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Reid Wilson had a great piece over the weekend reporting that Republicans, having expanded their control on the level of the states, are now planning to move forward with a juggernaut of conservative legislation in dozens of places, including in the 24 states where they are now in total control.

This is another reminder of a topic weve discussed before: The urgent need for Democrats to focus more energy and resources on making electoral and policy gains at the state level.

As it turns out, there are now some signs that Dems are trying to do this: Various groups and party officials are planning new efforts along these lines.

The picture Wilsons piece paints is bleak for Democrats. In addition to enjoying total control of government in half the states, Republicans also control 31 governorships and two thirds of partisan legislative chambers. Wilson reports that all over the country, Republicans are planning new rounds of fiscally conservative tax policies; right to work laws that would further weaken labor unions; and fresh initiatives targeting abortion rights and environmental regulations, among other things. What can Democrats do about this, in the near and long term?

Some Dems have formed a group called the State Innovation Exchange, a coalition of lawmakers and operatives that is meant to go toe-to-toe with right wing state-focused groups such as the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council.

Nick Rathod, the executive director of the State Innovation Exchange, tells me his group is examining new types of legislative templates that lawmakers can employ on the state level to move progressive ideas forward just as ALEC does for conservative policies.

Rathod says his group is formulating a police reform bill that would create some form of state-level independent oversight agency, in hopes of capitalizing on the organizing energy unleashed by recent police killings. The group is also developing voting reform proposals that would expand voting access and flexibility, and proposals that would boost paid sick days, among other things. The group will encourage local Democrats to introduce such proposals in various states, where appropriate, in hopes of generating discussion and attention to them even in places where Republicans have control.

As difficult as it might seem to get anything done this way, Rathod points out that even in the last election which was awful for Democrats multiple states passed minimum wage hikes, showing that progressive policies can be moved forward even on hostile political turf. This is a big deal: In part due to those and other previous victories, millions of Americans are getting a raise this year, even in territory where Dems sustained major losses.

All this is being eyed as a long game, and part of the mission here is to reorient the Democratic donor class. Ultimately we want to get to a $10-12 million budget over the course of the next few years, Rathod tells me. Donors understand that if we want to get something done in this country, we have to go to the states, because its not happening in D.C. Historically, donors have focused on federal elections and moving policy at the federal level. Theres still a strong need to get people more excited about the possibilities at the state level.

Meanwhile, the influential Democracy Alliance, a group of wealthy liberal donors, is currently working on a plan to channel money from the partys top money people into elections in states. Key to this plan will be figuring out how to make relatively un-sexy state-level contests and issues attractive to money folks who think all the action is in high profile federal races.

Read more:
Sargent: Shellacked on the state level, Democrats chart a way out of the wilderness