© Provided by Washington Examiner Democratic operatives were relieved to see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relax requirements for face masks and social distancing, convinced the return to normal will boost the party in 2022 by allowing resumption of door-knocking and other in-person voter turnout activities.
Democratic campaigns, and Democratic voters, have been committed to observing coronavirus health precautions, forcing the party to minimize door-to-door canvassing and other person-to-person field operations considered the most effective means of turning out the vote. There was anxiety the party would be at a disadvantage heading into the midterm elections because Republican groups and party committees have been less beholden to pandemic restrictions and more active in communities interacting with voters.
"The decision not to canvass in 2020 was good policy but also hamstrung our efforts," said Ed Espinoza, a Democratic strategist in Texas.
DECISION TO LIFT MASK MANDATE CAME FROM CDC, NOT WHITE HOUSE, PSAKI SAYS
A Democratic operative in Washington added that efforts to preserve thin majorities in the House and Senate will be "so much easier" now that the party can get back into the field - and that voters inclined to back Democratic candidates will feel more comfortable engaging staff and volunteers. "I do think it's a safe assumption that our voter contact starts to look normal again over the course of this year."
The Democrats had a fairly successful 2020. President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump, and Democrats flipped two Georgia seats in runoff elections Jan. 5 this year to win control of the Senate thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris's tiebreaking vote. But they lost more than a dozen House seats, coming close to losing the majority altogether, and failed to flip a single state legislature as the decennial redistricting process looms.
Some Democrats blame the party's disappointing outcome down ballot to the decision to jettison in-person field activities in favor of digital outreach.
Republicans did the same but shifted back to door-knocking last summer. Biden and the Democrats, whose messaging revolved around following the science as it relates to the coronavirus, made a similar transition politically complicated. Given the attacks on Trump and the Republicans for being cavalier about the pandemic, Democrats felt pressure to observe strict adherence to CDC guidelines for face masks and social distancing, even as it put them at risk of falling short in November.
On Friday, Democratic groups were still adjusting to the new CDC guidelines and figuring out what a transition back to normal looked like. But some preparations were already underway.
The Democratic National Committee had previously announced a $23 million investment in state parties to beef up operations, including field staff, as necessary, with some of that money earmarked for voter registration and other activities in red states where Democrats want to compete. The DNC plans to spend another $21 million in 2021 alone to hire dozens of staff focused on "voter protection," helping Democratic voters navigate new voting laws, in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
That money will be used as well to place communications and field organizing staff in states such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The goal is to take to battleground neighborhoods to tell voters about what the Biden administration has delivered. Meanwhile, the DNC believes the digital infrastructure it created to reach voters at the height of the pandemic will continue to pay dividends, even as in-person outreach becomes the norm again.
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"Democrats have continued to listen to the scientists in order to keep our staff safe and healthy," DNC spokesman Lucas Acosta said. "The CDC guidance that came out this week was the green light we were looking for, and I think you'll start see vaccinated organizers knock on doors in next weeks and months."
Tags: News, Campaigns, 2022 Elections, Democrat, Joe Biden, Coronavirus, CDC
Original Author: David M. Drucker
Original Location: New CDC guidelines cheered by Democratic field operatives