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Writer's pictureBecca Blais

Bluebonnet Data's 2021 Year-In-Review

With the passionate & continued support of our Bluebonnet community, we were able to do some amazing things in 2021. Here are a few highlights from the past year and a sneak peek of where we're heading in 2022.



Bluebonnet’s Electoral Theory of Change

  • 2022 is going to be a consequential year with a ton of opportunities. We’re facing an intense fight for control of the House and Senate, and Progressive issues are at stake, from reproductive rights, access to healthcare, voting rights, and gerrymandering.

  • Long-term Democratic success will be built by an investment in turning red seats to purple, and purple seats to blue. Therefore, we are focusing our resources on supporting key Democratic seats that guarantee and build upon a Democratic majority in the US House and Senate as well as longer-term investment districts that will bolster Democratic success in 2024 and 2026.

  • Early investments in data and data professionals are critical to ensuring future victory for Democrats in 2022 and beyond.


How we established our presence in Democratic data in 2021

  • We recruited & trained 200+ new Data Fellows. With a majority-minority Fellow base, we are mobilizing a new generation of talent in the Democratic Party.

  • We empowered new and diverse voices in the progressive field. A plurality of our 2020 fellowship cohort identified as female, and about 30% of our 2021 cohort identify as LGBTQ+. Nearly 60% of fellows are current college students, over 40% are working professionals or grad students.

  • We tripled our full-time team to six & added two new board members. With an expanded staff and board, we have more resources to expand our impact in the civic space.

  • We served 77 campaigns & progressive organizations. Including state & local parties, nonprofits, unions, PACs, and other grassroots groups.

  • We started placing data teams with 2022 campaigns as early as January 2021. Data early, data often – that’s our philosophy. These investments are critical for midterm success.

  • We developed key partnerships with the National Democratic Training Committee, Idaho Democratic Party, Texas Democratic Party, Virginia Grassroots, Swing Left Greater Boston, North Dakota Democratic-NPL, Elect Black Women, Deck, and VoteProChoice.


Bluebonnets but not always blue skies… our challenges in 2021

  • Redistricting slowed down the electoral timeline. Some candidates are still awaiting finalized districts. To help prepare for 2022 without set maps, we’ve been matching data teams with local races, state parties, nonprofits, and other grassroots organizations.

  • Reduced enthusiasm now that Trump isn’t on the ballot. The same threats we faced during the last administration are still present. To strengthen democracy in an uncertain era, we are mobilizing a new generation of data-savvy talent that will continue to make progress in the political and civic space for years to come.


Where we’re going in 2022

  • We are launching fellows cohorts every 2-3 months, starting in January 2022.

  • We aim to have recruited & trained 4000 fellows by 2024 (we’re at about 900 now).

  • We plan to grow our full-time team to meet the needs of our growing programs (we are in the process of hiring a Technical Manager currently).

  • Finally, we will continue to build community through in-person meetups, panel discussions, other collaborative events, and more!

How you can help: Potential Clients & Donors

  • Who do you know that would benefit from a data team? We’d love to connect!

  • Financial support allows us to accomplish the work that we do. Please consider donating or sharing with people who support our cause.


 

Becca Blais is the Executive Director of Bluebonnet Data. As Bluebonnet's first employee and now Executive Director, Becca believes in the importance of investing in talent and data infrastructure at the most local level. You can follow her on Twitter.


Christina is the Communications Director at Bluebonnet Data. She aspires to be a design-justice practitioner who emboldens new voices and critically necessary perspectives in our shared political futures. It would honestly make her day if you followed her on Twitter.

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