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National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) is a 527[1] political action committee[2] formed in 2016 to train American Democratic party candidates at all levels of government to run for public office.[3][4][5]
History
editNDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic operative Kelly Dietrich.[6][7]
In 2018, the group launched online training for NGP VAN's "VoteBuilder", the voter database used by the Democratic Party.[8]
In 2019, NDTC launched their Staff Academy program to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the 2020 election cycle.[9][10]
According to its FEC report, NDTC raised $7.35 million during the 2018 election cycle.[11]
Format
editThe training has taken the form of on-site as well as online classes with students ranging from activists, campaign volunteers and staff, and candidates.[6][12] The group partners with state Democratic parties,[13][14] as well as similar groups like Run for Something and EMILY's List.[15][16] NDTC trainings cover topics like communications, campaign finance, and canvassing.[17]
Reception
editThe group claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the 2018 United States elections, including three Congressional candidates.[18]
The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with former head of the North Dakota Democratic Party Kylie Oversen stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office.[19]
The Washington Post said that some Democrats have called the group's primary fundraising consultant, Mothership Strategies, "unethical," because of its "aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics," such as claiming that President Trump was preparing to fire the special counsel. Mothership charges some clients a commission of 15 percent, higher than the industry standard of 7 to 10 percent. Their fundraising tactics are effective, in raising large amounts of money, but the Democratic critics of Mothership Strategies worry that the company’s profits are built on exaggerating fears, and could erode trust among small donors needed in the future.[20]
References
edit- ^ "National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC)". www.influencewatch.org. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ "NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC TRAINING COMMITTEE PAC – committee overview". FEC.gov. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ Dan Merica (September 20, 2018). "This group is helping Democrats build a bench of talent deep in Trump country". CNN. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ Hatch, Jenavieve (June 1, 2019). "Extreme Abortion Bans Inspire Progressive Women To Run For Office". HuffPost. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ "National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC)". www.influencewatch.org. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Cheadle, Harry; Jenkins, Gavin (February 19, 2019). "The Sessions Where Working-Class Democrats Learn to Take Down the GOP". Vice. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ Jennifer Bendery (August 31, 2018). "Democrats Need Strong Candidates For Local Office. Cheri Bustos Is Finding Them". HuffPost. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ "Democratic group launches online training program to find voters". Axios. October 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Patricia (June 30, 2019). "As Democratic base becomes more diverse, party tries to diversify campaign workers". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ Nicol, Ryan (July 8, 2019). "Group aims to help Democratic candidates staff up ahead of 2020". Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ "NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC TRAINING COMMITTEE PAC – 2018 FEC REPORT". FEC.gov. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "New academy offers boot camp for would-be Democratic campaign staffers". Orange County Register. July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Krasnovsky, Katja (February 13, 2018). "Indiana Democratic Party training diverse potential candidates". NUVO. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ "'Blue wave' logic: Why national Democrats are paying so much attention to local races, even city councils". Twin Cities. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ Committee, National Democratic Training. "Partners". National Democratic Training Committee. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Nicol, Ryan (January 21, 2019). "Group aims to train Democratic candidates for 2020 and beyond". Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ Chapman, Lauren. "First-Time Democratic Candidates Train To Run Campaigns". News – Indiana Public Media. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ "Run for Office: NDTC 2018 Midterm Wrap-Up and Highlights". National Democratic Training Committee. December 13, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Dan Merica (September 20, 2018). "This group is helping Democrats build a bench of talent deep in Trump country". CNN. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ Ye He Lee, Michelle. "How a little-known Democratic firm cashed in on the wave of midterm money". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2021.