By Bridget Tobin, Richard Croxdale, Glenn Scott, and Dale Webb. First published by Democratic Left.
In a remarkable, unexpected down-ballot election victory in Austin, Texas, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member and Sanders campaign activist Julie Ann Nitsch won her runoff for Austin Community College (ACC) Board of Trustees on December 13th.
Nitsch started her campaign at a clear disadvantage, lacking name recognition or a political resume. She had never held a public office, or served on any local boards or commissions. Meanwhile, her strongest opponent had served as ACC trustee for the previous 6 years, had a long resume of community activism, and received endorsements from most local Democratic elected officials and leaders.
DSA Members Glenn Scott, Julie Nitsch, and Claudia Corum.
But Nitsch did have the strong backing of a huge Bernie movement in Central Texas, a DSA chapter whose large membership provided over 100 block walkers and phone bankers, and the full support of Our Revolution (the national organization that grew out of the Sanders campaign) in the runoff election.
Nitsch’s leadership in the Sanders campaign gained her the respect and support of hundreds of volunteers. After volunteering for the campaign in the summer of 2015, Nitsch became the Campaign Coordinator of Texans for Bernie for Travis County and, later, one of five Austin DSA members who served as Sanders delegates at the Democratic National Convention.
Following Bernie’s loss in the primary, Nitsch’s campaign manager and digital director Elisabeth D. Webster said “we realized we were no longer alone. We didn’t have to fight on our own.” She adds that in the wake of the Democratic National Convention in August, “These people were fired up and needed a candidate and Julie was the real deal. She was ready to do it and she was ready to stand up for them.”
People were also drawn to Nitsch by the strong progressive agenda she outlined for ACC, which is the third largest community college in Texas, with over 40,000 students spread over three counties. Nitsch was the first ACC candidate to advocate for creating child care services for students, for offering reproductive health care, and for improving affordable transportation for the rapidly growing student population. As a former student and former employee at ACC, she incorporated the spirit of Sanders national agenda and his democratic socialist vision into her platform.
“I want to improve access to higher education by removing the obstacles that affect working class people,” Nitsch said when Our Revolution endorsed her campaign in August of 2016. “I am working class and, like so many others, I struggled to achieve my higher education. I know and deeply understand the hurdles people face in higher education, which is why I am so passionate about increasing access to the life-changing wisdom imparted through Austin Community College.”
Nitsch’s progressive vision and strong support base made for a vigorous, people-powered campaign. According to Austin DSA Co-Chair Danny Fetonte, “DSA members provided the foot soldiers for the campaign.” Nearly 300 DSAers staffed phone banks, attended Democratic Clubs and union meetings with Nitsch, block walked, did mailings, and put up signs at member’s homes and at friendly businesses.
Our Revolution also played a pivotal role in Nitsch’s victory. They sent over 51,000 text messages and made over 13,000 calls to supporters during the campaign. According to volunteers, many of the people that voted for Nitsch did so as a direct result of Our Revolution’s concerted efforts.
Also crucial to the campaign was Nitsch’s digital strategy. Campaign manager Webster, who also worked on the campaign’s graphic design, ensured that when voters heard the Nitsch’s name, they would be able to Google it and see a highly professional website and online presence with consistent, powerful messages.
Another key player in Nitsch’s win was the Central Labor Council, who endorsed Nitsch early on. An important step to winning the Labor Council’s support was earning the backing of the ACC American Federation of Teachers (AFT) local, the ACC faculty, and support staff union. Although Nitsch’s chief opponent, Guadalupe Sosa, had served the previous six years as trustee in a different at-large seat, the AFT local passed over Sosa and delivered their endorsement to Nitsch. According to Webster, Nitsch received the endorsement “by really being there,” and because “her candidacy stood out. They had seen her be such an active part of the Bernie movement. They’d seen the proof in the pudding; she had a consistent message in advocating for the working class.”
ACC-AFT also supported Nitsch for her insistence on transparency and the need for the board to receive clear information from the administration. They felt Nitsch would listen to the union’s position and would allow their issues and voices to be heard.
The final element of the winning coalition was a local Bernie-inspired progressive group called Left Up to Us (LUTU). According to their website, several Sanders staffers and volunteers started the group with the mission to “answer the call for a progressive political revolution by actively organizing to engage and educate the community.” For Nitsch’s campaign, dozens of LUTU activists helped by phone banking, block walking, and text banking.
In the general election on November 8th, Nitsch delivered a strong second place finish with over 34% in a four-way race, while Sosa took just over 40%. With no candidate receiving over 50% of the vote, the race went into a runoff election on December 13th. The 5-week period between these dates gave the Nitsch campaign a renewed path to victory. Our Revolution hosted statewide and out-of-state phone banks to get out the vote for Nitsch, their only endorsed candidate in a runoff.
On the ground in Travis, Hays, and Williamson Counties, the Nitsch campaign targeted mostly Democrat-leaning known voters, a noticeable departure from Nitch’s general election strategy of reaching out to voters disengaged from the political process. The campaign focused on the neighborhoods where they could win and turn out the vote, which meant talking to the roughly 10,000 people who had the most consistent voting records. Ultimately, Nitsch’s strong grassroots support and pivot in voter strategy led her to a stunning two to one runoff victory.
The Julie Ann Nitsch campaign is a case study of successful local organizing and grassroots campaigning. The value of having a candidate who people see as believable and who is capable in representing their community cannot be overstated. Despite her well-supported opponent, Nitsch won 59% of the vote because, as she’ll tell you, “you just can’t replace passion with money.”
Bridget Tobin, Richard Croxdale, and Glenn Scott are members of Austin DSA. Dale Webb is a member of Austin-based progressive group Left Up To Us.
