Since 2018, Blue Wave volunteers across Hawaiʻi have written hundreds of thousands of postcards to voters in competitive races across the country. Here's what we've accomplished – and what we've learned along the way.
2018: Finding our footing
65 volunteers | 7,313 postcards
Blue Wave launched in 2018 to mobilize Hawaiʻi volunteers for the midterm elections. We were still figuring out our systems, so we didn't track which districts we targeted or measure our specific impact. But we learned what worked, built our volunteer base, and set the foundation for everything that followed.
2019: Building momentum
Volunteers: data not tracked | Postcards: data not tracked
States targeted: Virginia, North Carolina's 9th Congressional District
We wrote Get Out the Vote (GOTV) postcards to Virginia voters for state legislative races, where Democrats flipped both chambers of the state legislature for the first time in over two decades. We also canvassed in North Carolina, though the 9th Congressional District special election went to a Republican. Our Virginia success showed us what was possible when volunteers focused their energy on winnable races.
2020: The breakthrough year
218 volunteers | 80,000+ postcards
States targeted: Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida
This was the year everything came together. Blue Wave volunteers helped flip critical US Senate seats from Republican to Democratic control:
- Arizona: Mark Kelly defeated Republican incumbent Martha McSally
- Colorado: John Hickenlooper defeated Republican incumbent Cory Gardner
- Georgia: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both won their races, flipping both of Georgia's Senate seats
We also contributed to the Biden/Harris victory and helped Democrats keep control of the US House (222 Democrats, 213 Republicans).
2021: Consolidating gains
Volunteers: data not tracked | Postcards: data not tracked
A quieter year with fewer competitive races, we focused on maintaining our volunteer network and preparing for the critical 2022 midterms.
2022: Protecting democracy in the states
59 volunteers | 36,784 postcards
States targeted: Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin
We helped protect key governorships and Senate seats from Trump-backed challengers:
- Arizona: Governor Katie Hobbs defeated Trump-backed Kari Lake; Senator Mark Kelly kept his seat against Trump-backed Blake Masters
- North Carolina: Flipped Congressional District 13 blue
- Georgia: Senator Raphael Warnock kept his seat against Trump-backed Herschel Walker
- Wisconsin: Governor Tony Evers kept his seat against Trump ally Tim Michels
The losses we learned from:
- North Carolina: Cheri Beasley lost the open Senate seat to Trump ally Ted Budd
- Georgia: Stacey Abrams lost the gubernatorial race to incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp
- Wisconsin: Mandela Barnes lost to Republican incumbent Senator Ron Johnson, and Republicans flipped Congressional District 3 red
Democrats also lost control of the US House (222 Republicans, 213 Democrats).
2023: Building for the long term
Volunteers: data not tracked | 24,582 postcards
States targeted: Nevada, Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, Georgia
We focused primarily on voter registration postcards this year, with GOTV postcards for Virginia's state elections. These off-year races helped us test new messaging strategies and keep our volunteer base engaged.
2024: Record mobilization in challenging conditions
700+ volunteers | 185,000+ postcards
States targeted: Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan
Our largest volunteer mobilization yet faced the challenging 2024 election landscape. While Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan all went for Trump (and North Carolina stayed red), we helped protect Democratic Senate seats in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Pennsylvania's Democratic Senator Bob Casey lost his race, and Republicans maintained narrow control of the House (220 Republicans, 215 Democrats).
2025: Focusing on winnable races
293 volunteers | 83,000+ postcards
States targeted: Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Tennessee
We've shifted our strategy to focus on state-level races and congressional redistricting:
- Virginia: Helped flip the Governor's seat blue, making Virginia a blue trifecta (Governor + both legislative chambers controlled by Democrats)
- Wisconsin: Contributed to electing a Democratic justice to the state supreme court
- California: Proposition 50 passed to redistrict 5 US House districts to favor Democrats
[Note: Younghee to confirm if there are additional 2025 results to include]
The learning opportunity: Tennessee's Aftyn Behn lost Congressional District 7 to Republican Matt Van Epps, but we helped narrow the margin from 22% to 9% - evidence that organizing in red districts can shift the political landscape even when we don't win.
What seven years taught us
Volunteer organizing works. We started with 65 people writing 7,000 postcards. By 2024, we had 700+ volunteers writing 185,000 postcards in a single cycle. That growth didn't happen by accident - it happened because people saw that their time and effort mattered.
Not every race is winnable, but every race still matters. When we organize in tough districts, we narrow margins and build local capacity. Tennessee's Congressional District 7 went from a 22-point Republican blowout to a 9-point race. That means the next Democrat who runs there has a real shot.
We've also learned that Senate seats tend to be more stable than presidential races. In 2024, voters in multiple states split their tickets - supporting Trump while still voting for Democratic Senate candidates. Those protected Senate seats gave Democrats leverage to block the worst of the Trump agenda.
State races are where long-term power gets built. Virginia's blue trifecta, Wisconsin's Supreme Court win, and California's redistricting victory in 2025 will reshape the political landscape for years. These aren't the races that make national headlines, but they're often the ones that matter most.
And here's what still surprises people: Hawaiʻi volunteers can shape mainland races. Distance doesn't dilute impact. Our volunteers writing postcards from across the islands have influenced elections in swing states thousands of miles away.
Looking ahead
After seven years, Blue Wave has become more than a postcarding program. We're a network of volunteers who show up cycle after cycle, regardless of whether the national mood feels hopeful or hard. The wins keep us motivated. The losses teach us how to do better. And every postcard represents someone in Hawaiʻi deciding that democracy is worth the effort.
Right now, we're focused on flipping Congress blue in 2026. Want to help write the next chapter?