Pilot Program in New Hampshire Will Inform Recruitment and Training Model for Future State Programs
March 14, 2022
PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action is proud to announce its new statewide program to revolutionize the way STEM candidates are recruited and trained to run for public office across the country. One of the pillars of 314 Action’s mission is to increase representation among STEM fields in public offices at all levels of government, and this pilot program is the latest initiative to bridge the gap between traditionally more common officeholders such as attorneys or public administrators and those in the STEM fields.
The program, which will specifically target potential state legislative and municipal candidates, will launch in its first phase this year in New Hampshire and use findings to develop the template for expanded programming in other states in future campaign cycles.
In partnership with 603 Forward, 314 Action will aim to help drive a candidate recruitment strategy that targets geographic areas identified as critical to flipping state legislative chambers to pro-science majorities.
“Over the course of this pandemic, it’s become even clearer that we need scientists and STEM professionals not just as advisors who can be ignored, but as lawmakers with the power to make important, pro-science policy decisions,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action. “Every legislature in the United States stands to benefit from adding more scientists to their ranks. 314 Action is proud to continue its work towards that goal in New Hampshire by building a pipeline for candidate recruitment that will shape the next generation of STEM leaders.”
“Winning back the NH House majority means pushing back against anti-science extremism,” said Rep. Matt Wilhelm, chair of the NH House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee. “We are committed to electing more STEM candidates across the Granite State, which is why our Victory Committee is thrilled to partner with 314 Action this cycle.”
“If we’re going to tackle the generational crisis facing young people and families in New Hampshire — we must do everything we can to make sure young people have a voice in government at all levels,” said Molly Lunn Owen, executive director of 603 Forward. “Following the incredible victories we’ve seen in the past year with almost 100 new young leaders elected to city and town office, I’m excited for 603 Forward’s partnership with 314 Action to build up young leaders who can bring their diverse backgrounds and professional STEM experiences to the important work that needs to be done in the State House to build an inclusive, affordable, and resilient New Hampshire. Our work in state, on the ground, is going to be amplified and taken to the next level thanks to the innovative tools and techniques the 314 team brings to the table.”
As part of this program’s first phase in New Hampshire, efforts to recruit and train STEM candidates — and gather data to inform future programming — will be broken into three areas with specific goals:
Create a Targetable Universe of STEM Democrats
- 314 Action is building an online tool to identify potential candidates with STEM backgrounds by centralizing data from sources such as LinkedIn and other databases.
- 314 Action will work with TargetSmart and other vendors to filter files and make this tool usable to encourage STEM Democrats to run in competitive parts of New Hampshire.
Find and Assist Potential STEM State Legislative Candidates
- In partnership with 603 Forward and others, 314 Action will target areas where state legislative candidate recruitment would be most helpful and impactful.
- As part of this pilot program, 314 Action plans on reaching potential candidates in over sixty state house districts.
- To target potential candidates, 314 Action and its partners will layer communications to develop interest in running for public office using digital, direct mail, phone banking, and SMS efforts.
- In communications, identified STEM Democrats will be encouraged to take an action, whether it’s supporting an advocacy-related effort or making the commitment to run for office.
- 314 Action will connect interested STEM Democrats with 603 Forward to provide on-the-ground training and 1:1 support to learn about what it takes to run for office. Promising candidates will then be connected with the New Hampshire House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee (DVCC) to coordinate with on campaign strategy & general election support.
Use Findings to Build a Scalable Template for Future Programs
- Looking beyond 2022 elections, 314 Action will use learnings from this pilot program to organize and recruit candidates for municipal offices in key states with municipal elections in 2023.
- This pilot program seeks to establish baseline Cost Per Identified STEM Democrat (CPID) and Cost Per Candidate Recruited (CPCR) numbers to help 314 Action and peer organizations in New Hampshire plan for the resources they need to move a potential candidate from start to finish through the recruitment process.
- CPID and CPCR are necessary metrics to optimize for in order to successfully identify and recruit STEM Democrats to run for office for state legislative and municipal offices across the country at scale.
As part of this program’s layered communications program, 314 Action is launching new digital ads today to encourage scientists and STEM professionals in New Hampshire to run for state legislative or municipal office.
314 Action recently launched a $10 million, cycle-long advocacy campaign focused on engaging voters on critical science issues — including climate change, health care, and the pandemic response — and holding anti-science public figures accountable. Additionally, 314 Action has engaged its base of six million grassroots members to push for pro-science legislation at the federal and state levels.
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314 Action is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as in helping over 100 statewide, state legislative, and municipal candidates win their races. In 2022, 314 Action will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.