ACLU Makes Massive 2018 Midterm Announcement That Has Trump On Wig-Out Watch

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The country continues to limp along towards the 2018 midterm elections, with Democrats going into the election with a clear advantage over Republicans. Currently, according to RealClearPolitics, Democrats are leading Republicans by an margin of about 11 percent in generic Congressional ballot polling, and it’s not as though the massively unpopular president is doing anything to help his party.

11.4 ACLU Makes Massive 2018 Midterm Announcement That Has Trump On Wig-Out Watch Donald Trump Politics Top Stories

Still, Democrats aren’t going to just sit back and hope for the best. There is a new report from POLITICO about the ACLU’s intention to become a political advocacy powerhouse ahead of the midterm elections later this year. The idea is essentially for the ACLU to become the left’s answer to the National Rifle Association, a group that has expanded its operations over the years to include rating candidates on issues important to far right voters and similar political moves and has emerged as a fierce ally of President Trump.

Ironically, it’s the NRA that provided the backdrop for one of the most recently revealed suspicious interactions between a member of the Trump team and a high-ranking Russian.

The ACLU does not intend to form a PAC or endorse candidates, instead opting to stick to issue advocacy, such as that comprising the activities of the NRA. Similar to the NRA, the ACLU will issue a “scorecard” rating candidates on their stances on issues important to those allied with the interests of the organization. The free speech advocacy organization will also pour a significant amount of cash into advertising while also conducting more grassroots initiatives like phone banks and town halls.

The issues at the top of the ACLU’s agenda include, according to POLITICO, voting rights, the travel ban, disability rights, reproductive rights and immigration. To that end, the ACLU has “already committed to spending $5 million to qualify and propel a ballot initiative… to re-enfranchise up to 1.5 million convicted felons.” The organization is also preparing to spend seven figures promoting a similar ballot initiative in another state, although the ACLU’s Executive Director Anthony Romero did not yet reveal which state that actually is.

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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 22: Civil Liberty Defender Anthony D. Romero poses with his award at Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards at John Zuccotti Theater at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center on April 22, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Mack/FilmMagic)

As for specific races, ACLU officials tell POLITICO that they “expect to get involved in about a dozen races, including for district attorney in California and Texas.”

As political director Faiz Shakir put it:

‘When you look at what Trump and [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions have created, the outrage has made voters want to know how they can reverse the tide. It provides you an opportunity to explain some of these down-ballot races.’

On top of the already mentioned items, the ACLU will also bring on a pollster and contract a third party political strategy firm.

All of these moves have been made possible by an explosion of interest in the ACLU since Trump rose to power. In the twelve months following Trump’s election, the ACLU raised a whopping $93 million in online donations. In the twelve months before that, the organization only raised about $5.5 million.

The organization has already put its newfound prowess to good use, too, being one of the first interests to successfully get the president’s Muslim-targeting travel ban halted.

Featured Image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images