Pod Save America host Dan Pfeiffer sits down with States Win Executive Director Sarah Curmi to discuss why state legislatures are one of the most consequential and underinvested battlegrounds of the 2026 midterms.
From building Democratic trifectas to breaking Republican supermajorities, Dan and Sarah break down where Democrats can win and why investing down ballot can deliver an outsized impact.
Support States Win’s work to win state legislatures by clicking here.
Full transcript of the Substack LIVE with Dan Pfeiffer and Sarah Curmi:
Dan Pfeiffer:
I am very excited for this conversation. I’m joined here by Sarah Curmi from States Win. We’ll talk about state legislatures, the 2026 election, what your organization is doing, and how people who may be watching can get involved.
Just start by telling me who you guys are, what you do, and why you guys are so important.
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah, thanks so much for having us on today, Dan, and for all of your support of our organization in the past. So I’m Sarah Curmi, Executive Director of States Win, formerly Sister District. And we are focused exclusively on state legislatures and bringing them into democratic power, into democratic control, because we know how under-resourced these races are and yet how impactful they are, what a difference they can make in people’s lives.
I am a Michigander. I had the pleasure of being under a democratic trifecta for a couple of years, and also worked in the legislature. And so I know firsthand the impact these offices have on everything from the quality of our schools to the funding our communities get to our fundamental freedoms like abortion rights, LGBTQ plus rights and environmental protections. And so that’s why at States Win we are so focused on these races and opportunities we have this year.
Dan Pfeiffer:
And to say exactly what you do and how you help state legislative races, what specifically are you guys doing around the country?
Sarah Curmi:
So we dig in deep with these candidates. We have a phenomenal political team. They look at all the races all across the country. I know one of the biggest barriers to entry to getting folks engaged in state legislative races. It feels kind of like a morass. There are 50 states with 50 state legislatures, and they’re all different, and all the rules are different. And so we do that legwork for you.
We figure out what states we should be involved in paying attention to, and within those states, what seats are really determinative to flipping a chamber, holding a crucial chamber, or breaking a Republican supermajority. And then once we endorse we wrap them in support with amazing volunteer teams.
We have volunteer teams all across the country. And they raise money and do voter contact for these candidates. The two things that the candidates repeatedly say are most helpful to them is what we offer to these candidates. And it’s been working.
Dan Pfeiffer:
Maybe explain a little bit for folks who don’t know what a supermajority and why it’s so important to break them, even in states where we do not control either of the legislatures or the governor’s race.
Sarah Curmi:
That’s a great question. I think breaking Republican supermajorities matters both in the short term for folks who are living in these states. It provides a real opportunity for Democrats who are in these chambers to have leverage.
Dan Pfeiffer:
It does.
Sarah Curmi:
It depends a little bit on the state, but Democrats, sometimes if they break a Republican supermajority, can hold a governor’s veto or make sure that there’s not a quorum if there’s a certain issue that Republicans are trying to bring.
But we also know that for the long term, we need to broaden that path to power and make sure that we’re impacting people’s lives in the right way in the short term and the long term.
Dan Pfeiffer:
We know what the battleground states are. They’ve been the same ones in every presidential election, at least over the last three cycles. Some of the old ones keep falling off, which is not great. And we’ve gotten some new ones, too.
What are the states where you’re looking at expanding? What are the places where there are opportunities for state legislatures in this cycle you guys are focused on that are outside of that core seven or so battleground states?
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah. So like I said, last year we added Iowa to our map and then we’ve kept it this year. This year we are also adding Indiana, Kansas and Ohio, where we have a real opportunity to break Republican supermajorities there.
Ohio, when I first started in politics, was one of those battleground states, but has kind of fallen off the map over time. But these are places where we also have really competitive governor’s races going on. And so that makes it all that much more important that we work to break these Republican supermajorities for folks in the state.
Dan Pfeiffer:
I think people have a general sense that electing more Democrats to office is good. No matter the office, like given a choice to pick a Democrat, at least a lot of people listening are watching this right now. But maybe, you know, help explain why right now state legislative offices matter for people’s lives.
In 2022, there was obviously a huge focus on this related to in response to Dobbs. Obviously, that still is out there. It’s still something people are talking about and working on. But what are the big issues that state legislators are dealing with right now that we need people who can push progressive value to push back against fascism or MAGA or whatever else?
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah, so I think making sure that we have power in these chambers is very critical as we enter into the presidential election. I know we’re still focused on 2026 and rightly so, but the presidential election is right around the corner. And we want to make sure that it’s easier for folks to vote all across the country. And state legislatures have a huge impact and make decisions every day around voting rights and access to the ballot box.
Beyond that, they also, in most states, draw the lines around redistricting for themselves. It’s something like 300 congressional seats are impacted by state legislatures and over 6,000 state legislative seats drawn by state legislatures. So they have a huge impact on how these lines are drawn.
And I think one thing we have seen this cycle is that redistricting isn’t just every 10 years anymore.
Dan Pfeiffer:
I know I told you to ignore the battleground states earlier. I’m going to revert that here. But as people are looking about where to get involved, where to focus their attention, what are the states where Democrats have a real chance to either take the majority, create a supermajority, or are just trying to hold on to a majority? What are the key ones for folks to watch?
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah, we have real opportunity to build democratic trifectas in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona. Pennsylvania, even now, at the beginning of the cycle, we weren’t so sure just because it’s a big, expensive state that that Senate would be expensive. But now the environment is looking more and more positive.
And so really between all those states, we flip 22 seats, just 22 seats in those states. We can get five Democratic trifectas that would put 42.5 million more folks in. And then talking about breaking Republican supermajorities, in Indiana, it’s just four seats.
Sarah Curmi:
Kansas, it’s five seats. Ohio, it’s six seats. The New Hampshire Senate is just one seat. Same with the North Carolina Senate. The Iowa House, just one seat puts those chambers over the edge to break Republican supermajorities.
Dan Pfeiffer:
And in so just as people are as the candidates are out there campaigning, what are the issues that are resonating? I mean, I assume affordability is one of them. It’s been the dominant political issue for at least the last five years in American politics. Anything else that our folks are really focusing on or you’re seeing that is moving voters?
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah, I mean, I think obviously affordability is hugely important. And I think that’s another area where state legislatures have, you know, a real opportunity and a real impact.
Here in Michigan, they once again work to negotiate to make sure kids have free lunch at schools. That’s hugely impactful for families. Earned income tax credit. All of these pieces and setting the minimum wage is done by states. The federal minimum wage hasn’t changed in years. So we have a real opportunity to make an impact in folks’ lives on affordability by flipping these seats and flipping these chambers.
And it’s a lot cheaper to do that, this is much more affordable than one U.S. Senate seat.
Dan Pfeiffer:
Yeah, let’s talk about that, actually, because as everyone who listens to this is bombarded with 10,000 text messages a week with horribly plaintive pleas for money from candidates who have no shot of winning to candidates who have money coming out of their ears to scam PACs.
Just maybe talk a little bit about how the efficiency of donating to a state legislative race as opposed to a Senate race or a presidential race. Not that you shouldn’t donate to those either, but if you think about impact per dollar, why state legislative races matter so much.
Sarah Curmi:
Yeah, to be clear, it’s a both and. And Republicans have been doing both and for years. They did Project REDMAP in 2010, and that’s why they’ve had the success at the state legislative level. And Democrats have been late to the party.
That’s exactly why States Win was founded, because our founders looked around and said, no, we’re focused here. And this is where we can make a huge impact for the biggest bang for our buck. We can, you know, flip these seats are a fraction of the cost. So grassroots donors, which is our volunteers, mobilize grassroots donors and grassroots volunteers to make these phone calls, to raise money.
Last year alone in 2025, our volunteers raised $45,000 on average for our state legislative candidates. I was a state legislative campaign manager in my early days. I would have been absolutely thrilled to get that kind of influx into my state legislative race. And it makes a huge difference for these folks.
Dan Pfeiffer:
You know, it was a longtime criticism of the Democratic Party for many years going back to as far as I can remember that Democrats did not pay enough attention to state legislative races. We were very focused on presidential races primarily, but also Senate races, but that we were ignoring down ballot.
After Trump won the first time in 2017, there was a shift in mentality. I first became acquainted with your organization in Virginia in 2017 when I was meeting people from California and across the country who had come to campaign for Virginia state legislative candidates. If you had asked someone in 2010, the idea that someone would be campaigning, flying across the country to campaign for a state legislative candidate was shocking. But there was this intense focus on it.
As I mentioned, there was in 2022 as well, both around responding to Dobbs and protecting abortion access in this country, but also the idea that Trump was going to try to steal the election. And therefore, we needed to have state legislatures who could certify electoral results and send electors to Congress.
Has that focus from the broader political conversation and the donor community stayed in Trump 2.0? Or do you think Democrats have lost a little bit of focus on something so important?
Sarah Curmi:
I think, you know, folks, I think folks recognize that it’s important. And certainly when I have these conversations, folks will agree and they totally understand it. I think we’re still in a space where we’re working to make sure we’re resourced to the adequate level at this level of ballot.
Dan Pfeiffer:
I’m a little alarmed that you might have just suggested I was mainstream media, but we’re just going to put that aside for a second.
Sarah Curmi:
No, I was trying to create a comparison.
Dan Pfeiffer:
Okay, I feel better now. I won’t hang up immediately. But I think we can end here, but for the folks who are listening today and they have been sufficiently compelled by what I found to be a very compelling message about the importance of these races, how can they support your organization?
Sarah Curmi:
Thanks for the question. Yes, please feel free to visit stateswin.org, our website. You can sign up to volunteer, get involved with us there. You can follow us on socials, on Substack. And of course, if you are so moved, we would love to have your contributions, your support. We are really working hard to make sure that we leverage every single opportunity across the map this year. And we’ve got a really great chance to do so.
So I appreciate all of your support and appreciate you, Dan, for having me on today.
Dan Pfeiffer:
Of course. And I say to everyone listening here and reading this later on that there really are a few better ways to make an impact than to do it at the state legislative level. I think this is a very smart way to spend your political money if you were fortunate enough to have it.
So, Sarah, thank you so much. Good luck in this very busy, very chaotic election year.
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