Contest Every Race
Contest Every Race is a U.S. political nonprofit that recruits Democratic candidates to run in down-ballot local races, particularly in rural areas where Republicans would otherwise run unopposed, and supports them through grants, training, and free campaigning tools distributed via 34 state and 1,500 local Democratic party partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Contest Every Race does
Contest Every Race is a U.S. political nonprofit and PAC founded in 2018 (firmographic record states 2016) and headquartered in Oakland, California, that recruits Democratic candidates to run in local down-ballot races — particularly school board, city council, and county commission seats in rural and non-urban areas where Republicans would otherwise run unopposed. The organization operates three integrated programs: a Candidate Recruitment Program that uses text messaging outreach to identify prospective candidates; a Local Party Support program that distributes quarterly grants (historically $500/quarter per team), training, and free tooling to county-level Democratic parties; and a Campaign Support program that provides coaching, online training, and a candidate community. Contest Every Race is a project of Movement Labs, an incubator and consulting firm building progressive power, and accepts donations via ActBlue.
The underlying technology stack is deliberately lightweight: a proprietary hyper-local text messaging platform used for candidate and volunteer outreach; a grants program management system with quarterly disbursements, action plans, and performance metrics; and a third-party integration with Civitech's RunningMate tool for voter targeting and data visualization in state-specific academies like the Texas Candidate Academy. No AI/ML, proprietary model, or API surface is disclosed. Outreach channels are multi-modal — SMS, email newsletter, organic social (Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Threads), blog/Substack content, and earned media in outlets including the New York Times, Politico, and USA Today.
The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. As a PAC/nonprofit, Contest Every Race raises money through ActBlue and deploys it into grants, candidate support tooling, and field organizing. Programmatic scale is substantial: 12,807 candidates recruited and 5,660 elected since founding (44% win rate), 2,907 candidates recruited and 1,408 elected in the 2024 cycle alone (48% win rate), $2M+ granted to local organizing groups cumulatively, 13 million texts sent and 1.4 million doors knocked in 2024, and a 2025-26 grants program reaching nearly 400 teams across 39 states. Partnerships span 34 state Democratic parties, 1,500 local Democratic parties, and aligned organizations including MoveOn, Dirtroad Organizing, Run for Something, and the Pipeline Fund.
Contest Every Race firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contest Every Race
- Legal name
- Contest Every Race
- Website
- https://contesteveryrace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Contest Every Race is a U.S. political nonprofit that recruits Democratic candidates to run in down-ballot local races, particularly in rural areas where Republicans would otherwise run unopposed, and supports them through grants, training, and free campaigning tools distributed via 34 state and 1,500 local Democratic party partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contest Every Race industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Organizing Services
- NAICS
- Political Organizations (813940)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)
Keywords
Where Contest Every Race is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Contest Every Race business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Political donations via PAC: Contest Every Race operates as a PAC and accepts political donations through ActBlue platform. Donations support hiring staff, supporting local parties, and conducting candidate training sessions. The organization is a project of Movement Labs.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Contest Every Race product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contest Every Race is a political nonprofit/PAC that recruits everyday Democrats to run for local office in uncontested races, particularly in rural and non-urban areas. It operates three integrated programs: a Candidate Recruitment Program that identifies and onboards prospective candidates; a Local Party Support grants program that funds and equips county-level Democratic parties; and a Campaign Support program providing coaching, training, and resources to first-time candidates. The organization is a project of Movement Labs and accepts donations via ActBlue.
Product overview
Contest Every Race is a political organizing organization that operates three core programs forming an integrated approach to down-ballot Democratic recruitment: the Candidate Recruitment Program recruits everyday Democrats to run in uncontested races; the Local Party Support program provides grants and infrastructure to rural Democratic parties; and the Campaign Support program offers training and resources to help candidates run successful campaigns. The organization also produces an annual Impact Report and has launched state-specific initiatives like the Texas Candidate Academy. Together, these programs create a pipeline from candidate identification through campaign support to election success.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Texas Candidate Academy: Candidate training and support program for folks running in local races across Texas
Products and services
- Candidate Recruitment Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 44% of recruited candidates won their races since 2018 (5,660 elected)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Contest Every Race
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Contest Every Race technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature2 records
Contest Every Race partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Utah Democratic PartyflagshipStatewide campaign launched May 2025 to recruit hundreds of Democratic candidates for local office, targeting over 700 offices in Utah.
- Pennsylvania Democratic PartyflagshipStatewide candidate recruitment drive launched February 2025 to recruit nearly 5,200 local candidates in non-urban areas across Pennsylvania.
- Ohio Democratic PartyflagshipStatewide candidate recruitment effort targeting over 6,000 local offices in Ohio for the 2025 election cycle.
- Texas Democratic County Chair AssociationflagshipPartnership to recruit at least 100 Democrats to run for local office including City Council, Mayor, and School Board seats in Texas.
- California Democratic PartyflagshipStatewide candidate recruitment initiative targeting 774 local races across 31 California counties, aiming to recruit at least 105 first-time Democratic candidates.
- MoveOncoreAligned progressive organization partnering on candidate recruitment initiatives to strengthen Democratic presence in rural communities.
- Dirtroad OrganizingcorePartner organization focused on rural Democratic organizing, collaborating on candidate recruitment programs.
- Run for SomethingcoreProgressive organization that offers endorsements for candidates under 40, partnering on recruitment efforts.
- Pipeline FundcoreStrategic partner in the progressive ecosystem supporting Democratic candidate recruitment.
- 34 Democratic state partiesflagshipFormal partnerships with 34 state Democratic parties including Pennsylvania, Utah, Ohio, Texas, California, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, and Wisconsin for coordinated candidate recruitment drives and organizing programs.
- 1,500 Local Democratic partiesflagshipPartnerships with 1,500 local/county Democratic parties across the country participating in grants program and candidate recruitment initiatives.
- Movement LabsflagshipContest Every Race is a project of Movement Labs, an incubator and consulting firm building progressive power. Movement Labs provides organizational infrastructure, funding, and strategic direction.
- Public WisecoreNon-partisan voting rights organization whose Election Threat Index is used by Contest Every Race to identify election deniers for targeting in candidate recruitment.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Contest Every Race competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- New Politics: New Politics recruits and elects younger leaders and veterans to office. Smaller scale than CER but operates a comparable candidate-pipeline model targeting non-traditional candidates.
- BallotReady: BallotReady builds civic-tech tools including voter guides and candidate information, with a "Run for Office" portal that overlaps with CER's candidate recruitment flow. Provides research that CER references on uncontested races.
Direct peers
- Swing Left: Swing Left organizes volunteers and donors to support Democratic candidates in swing districts, with significant down-ballot focus. Both organizations use partner networks to channel grassroots support into local races.
- Indivisible: Indivisible is a progressive grassroots advocacy organization with affiliated candidate recruitment and electoral work. Operates in overlapping ecosystem with similar community-led organizing model.
- Run for Something: Run for Something recruits and supports progressive candidates under 40 to run for local and state office. It is one of CER's named strategic partners and the most directly comparable down-ballot recruitment organization in the progressive ecosystem.
- Sister District Project: Sister District Project pairs volunteers with state legislative districts in states with competitive redistricting. Comparable model of targeted down-ballot mobilization targeting state-level races.
- MoveOn: MoveOn is a large progressive advocacy organization that runs candidate recruitment and electoral programs. Named direct partner of Contest Every Race with overlapping candidate-recruitment mission.
- National Democratic Training Committee: NDTC provides training and resources to Democratic candidates and campaign operatives. Overlaps with CER's Campaign Support program in arming first-time candidates with tools and skills.
Broad incumbents
- EMILY's List: EMILY's List is a much larger and longer-tenured PAC focused on pro-choice Democratic women candidates. Comparable in electoral mechanics (candidate support, fundraising) but operates at a significantly larger scale and gender-focused scope.
- Working America: Working America is the AFL-CIO's community-organizing arm supporting progressive candidates and policy. Similar door-knocking and field organizing playbook, but broader labor-aligned mission rather than candidate-recruitment specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Contest Every Race social profiles
Digital presenceContest Every Race financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contest Every Race leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Contest Every Race funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contest Every Race M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contest Every Race
What does Contest Every Race do?
Contest Every Race is a political nonprofit/PAC that recruits everyday Democrats to run for local office in uncontested races, particularly in rural and non-urban areas. It operates three integrated programs: a Candidate Recruitment Program that identifies and onboards prospective candidates; a Local Party Support grants program that funds and equips county-level Democratic parties; and a Campaign Support program providing coaching, training, and resources to first-time candidates. The organization is a project of Movement Labs and accepts donations via ActBlue.
Is Contest Every Race a public or private company?
Contest Every Race is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Contest Every Race founded?
Contest Every Race was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Contest Every Race based?
Contest Every Race is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Contest Every Race make money?
One revenue line is on record: political donations via PAC.
Who are Contest Every Race's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are New Politics and BallotReady. Direct peers are Swing Left, Indivisible, Run for Something, Sister District Project, MoveOn and National Democratic Training Committee. Broad incumbents are EMILY's List and Working America.
Does Contest Every Race have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contest Every Race.
What industry is Contest Every Race in?
Contest Every Race's product category is Political Organizing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAA, Electoral Support & Election Observation. Its NAICS code is 813940 and its SIC code is 8600.