The Democratic National Committee released a 200-plus-page campaign playbook this week that delivers a blunt assessment of the party’s organizing shortcomings in recent years, acknowledging that its approach to reaching voters “is not fit for the moment” the party finds itself in today.
The document, titled “A Guide for Coordinated Campaigns & State Parties,” is the first time the DNC has compiled and distributed best practices from across the Democratic campaign ecosystem, the committee said in an announcement. Its release was timed to coincide with a national voter registration drive spanning 26 states that the party called its first partisan registration push during a midterm election year.
“Our path to victory in 2026 demands that we keep building this momentum: organizing everywhere, speaking with conviction, and being the party that truly listens to and serves the communities we represent,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in the opening pages of the playbook. “To accomplish that mission, the Democratic National Committee is releasing a first-ever Organizing and Political Playbook to inform how to build winning campaigns in 2026.”
The playbook is “the first time the DNC has collected and distributed best practices from across the ecosystem—marking a meaningful shift in how we support state party leaders, campaign staff, and partners on the ground,” he said.
