Do Democrats Have the Ground Game They Need?

This weekend is the biggest test yet for Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist who has been working at the highest levels of party politics since 1992, when he helped Bill Clinton upend 12 years of Republican rule. Rosenberg insisted that his party has been consistently underestimated by the media. In 2022, he gained notoriety by correctly rejecting predictions of a red wave, and in this election cycle, he continues to beat the drum for his party’s victory.

At the heart of Rosenberg’s theory is not a candidate or an ideology, but the fact that the infrastructure of the Democratic Party is strong. Over the past decade, he argued, Democrats have built a “massive new Democratic political machine” capable of conducting field operations, raising money, and mobilizing voters and volunteers. It’s also done a pretty good job at winning elections.

Is Rosenberg right, or is he now the person underestimating his opposition? This weekend, the party has a chance to prove his case. Between now and Nov. 5, the campaign will be won or lost on the ground in swing states by volunteers knocking doors and making calls to ensure that every American understands the stakes of this election—and then votes.