‘We Will Not Win Unless We Do The Work’: A Conversation with a Ventura, CA Democratic Organizer

(CAMARILLO, Calif.) — As America counts down to election day, the shifting voting trends of individual counties can have a local and national impact. Francesca Adams, the organizing director of the Ventura County Democratic Party, is keenly aware of this fact. Adams leads efforts to mobilize voters and enhance civic engagement. Recently, she spoke to The Click, about the party’s strategies to elect Democrats down the ballot and keep Ventura County blue.

The Click: What is something you learned about politics/elections under your role as the Organizing Director that the public should know? Can you share your journey? 

Adams: In 2018, I started meeting more people, and getting more involved. I got involved with the Young Democrats of Ventura County… so with political organizing people pay it forward every time. I like to use that phrase because that’s how we learn, especially in local politics.

What strategies has the Ventura County Democratic Party found most effective in winning local races against Republican candidates?

Francesca Adams chats with a reporter during a virtual call. [Credit: Valeria Garcia]

With misinformation being a significant issue, what strategies do the VC Democrats utilize for countering false narratives in local and national campaigns?

Right now we’re collecting data for the Harris campaign and the other Democratic parties. We’re getting lies perpetuated for the people who are saying, “I’m for Trump” and one of our phone bankers says “Why?” It goes into the conversation of Trump’s economy and people not really realizing Trump had Obama’s economy. We have to be very mindful of how we talk to people, of meeting people where they are, and be mindful of people who are still hurting and are living paycheck to paycheck. It’s unfair saying we have this great economy when they’re suffering. The other thing is that some Democrats believe Kamala has her win in the bag. If our phone bankers aren’t calling, we will not win. We will not win unless we do the work.

How do you envision fostering unity between Democrats and Republicans, especially during primaries, to ensure Democrats present a strong front in general elections?

We have to be very understanding of how we phrase things to make it very neutral. Since Trump, a filter has been erased. I feel like there should be people thinking before they speak, instead of just saying what they feel like they should say in that exact moment without kind of doing that… being intentional with the issues and intentional with how you talk to each other.

What strategies do the VC Dems have in place to engage independent voters, particularly in swing districts?

We have to talk about the issues… policy is politics, but there’s so much valid emotion in politics. The strategy we have to have in place [is] listening to one another, and being mindful of language being [sent] in mail, on social media posts for campaigns. So when we’re targeting third party voters, we make the messaging a bit more neutral, but not changing it.