The first week of January 2025, we launched our first rapid-response campaign of the year — two high-stakes special elections in Virginia. With just weeks between the new year and Election Day, our goal was to help elect Kannan Srinivasan (SD-32) and JJ Singh (HD-26) and protect the narrow Democratic majorities that define Virginia’s political landscape. At stake was control of both chambers — and with it, the ability to block Governor Glenn Youngkin’s far-right agenda and defend reproductive freedom, gun safety, and workers’ rights.

We treated the specials as both a mobilization test and a storytelling opportunity: a way to keep our volunteer base engaged after the 2024 cycle while demonstrating that state power truly shapes the direction of democracy. In under three weeks, our team coordinated a full-scale integrated campaign across email, SMS, web, and press. We built a simple, energetic narrative — our first chance to organize in 2025 — and paired it with a digital infrastructure that made taking action seamless.

On January 7, both races were called for our candidates — a clean sweep that kept Virginia blue. The win email went out within hours: a thank-you and a call to keep the momentum going into the 2025 general elections. We emphasized that these victories weren’t isolated; they were proof that our model of distributed grassroots action works — that when we organize, we win.