Main Street Action — 2026 Battleground Plan
Main Street Majority: Small Business Influencer Network for Persuasion, Accountability, and Mobilization
For decades, the Chamber of Commerce and NFIB have claimed to speak for small business. They do not. Today's small business owners have more in common with their customers than with corporate America. Main Street Action is building the infrastructure to make that visible — and make it matter in the states that decide elections.
The argument
Agreement without belief
Voters in battleground states broadly share progressive positions on healthcare, childcare, and economic affordability. What they lack is conviction that anyone in power is actually on their side. That is a persuasion problem, not a policy problem.
The most trusted messengers are sitting out
Pew Research ranks small business as the most trusted institution in American life, above churches, media, and both political parties. And yet small business owners remain almost entirely absent as a coordinated political force. That is the gap this program fills.
The model: four reinforcing pushes
Push 1
Digital
DTC video, Facebook group strategy, creator content, social amplification, and validator stipends to sustain consistent, credible content over time
Push 2
Earned
Listening sessions, candidate forums, roundtables, op-eds, rapid response, and Courier Newsroom partnership for editorial distribution across target states
Push 3
Paid
Co-produced digital ads with Forward Majority in WI and MI; issue accountability campaigns; vetted paid communications partners in IA, MN, NC, and VA
Push 4
GOTV
Black and brown-owned businesses activated as civic hubs in Twin Cities, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Hampton Roads; texting programs; Rock the Vote and Empower Project integration
The core message, in the voice of a validator: "I'm not here to give you a civics lecture. I run a business in this community. I see what people are paying, what workers are dealing with, and what happens when politicians ignore us. The same people raising your costs are trying to weaken your vote. Staying home is exactly what they're counting on."
Proof: what we've already built
50M+
Earned media impressions reached in 2025 across battleground states
7.4M
Impressions in WI-03 accountability campaign over 3 months
79%
View-through rate on Virginia validator ad. Nearly 4 in 5 viewers watched to the end.
Virginia — VA HD-71
Black business owner Angie Boyd ran a direct-to-camera healthcare ad reaching 1.7M voters. Her story helped Democrat Jessica Anderson defeat Republican incumbent Amanda Batten in a key House of Delegates race. Anderson flipped the seat by 5.5 points.
ACA Subsidies
Main Street influencers anchored a 3-month accountability push that moved a staunch ACA subsidy opponent, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), to change his vote and extend the subsidies. Real pressure from small business owners works.
Wisconsin 2024 legislative cycle
5.5M earned media impressions. 3M persuasion impressions. 17,442 supporters identified. 170,000+ pieces of direct mail. Small business validators helped anchor affordability messaging across competitive districts. Democrats flipped 5 of 6 targeted legislative seats.
Wisconsin — Governor's Forum
In January 2026, Main Street Action convened 400+ small business owners in Milwaukee for the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate forum of the 2026 cycle. Every major Democratic candidate attended. The agenda was set entirely by validators. When trusted economic messengers call the meeting, candidates come to them.
2026 battleground targets
US House: WI-03, IA-01/02/03, MI-10, VA-02, MN-01/02
US Senate: Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Michigan
Governor: Wisconsin
WI Assembly: AD88, AD54, AD51, AD61, AD21, AD53
WI Senate: SD17, SD05
Network: 30,000+ members across battleground states
Program investment: $3,000,000
| Stage | Category | What it funds | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push 1: Digital | Social, Creator & Influencer Content | DTC video production, Facebook group strategy, creator content, social amplification of validator voices | $300,000 |
| Push 1: Digital | Digital Influencer Stipends | Monthly stipends ($1,750/month) supporting validators in sustaining consistent, credible content over time | $250,000 |
| Push 2: Earned | Events, Media & Narrative Engine | Listening sessions, roundtables, candidate forums, press events, days of action, op-eds, rapid response | $200,000 |
| Push 2: Earned | Courier Newsroom Partnership | Co-hosted civic engagement events and electoral accountability journalism in target districts | $170,000 |
| Push 3: Paid | Forward Majority Pass-Through | MSA's 50% co-investment in $1.194M joint paid program covering WI and MI legislative and congressional districts | $597,000 |
| Push 3: Paid | Forward Majority Ops Fee | 15% management fee covering coordinator time, validator recruitment, and production oversight | $179,100 |
| Push 3: Paid | Issue Accountability Campaigns | Billboard and digital accountability campaigns tied to specific votes; vetted paid partners outside FM footprint | $200,000 |
| Push 4: GOTV | Black and Brown Civic Hub Mobilization | Voter reg drives and GOTV activation in Twin Cities, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Hampton Roads; texting programs; Rock the Vote and Empower Project | $300,000 |
| Foundation | Organizing Capacity & Validator Recruitment | Multi-state coordinators, in-state organizers, validator stipends, membership growth, story development, storybank infrastructure | $453,900 |
| Foundation | General Operations & Staffing | Salaries, funder reporting, legal and compliance review, and travel | $250,000 |
| Contingency | Vendor overages, unexpected expenses, operational flexibility | $100,000 | |
| TOTAL | $3,000,000 |
Why this model scales: Each targeted geography is supported at $100K to $150K. The Forward Majority partnership is particularly high-leverage: MSA's $776,100 activates a $1.194M joint paid program in WI and MI. Cohorts build without rebuilding. Storybanks compound in value. Infrastructure builds rather than resets.
$3M
total investment