Portrait of Jamie Raskin
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Jamie Raskin on Democracy Summer

Founder and strong supporter (strong)

TL;DR

Jamie Raskin founded Democracy Summer to train and deploy young Democratic organizers to win elections across the nation.

Key Points

  • He founded Democracy Summer in 2006 during his first Maryland State Senate campaign.

  • The program trains high school and college-aged people in organizing tactics and democratic principles.

  • It has an operational partnership with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for national deployment.

Summary

Jamie Raskin established the Democracy Summer project in 2006 during his initial campaign for the Maryland State Senate, intending to mobilize young people alongside his family members. This program now functions as a national fellowship pipeline, training high school and college-aged individuals in modern political organizing tactics such as canvassing, voter registration, and digital outreach. The program partners with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and provides fellows with virtual seminars led by historians, legal experts, and elected officials to offer an intensive education on the history of democratic struggle and effective leadership.

Since its expansion nationwide in 2021, Democracy Summer has partnered with numerous House Democratic campaigns, providing them with well-trained and talented organizers to scale grassroots outreach efforts. Raskin has emphasized that strong grassroots organizing is vital for Democratic victories, stating that change is possible through the democratic arts of educating, organizing, and mobilizing people. The structure of the fellowship requires a commitment of 15 to 20 hours weekly over six weeks, blending virtual learning with practical, in-person campaign work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Jamie Raskin is the founder and a strong advocate for Democracy Summer, viewing it as essential for training the next generation of Democratic organizers. He sees the program as a vehicle for achieving political change through grassroots education and mobilization. He believes the principles learned are crucial for defending and strengthening democracy in the United States.

Jamie Raskin started the program in 2006 when running for the Maryland State Senate. He wanted to involve his children and relatives in his campaign against a long-time incumbent. The initial success demonstrated a new model for running campaigns by mobilizing and educating young volunteers.

The main goal of Democracy Summer is to train and deploy young Democratic organizers and leaders to help win elections across America. It combines intensive virtual seminars on democracy and leadership with hands-on political organizing work for various campaigns. The project aims to empower youth to become continuous political activists.