The Plan

PA Dems Black Caucus — 2026 Midterm & 2027 Primary Statewide Strategy

Member Action Plan • Director Playbook • Statewide Chapter Outreach Plan

37 DAYS TO NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Chapters: Erie • Montgomery • Northampton • York (new) • Philadelphia • Lehigh • Berks (new) • Monroe • Lancaster

Prepared for internal Caucus use — September 2026

I. The Moment

This plan covers two connected fights. The first is the November 3, 2026 general election — 37 days out — where Pennsylvania elects a Governor and Lieutenant Governor, all 17 U.S. House seats, all 203 State House seats, and 25 of 50 State Senate seats. Control of the State House and Senate, and the shape of the state's congressional delegation, is on this ballot. The May 2026 state primary has already happened; there is no primary between now and November.

The second fight is the May 2027 municipal primary — county row offices (District Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk of Courts, Register & Recorder, Controller, Prothonotary), county commissioner seats, judgeships, and local school boards and councils. These are the lowest-turnout, highest-leverage races on the calendar, and they are where the Caucus builds its bench. Everything in Section V is written with both dates in view: what wins in five weeks, and what plants the seeds for 2027.

Key Dates

Date	What Happens
Oct 19, 2026	Last day to register to vote before the general election
Oct 27, 2026	Last day to apply for a mail or civilian absentee ballot
Nov 3, 2026	General election — Governor, U.S. House, PA House, PA Senate
Nov 10, 2026	Chapter after-action reports due to the Chair (see Section IV)
Feb–Mar 2027	Nomination petitions circulate and file for the May 2027 municipal primary
May 2027	Municipal primary — row offices, judgeships, county and local races

II. What Members Should Be Doing

Every member has a job in the next 37 days, and a different job after November 3. This is deliberately built as two short lists, not one long one — a member who does five things well before Nov 3 is more valuable than one who tries to do fifteen.

Phase 1 — Now Through November 3 (The GOTV Sprint)

Commit to a personal ten. Identify ten people in your circle — family, church, fraternity or sorority, civic club, coworkers — who need to (a) confirm registration, (b) request or return a mail ballot, or (c) have a plan to vote. Contact each of them at least three times before Nov 3.
Put in volunteer hours. Sign up directly with your county coordinated campaign or your chapter director for at least one canvass, phone bank, or text bank shift between now and Election Day. Directors will have the shift sign-up link (Section III).
Show up to one GOTV event. Attend or help staff at least one chapter-organized early vote, "Souls to the Polls," or Election Day event in your county.
Carry the message on your own channels. Share chapter-approved content on your personal social media — registration deadlines, early voting info, and why the State House and Senate majorities matter. Don't freelance the message; use what the Caucus and county coordinated campaign put out.
Give what you can. Support the Fundraising Karaoke Party on Jan 22, and also consider a small-dollar contribution to the Caucus — $35 for membership dues, or to PA Dems. Sustained investment is worth more than a one-time large gift; it signals commitment to the state party.

Phase 2 — November 2026 Through May 2027 (Building the Bench)

Name a name. If you know someone in your county who should run for a row office, judgeship, or local seat in 2027, bring that name to your chapter director before the end of the year. Recruitment starting in December beats recruitment starting in February.
Recruit one new member per quarter. Growth is not the director's job alone. Every current member bringing one person to one meeting is how a chapter doubles in a year.
Support voter registration between cycles. Northampton is registering people through Oct 17 at the Easton Farmers Market — keep it going. Off-cycle registration drives at community events, Lehigh Valley colleges, and DMV partnerships are cheaper and more effective than anything attempted in the final six weeks before a primary.
Volunteer for precinct captain training. Directors will be building precinct-level leadership ahead of 2027; raise your hand early.

III. What Directors Should Be Doing

Directors run the chapter as a functioning unit. Empowerment is key — this is not just a meeting you run, it's a chapter you're empowered to build however you see fit. The standard below is the same for all nine chapters; the county-specific application is in Section V. The exception is the new and forming chapters.

Standing Responsibilities

Build and maintain a current chapter roster on Google Sheets and a working contact method (email list, group text), reviewed monthly.
Build and maintain a direct relationship with your County Democratic Committee chair and the county coordinated campaign director — the chapter should have a named point of contact on each side.
Recruit and train precinct-level volunteer leads ("captains") in the chapter's priority precincts, implementing the voter ID program tested and perfected in Montco, and get VAN access.
Host at least one public chapter event — a training on the voter ID implementation before November 3, a candidate forum, a GOTV rally, or a Zoom community information session. Michael can help set up the Zoom.
Identify and begin vetting at least one prospective 2027 candidate for a county or judicial race (including LDJs) before the end of Q4 2026.

Reporting Timeframe

Cadence	What's Expected
Weekly (through Nov 3)	Short report to the Chair — volunteer hours logged, contacts made, events held, and any needs or obstacles. Even a quick "hey Mike, we're doing videos and staying active" counts.
Nov 10, 2026	After-action report: what worked, what turnout looked like in the chapter's priority precincts, and what the chapter needs heading into 2027 — extra training, etc. New chapters should include kickoff times/locations and requests for support.
Monthly (Dec 2026–Apr 2027)	Candidate recruitment status update — who's been found, and the outreach and plan being developed based on their position and details.
Bi-weekly director call	Statewide call covering shared resources, regional coordination, and problem-solving — see Section IV.

IV. Statewide Chapter Outreach Plan

Chapters spread across the state cannot run on goodwill and word of mouth alone. This section is the mechanism for making sure every chapter — including a brand-new one — gets the same information, the same deadlines, and the same support at the same time.

Regional Hubs

Grouping chapters by region lets neighboring chapters share volunteers, split the cost of events, and coordinate media markets, without collapsing into a single unmanageable statewide call.

Hub	Chapters	Shared Logic
Lehigh Valley / Eastern PA	Northampton, Lehigh, Berks (new), Monroe	Shared media markets, overlapping volunteer pools, one new chapter (Berks) that benefits from proximity to two established ones
Southeastern PA	Philadelphia, Montgomery	Largest Black electorate in the state; shared media, faith networks, and ward/committee structures
South Central PA	York, Lancaster	Both named battlegrounds for PA Senate control this cycle; both need base-building in specific anchor cities (York City, City of Lancaster)
Western PA outpost	Erie, Allegheny County	Geographically distant from the other hubs — gets a direct line to the Chair rather than being folded into a hub call it can't easily attend

Communication Cadence

Monday statewide digest. One email broadcast every Monday to every director and officer: this week's ask, upcoming deadlines, and any state party or coordinated campaign updates. (The Chair will handle this.)
Bi-weekly director call. A rotating agenda — one hub reports in depth each call, and all chapters get open floor for problems and asks.
Monthly hub convening. In-person or video meeting within each regional hub for shared training (videos for social media distribution, phone bank tools, candidate vetting basics).
One-page statewide dashboard. Aggregated weekly from director reports — contacts made, events held, volunteer hours — so the Chair can see the whole state at a glance and reallocate attention to chapters that are falling behind.

Standing Up Berks County

Berks is the one chapter that's new. Treat 2026 as a founding cycle, not a full GOTV cycle.

Recruit an interim leadership team (chair plus two officers) from Reading-area Democratic activists, faith leaders, and civic organizations before Nov 3 if at all possible.
Adopt bylaws modeled on an existing chapter's (Northampton or Lehigh, given proximity) rather than writing from scratch.
Get the interim director onto the Monday digest and the bi-weekly call immediately — don't wait for a founding meeting to plug Berks into statewide communication.
Set one modest, achievable 2026 goal: a kickoff and a voter registration table at one community event, plus one GOTV activity before Nov 3. Save full-scale organizing for 2027.
Build the Reading NAACP and Centro Hispano relationship early — Berks' Black and Latino communities overlap heavily, and a joint coalition is stronger than two separate small efforts.

V. County-by-County Plans

Each plan below has two horizons: what to prioritize before November 3, and how the same work sets up a 2027 candidate and turnout program. Precinct- and ward-level detail should be filled in locally by each director using county voter file data — this is the strategic frame, not a substitute for local knowledge.

Allegheny County Anchor County

Western PA hub

Allegheny is the state's second-largest county and, alongside Philadelphia, one of its two Democratic anchors — with a significant Black population in the Hill District, Homewood, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, and Clairton. Under director Martell Covington, the chapter's job in 2026 is the same as Philadelphia's and Montgomery's: the risk isn't losing the county, it's midterm drop-off among voters who reliably turn out for president but skip a gubernatorial-year ballot.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Support Martell in running a base-turnout program specifically in the Hill District, Homewood, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, and Clairton, rather than assuming a Democratic county turns out on its own.
Coordinate with the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and any coordinated-campaign field program on the county's down-ballot PA House and Senate targets.
Use church networks, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh NAACP to push early and mail voting alongside Election Day turnout.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

2027 is an unusually large cycle for Allegheny — County Executive, Controller, District Attorney, Treasurer, and County Council seats are all on the ballot, on top of municipal and judicial races. Candidate identification and vetting should start immediately after Nov 3, 2026, given the scale of what's at stake.
Support Martell in building out chapter leadership and a full roster to match the county's size, so the chapter can credibly engage a countywide row-office fight in 2027.
Document the 2026 Pittsburgh-area turnout program so it can scale directly into the County Executive and row-office push.

Erie County Bellwether

Western PA outpost

Erie has flipped between parties in recent statewide and presidential cycles and remains genuinely competitive. The county's Black population is concentrated on Erie's east side, which makes turnout there disproportionately important to any close countywide or legislative result.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Prioritize door-to-door and phone contact in east Erie precincts rather than spreading thin across the whole county.
Partner directly with the Rise UP Coordinated Campaign, Erie NAACP, and east-side congregations on an early-vote push.
Coordinate with the county coordinated campaign on the competitive PA House/congressional targets so the chapter isn't duplicating field effort already underway.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Start identifying Black professionals and community leaders — including from the legal community — who could run for a county row office or magisterial judgeship in 2027.
Build a standing relationship with Black student organizations at Gannon and Mercyhurst for registration and volunteer recruitment.
Use 2026 contact data to build the chapter's first real precinct-level list heading into 2027.

Montgomery County Strong Base

Southeastern hub

Montgomery is the benchmark Democratic county, with a large and diverse Black population in Norristown, Cheltenham, Pottstown, and parts of Lower Merion. (Corrine has been kicking ass and taking names for four years now.) The risk here isn't losing the county — it's drop-off turnout in a non-presidential year among voters who reliably show up for president but skip the rest of the ballot.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Run a base-turnout program specifically in Norristown and Cheltenham rather than assuming the county turns out on its own.
Phone and text bank for the competitive PA Senate and House candidates the state party has flagged in Montgomery.
Use faith and civic networks to push early voting, not just Election Day turnout.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Montgomery has a deep bench of potential judicial and row-office candidates — stand up a formal candidate recruitment and vetting subcommittee now, ahead of the February 2027 petition window.
Document the chapter's Norristown/Cheltenham turnout program so it can be repeated and improved for the municipal primary.

Northampton County Bellwether

Lehigh Valley hub

Northampton is one of the state's clearest bellwether counties, with competitive PA House seats and a mixed urban-suburban electorate anchored by Easton and Bethlehem.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Concentrate base turnout work in Easton and Bethlehem's Black neighborhoods.
Coordinate directly with Northampton County Democratic Committee leadership on shared candidate and turnout targets.
Pair with the Lehigh chapter, once restarted, on any joint Lehigh Valley media or event that reaches both counties at once.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Recruit for Northampton County row offices and judicial seats — the county's competitiveness makes a strong Black candidate on the ballot a real asset, not a symbolic one.
Feed lessons from the 2026 Easton/Bethlehem program directly into 2027 precinct planning.

York County Startup Chapter

South Central hub

York is a startup chapter under new director Lisa. The county leans Republican overall, and there is little standing Black political infrastructure in York City to activate yet. The realistic goal for 2026 isn't a turnout program — it's standing up the chapter itself: a founding team, a first roster, and a visible presence, so there's something real to build on for 2027.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions: build out the team

Support Lisa in recruiting a founding leadership team and core volunteers from York City's Black community — this comes before any field program, not alongside one.
Partner with the York NAACP and Black fraternal and faith networks to build chapter infrastructure and reach from the ground up.
Put activity into York City specifically — light-footprint registration tabling and visibility at community events, not a full base-consolidation campaign — to start building a presence.
Treat every contact made in 2026 as a list-building exercise for 2027, not a one-time turnout push.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Once a founding team is in place, move into York City council, school board, and county row-office candidate recruitment — the clearest way for a brand-new chapter to show real, visible wins.
Formally establish the chapter under Lisa's leadership — officers, bylaws, and a roster — before the 2027 cycle heats up, mirroring the Berks startup approach in Section IV.
Build the York NAACP and faith-network partnership now so it's already active and trusted when 2027 candidate recruitment begins.

Philadelphia The Caucus's Base

Southeastern hub

Philadelphia holds the largest Black electorate in Pennsylvania. The specific midterm risk is drop-off: a governor's race does not pull the same turnout as a presidential race, and down-ballot row-office undervote has historically been significant.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Work ward-level GOTV in coordination with ward leaders, and educate them on the existence of the Black Caucus.
Build a specific email and video-avatar communication push aimed at reversing midterm drop-off — name the stakes (State House/Senate control) explicitly, since "Governor" alone may not move a voter who already assumes Shapiro wins.
Lean on Black media (WURD contacts) and church networks as the primary earned-media channels for turnout messaging.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

2027 is Philadelphia's marquee cycle — District Attorney, City Controller, City Commissioner, and judicial races, including Lori Dumas for Supreme Court. Candidate identification is already in process, and vetting — which we typically don't do — should begin in Q4 2026, immediately after the general election, not in the new year.
Build the ward leaders' relationship, including with Sharif Street, head of the ward leaders of The Village, and other relationships built in 2026, into a standing 2027 turnout partnership.

Lehigh County Bellwether

Lehigh Valley hub

Anchored by Allentown, Lehigh has a growing Black and Latino population and competitive legislative districts. It shares a media market and much of its organizing base with Northampton.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Focus base and youth turnout in Allentown, including outreach at Muhlenberg College and DeSales University.
Run joint events and shared media with the Northampton chapter rather than duplicating Lehigh Valley–wide efforts twice.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Build toward Allentown city government and Lehigh County row-office and judicial recruitment.
Use the joint Lehigh Valley organizing structure built in 2026 as the backbone for a coordinated 2027 primary push across both counties.

Berks County New Chapter — Founding Cycle

Lehigh Valley / Eastern PA hub

Berks does not yet have a stable chapter. Reading anchors a significant and growing Black and Latino population in a county that has become more competitive in recent cycles. Treat 2026 as the cycle that builds the chapter, not the cycle that wins it.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Recruit interim officers and hold a founding meeting before Nov 3 if possible — midterm energy is a natural recruitment moment.
Set one achievable public goal: a voter registration table and one GOTV activity, not a full field program.
Get connected to the statewide Monday digest and bi-weekly call immediately, in parallel with the founding process.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Once chartered, move directly into candidate identification for Reading-area and Berks County row-office and municipal races.
Build the coalition with Reading NAACP and Centro Hispano now, so it's already in place when candidate recruitment begins.

Monroe County Growth County

Lehigh Valley / Eastern PA hub

Monroe's Poconos population has grown quickly with transplants from New York and New Jersey, producing a more diffuse, less traditionally organized Black community than the state's older urban chapters. The Poconos region has been named as a competitive area in recent legislative reporting.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Prioritize digital-first organizing (text, social, email) given the county's sprawl.
Focus registration efforts on newer residents who may not yet be plugged into Pennsylvania's political calendar.
Build a relationship with the Black student organization at East Stroudsburg University for volunteer capacity.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Because Monroe has trended competitive, a credible local candidate for a county or municipal seat in 2027 could outperform expectations — start identifying prospects now.
Use 2026 digital contact lists as the seed list for 2027 outreach, since Monroe's transient population means lists go stale faster than in stable chapters.

Lancaster County Named Battleground

South Central hub

Lancaster leans Republican overall, but the City of Lancaster is diverse and growing more Democratic, and the county has been specifically named as a battleground for control of the State Senate this cycle.

November 3, 2026 — priority actions

Concentrate turnout work in the City of Lancaster rather than the county as a whole.
Partner with the Lancaster NAACP on early vote and Election Day turnout.
Coordinate with the state party and any Caucus PAC or independent-expenditure support flowing into the county's competitive Senate race.

Building toward the May 2027 municipal primary

Build toward Lancaster city council and county row-office recruitment, using the City of Lancaster turnout program as the base to expand from.
Track whether 2026 legislative results shift the county's competitiveness calculus for 2027 candidate recruitment.

VI. Timeline at a Glance

Window	Focus
Now – Oct 19	Registration pushes, personal-ten contacts begin, chapter GOTV events scheduled
Oct 19 – Oct 27	Registration closes; shift fully to mail-ballot requests and early vote turnout
Oct 27 – Nov 3	Pure GOTV — chase non-returned mail ballots, Election Day turnout, ride-to-polls support
Nov 3 – Nov 10	Election Day; chapter after-action reports due Nov 10
Nov 2026 – Jan 2027	Candidate identification and vetting in every chapter; Berks chartering completes
Feb 17 – Mar 2027	Nomination petitions circulate and file for the May 2027 municipal primary
Mar – May 2027	Primary-cycle field, mail, and digital program for endorsed candidates
May 2027	Municipal primary election

Closing Note

None of this replaces local judgment. Directors know their precincts, their pastors, their block captains, and their volunteers better than any statewide plan can. This document is the shared spine — the deadlines everyone hits, the reports everyone files, the calls everyone joins — so that chapters pull in the same direction at the same time, in November and again in May.