that explained why Republican candidate Yesli Vega was unfit to represent them. Vega’s family emigrated from El Salvador, but Vega herself has a history of opposing the immigrant community’s policy priorities. She has been a staunch supporter of the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to refer undocumented people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation. The letter was published in two major Latino newspapers, the Washington Hispanic and El Tiempo Latino. Anecdotally, CASA in Action received confirmation that our work made a difference when our Virginia State Director ran into Vega’s father at a polling place on Election Day. Recognizing him, Mr. Vega berated our Director that his daughter was going to lose because of CASA in Action. In a sense, even our opponents endorse CASA in Action’s methods.By the numbers
Our VA voters
CASA in Action once again mobilized a diverse group of voters in Virginia, with powerful Latino turnout in Prince William County defeating the dangerous former CBP officer and MAGA Latina candidate Yesli Vega. CASA in Action is proud to have helped drive that turnout with the most heavily Latino-focused program of any CASA in Action county, making more than 27,000 Latino voter outreach attempts in Prince William County alone.| County | % Black | % Latino | % AAPI | % White | % Other | % Men | % Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince William | 30.2% | 45.4% | 3.8% | 17.7% | 2.9% | 46.0% | 54.0% |
| Virginia Beach | 59.8% | 13.8% | 2.6% | 22.9% | 0.9% | 40.0% | 60.0% |
| VA State Averages | 41.0% | 33.9% | 3.6% | 19.7% | 1.8% | 43.5% | 56.4% |
Our VA Field Program
Our two-county focus in Virginia mirrored our work in the 2021 Gubernatorial election and 2020 presidential elections, seeking to maximize the Black and Latino vote in both regions.| County | Attempts | Canvassed | % Contact Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince William | 62,734 | 7,256 | 11.6% |
| Virginia Beach | 34,295 | 6,256 | 18.2% |
| State Totals | 97,029 | 13,512 | 13.9% |
Our VA Comms Program
Virginia was where CASA in Action brought the widest variety of communications techniques to bear, bringing in not just digital ads but also making a substantial investment in Spanish-language radio buys as well as our only TV advertisement of the cycle! Digital Ads only| County | # of Ads Run | # of Impressions |
|---|---|---|
| Prince William | 7 | 2,164,730 |
| Virginia Beach | 7 | 1,164,303 |
| Totals | 14 | 3,329,033 |
| Ads | Impressions | Clicks | Watched 100% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 2 | 500,796 | 391 | 29,776 |
| VA | |
|---|---|
| Digital Ads | 3,329,033 |
| Youtube | 500,796 |
| Radio | 70,900 |
| TV | xx,xxx |
| Total | 3,900,729 |
Our VA Impact
A frustrating increase in Republican voter turnout in Virginia Beach this year hampered our ability to secure a win in a hard-fought race in VA-2, but CASA in Action is incredibly proud of the work we did there. We now know we have more to do to build power in Virginia Beach communities. That said, we still outperformed both 2020 and 2018 Democrat vote-numbers in the region.| State | County | 2022 County D Vote share (top of ticket) | Change, County v County 2022 v 2020 | Change, County v County 2022 v 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Prince William | 67.72 | 5.12 | 2.62 |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach | 49.75 | -1.85 | -4.55 |
Maryland
Maryland
Maryland State Results
CASA in Actionsaw total victory for its top-of-the-ticket diversity slate in Maryland, our oldest state of operation. Not only will CASA in Action’s endorsed candidate, Wes Moore, become Maryland’s first African-American Governor, but Anthony Brown will be Maryland’s first African-American Attorney General and Brooke Lierman its first female Comptroller.
Summary Statement
CASA in Action’s team of influencers knocked on a total of 21,851 doors in Maryland, supported by roughly 20,000 pieces of door literature, more than 7,000 mailers, a raft of video, radio, and organic ads, and over 500,000 digital ad impressions. The primary theaters of operations included immigrant-rich Montgomery and Anne Arundel Counties. Our campaign in Maryland was effective because Marylanders know CASA in Action and our non-partisan sister organization, CASA–in one form or another we’ve been serving and organizing the community for nearly 40 years. Our members and staff in our distinctive red and blue shirts organize twelve months a year, every year, to empower our communities on issues important to them. CASA in Action came ready to work in this election and to fight for candidates that fight for our communities, and our influence in Maryland goes beyond just numbers. It was in front of a CASA in Action rally of over 200 people that Wes Moore pledged to support healthcare for Marylanders regardless of their immigration status–a top priority for Maryland’s immigrant community in a post-Covid world. Despite Maryland’s deep-blue hue, the victory we achieved in Maryland should not be outshone by those in our battleground states. After eight years of Republican administration, immigrants in Maryland can breathe just a little easier with a progressive in the Governor’s mansion. For the third time in Maryland history a Black man made the decision to run for Governor. Now for the first time, thanks in part to CASA in Action’s efforts in our oldest state of operation, he will be the Governor.By the numbers
Our MD voters
| County | % Black | % Latino | % AAPI | % White | % Other | % Men | % Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel | 41.3% | 9.9% | 5.5% | 41.7% | 1.6% | 40.5% | 59.1% |
| Montgomery | 10.9% | 45.3% | 11.7% | 28.4% | 3.7% | 45.4% | 54.4% |
| MD State Averages | 26.7% | 26.8% | 8.5% | 35.3% | 2.7% | 42.8% | 56.9% |
Our MD Field Program
| County | Attempts | Canvassed |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel | 14,957 | 1,317 |
| Montgomery | 15,875 | 1,978 |
| MD State Totals | 30,832 | 3,295 |
Our MD Comms Program
Our Maryland campaign saw the largest focus out of all our states on digital ads as a communication method, pivoting from a primary election approach that invested more heavily in a more diverse array of communications channels and traditional media. We believe, given our voter-targeting in Maryland and the initial results we have seen from the counties where we worked, that this was a highly effective approach to mobilize voters. Digital Ads| County | # of Ads Run | # of Impressions |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel | 13 | 1,404,711 |
| Montgomery | 13 | 767,080 |
| Totals | 26 | 2,171,791 |
Our MD Impact
The last comparable election in Maryland–a non-presidential election with the Governor’s office up for grabs–was in 2018, and CASA in Action sought to ensure that the counties where we work broke significantly harder for Wes Moore in 2022 than they did for Ben Jealous in 2018. This year, CASA in Action counties averaged 19.65 points bluer than they did in 2018!| State | County | 2022 County D Vote share (Gov) | Change, County v County, 2022 v 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Anne Arundel | 49.7 | 19.4 |
| Maryland | Montgomery | 74.8 | 19.9 |
| Maryland avg | 19.65 |
