By 2040, 70% of the nation’s population will live in 16 states. Such population consolidation creates a staggering distortion in representation: 50% of U.S. Senate seats will be controlled by only 21% of the nation’s population. These lightly populated states – great in number – are much more red than the country as a whole. These simple facts preview a deeply conservative, long-term future for the U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, and progressive priorities to expand democracy, equality, and justice for all.
This hurts all of us, but hits those of us who are from Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities the hardest: what was a 5% underrepresentation in voting power in 1960 is now 12%. By 2040, it could grow to 16%. Without disruption, an already massive structural problem in our democracy will grow much worse.
To save the Senate and build a more progressive nation, we must turn more red states purple and blue. The Empurpling Project, a startup launched in September 2020 with an unabashedly long-term view, is obsessively focused on its mission to “empurple” small population states, where modest investments go orders of magnitude farther and statewide election margins of victory (or defeat) are much smaller. This is a high risk/high reward strategy that few have attempted.
Through leading edge research on historical patterns of empurpling, political forecasting for the decade ahead, creative strategies to shape public and private investment in the states, and high impact political engagement, The Empurpling Project is building a one-of-a-kind plan to turn small-population red states purple and blue.
This won't happen overnight and won't happen without your support. Please make your investment in empurpling today. Thank you.