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SAN FRANCISCO A cadre of wealthy liberal donors aims to pour tens of millions of dollars into rebuilding the lefts political might in the states, racing to catch up with a decades-old conservative effort that has reshaped statehouses across the country.

The plan embraced by the Democracy Alliance, an organization that advises some of the Democrats top contributors, puts an urgent new focus on financing groups that can help the party regain influence in time for the next congressional redistricting process, after the 2020 elections. The blueprint approved by the alliance board calls on donors to help expand state-level organizing and lobbying for measures addressing climate change, voting rights and economic inequality.

People have gotten a wake-up call, Gara LaMarche, the alliances president, said in an interview. The right is focused on the state level, and even down-ballot, and has made enormous gains. We cant have the kind of long-term progressive future we want if we dont take power in the states.

The five-year initiative, called 2020 Vision, will be discussed this week at a private conference being held at a San Francisco hotel for donors who participate in the Democracy Alliance. Leading California Democrats are scheduled to make appearances, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Kamala Harris. The alliance, which does not disclose its members, plans to make some of the events available to reporters via a webcast.

The gathering coincides with the long-awaited launch of Hillary Rodham Clintons presidential bid, infusing the event with buzz about the 2016 race. Clinton, who was invited to attend, will instead be on her debut campaign swing. But her campaign chairman, John Podesta, who has worked closely with the alliance, is set to participate in events celebrating its decade-long history.

[Explainer: How Democracy Alliance works]

Much of the conference will focus on the alliances long-term strategy. The new plan calls on the groups members, known as partners, to boost the amount they have collectively pumped annually into a core group of liberal organizations in recent years from $30million to at least $50million.

Among the 35 groups recommended for backing are a dozen new additions, including the Washington-based Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and the State Innovation Exchange, an organization that will lobby for liberal policies in the states. The alliance also is urging its members to help expand staffing for 20 state-level donor networks, a collaboration with the Committee on the States, a low-profile sister group that helps coordinate such efforts.

Bolstering the lefts muscle in the states has long been a goal of the Democracy Alliance, which was founded 10 years ago with the goal of building a lasting infrastructure of liberal think tanks and advocacy groups to match groups on the right such as the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. On that front, it has succeeded, helping launch the Center for American Progress, a think-tank powerhouse once run by Podesta, and Media Matters for America, a media watchdog group.

But the groups focus on state activities as been inconsistent, in part because many donors have been more enthusiastic about national projects. Meanwhile, Republicans have consolidated power in state legislatures, bolstered by lobbying groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and a network of think tanks and advocacy groups funded by the billionaires Charles and David Koch and other conservative donors. The GOP now controls 30 state legislatures, while the Democrats control 11, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Original post:
Wealthy donors on left launch new plan to wrest back control in the states