Democratic group aims to spend $20 million to boost STEM candidates

A group that boosts Democratic candidates with a background in science and technology plans to spend $20 million to $25 million in the 2024 election, the organization’s chief executive told HuffPost.

314 Action, which was formed after the 2016 election, targets 27 House districts, many won by the president Joe Biden in 2020, but now in the hands of a Republican, as well as key statewide races in Pennsylvania, Delaware and North Carolina.

“I think we’ve really cracked the code of what makes a great candidate in these (swing) districts,” said Joshua Morrow, executive director of 314 Action. “It will be our candidates that people want to support.”

The group already has a top-tier recruit in a competitive district: George Whitesides, former NASA chief of staff and Virgin Galactic CEO, announced plans to challenge Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th District, which spans a strip of suburbs. north of Los Angeles.

27 is emblematic of many of the districts that 314 Action targets. While President Joe Biden won easily in 2020, with more than two-thirds of the vote, Garcia won re-election by seven percentage points in 2022 after national voting. democrats He struggled to find the resources to air ads in Los Angeles’ ultra-expensive media market.

The group is also targeting Delaware’s gubernatorial race, lieutenant governor’s races in North Carolina and Delaware, and treasurer races in Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Much of the group’s funds will be spent on helping candidates make it through competitive primaries. The group endorsed a host of winning candidates in 2022, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, and two new House members: Eric Sorensen of Illinois, a meteorologist, and Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician.

Morrow argues that candidates with a STEM background can appeal to both Democratic party‘s liberal base and undecided voters, especially as science-based issues like pandemic prevention and climate change grow in importance.

“They are problem solvers. Scientists are not programmed to argue their facts, they are programmed to find the facts. Lawyers are taught to argue their facts,” Morrow said. “And I think that makes them able to work down the aisle in a way that other politicians can’t.”

“During the pandemic, wouldn’t it have been great if we had a president who really knew about pandemics?” asked Morrow rhetorically. “And wouldn’t it be great if experts could write climate change bills instead of energy companies?”