2020 Post-Election Analysis

The 2020 election was a mixed bag for Democrats. While thrilled with the Biden win and the new Senate majority, expected victories in many contested races failed to materialize, and the Party lost significant ground in the House.

With the down-ballot disappointments in mind, and with  very narrow Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress, Third Way, The Collective PAC, and Latino Victory Fund commissioned a serious post-election analysis. This study, conducted by Lynda Tran and Marlon Marshall, was conducted over six months. It included almost 150 interviews with candidates, staff, consultants, and leaders of allied organizations, as well as a deep dive into the polling and turnout data, and a review of the ads, and more. The project sponsors and staff consulted throughout the process with Members and staff from the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, as well as staff from the NewDem Action Fund, CBCPAC, CHC BOLD PAC, and ASPIRE PAC, among countless others with deep knowledge of how these campaigns were run. The purpose of this project was to determine what worked well for Democrats in these campaigns and, in particular, what challenges they faced, so that the Party can be best prepared to compete in 2022 and beyond.