FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2019
Contact: Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Washington, DC — Today, Indivisible Action unveiled its 2020 presidential candidate scorecard, a first for the national grassroots organization widely credited with helping build the Blue Wave of 2018. Developed with input from local Indivisible leaders, the scorecard ranks candidates how their progressive policy priorities, day-one democracy agenda, and campaign strategy align with Indivisible’s values.
The scorecard results as of December 11, 2019 are:
-
Elizabeth Warren: 95%
-
Bernie Sanders: 89%
-
Julián Castro: 87%
-
Cory Booker: 80%
-
Tom Steyer: 77%
-
Pete Buttigieg: 74%
-
Amy Klobuchar: Under 50%
-
Joe Biden: Under 50%
To be eligible to be included in the scorecard, candidates had to sign the We Are Indivisible pledge, affirming their commitment to a constructive primary and to rallying behind the winner to defeat Trump. They also had to meet one of two other criteria: they either had to have qualified for the October debate, or have had a net-positive rating from Indivisible’s network in at least one post-debate web survey.
"Over the last few months, Indivisible’s network of activists have requested again and again a tool to evaluate the presidential candidates. After a lot of work and consistent input from our Indivisible Group Leaders, we’re excited to share our 2020 Presidential Candidate Scorecard,” said Indivisible Action co-executive director Leah Greenberg. “Ultimately, we know that there are a lot of candidates in this race, and some share our values more closely than others. That is part of the power our movement has in this primary—to shine a light on those differences, and pressure candidates to build the grassroots coalition they need to take back the White House.”
While assessing the candidates on a range of progressive priorities—including immigration, climate, health care, and economic justice—Indivisible’s scorecard also heavily weighs the candidates’ commitment to democracy reform, which Indivisibles have identified as their top priority. Scores will be updated as candidates make new commitments on the issues that matter to Indivisibles.
“Indivisibles want a nominee who understands that Donald Trump is a symptom of a deeper sickness afflicting our democracy. We want to see the candidates out-democracy each other, and we’d love for every candidate to get to 100%,” said Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible Action. “Elizabeth Warren tops our scorecard because she combines a focus on democracy reform with a strong progressive policy agenda and a commitment to grassroots power.”
Indivisible’s scorecard also scores the candidates on their commitment to building grassroots power.
“We're seeing strong candidates really embrace progressive values and grassroots engagement on the campaign trail,” said María Urbina, National Political Director of Indivisible Action. “To beat Donald Trump, we need exactly that approach to energize the Democratic base and inspire new voters to participate. Elizabeth Warren’s strategy is founded in a commitment to building grassroots power, and her score reflects that.”
Indivisible’s scorecard is the latest piece in a months-long candidate evaluation process. In November, Indivisible held live-streamed candidate interviews. Beginning in April, Indivisible got nearly every Democratic contender to sign the We Are Indivisible pledge to support a constructive primary and then rally behind the eventual nominee. Indivisible groups have already pre-scheduled unity rallies across the country for the weekend following the Democratic National Convention in July, 2020.
# # #
ABOUT INDIVISIBLE ACTION
Indivisible Action is a Hybrid Political Action Committee fueled by the grassroots movement to win elections and build local, independent progressive power nationwide. Indivisible Action provides Indivisible groups access to voter contact software, along with a suite of canvassing, phonebanking, and texting tools in support of progressive candidates. Indivisible Action also makes endorsements of federal and gubernatorial candidates nominated by their local Indivisible groups, vetted by our political team, and voted on by our supporters in the states and districts the candidate wishes to represent.