What we did & how we did it.
Though our team was small, our power was mighty; I like to think that Poseidon/Tangaroa/Davey Jones really had our backs during the 2018 elections. While midterms may not seem like the sexiest of elections, the effect they have on issues, especially the ocean-related issues that we care about, is enormous.
Congressional representation is the first line of defense for our coasts, and their voice in Washington represents ours. With a Trump-led administration that is increasingly hostile towards in the environment, we knew that electing ocean-minded politicians had to be our number one goal in 2018–matched only by our efforts to get the surfing and ocean community excited about voting. Our work was focused on voter engagement, with a goal to help flip 4 coastal districts from oil-loving Republican leadership to ocean-minded, environmentally progressive candidates (that also happened to be Democrats). And we did it.
When we started this journey in January 2018, we had four races across the country that we prioritized. Three out of four of them had climate-deniers in office that we were determined to oust, along with a retiring congressman in CA49 that needed to be replaced with a candidate that prioritized protecting their coastal districts. We knew an ocean-minded message could actually help flip these historically conservative districts. In addition to these races, we fought hard for Beto O’Rourke in Texas, and Jessica Morse in CA-04, running digital campaigns targeting surfers and snowboarders, respectively.