To: Cc:

NYSDC Executive Committee Co-Chair Stephanie Miner; Co-Chair Keith Wright and Exe. Committee Chair Sheila Comar From: Rodney Capel, Executive Director Date: July 11, 2013 Re: State Party Filing

As we approach our mid-year filing deadline, it is my pleasure to report to you that the New York State Democratic Committee is poised for victory this November and beyond. We are making unprecedented investments in modernizing the Party and building a state of the art political operation that will mobilize New Yorkers and get voters engaged in government action like never before. New York: Progressive Capital of the Nation Returning the Empire State to its status as the progressive capital of the nation has always been a core objective of the Governor, and modernizing the State Committee is a key step in building on the success he has had in delivering on our progressive agenda. Over the past two plus years, the Governor has focused on making state government function for the people of New York once again. As we look towards this November, its time to make the State Party a driving force in mobilizing New Yorkers and promoting citizen action. Fundraising For the filing period ending July 11, the New York State Democratic Committee has raised over $7 million. This generous support enabled us to develop citizen issue groups to engage, educate, and mobilize voters through Special Committees and has given us the resources to invest in a modernization of the Party, our online infrastructure, outreach capabilities, and most importantly lay the ground work for a robust coordinated campaign effort to elect Democrats across the state. We are implementing the successful lessons learned from the DNC in its reelection of President Obama that utilizes social media and technology to engage and mobilize voters. Special Committees: Leading Progressive Reform As discussed in our spring meeting, we have formed special policy-based committees and made substantial investments in promoting these critical issues. The purpose of the special committees is to engage and mobilize voters to take ownership of the political

process. State government exists to serve the people, but Albany wont fundamentally change unless we do a better job of empowering all New Yorkers. The NYSDC has worked to identify citizen action groups that reach millions of voters and we will continue to build relationships and lead outreach efforts on an ongoing basis. We have run a series of integrated campaigns that call on New Yorkers to take action on key issues. Through these campaigns, we have been able to register online activists and identify supporters who will play a key role in working on behalf of Democratic initiatives and campaigns well into the future. Most importantly, we have mobilized New Yorkers from across the state to get involved and participate. Key initiatives over the past six months include: Womens Equality: The NYSDC is developing citizen action groups for womens equality. NYSDC is promoting the Governors 10-point Womens Equality Act with millions of New Yorkers. Republicans in Albany may have stalled progress on this critical issue but we havent given up, and New Yorkers wont let Republicans off the hook next year. Public Trust Act: The NYSDC is developing citizen action groups in support of public financing for campaigns. Republicans stalled progress on these much-needed reforms, but we will continue the fight. Over the months ahead, we will work to rally support and build momentum going into next year so that we can clean up Albany once and for all. New Yorkers for Gun Safety: The NYSDC led a push for Washington to show the same courage as New York by passing sensible gun safety laws. We rallied New Yorkers to reach out to leaders in Congress and while Republicans in Washington continue to bow to extreme elements within their party, we havent given up the fight. Modernizing the NYSDC We are making an unprecedented investment in building new technologies for the State Party. Weve all read about President Obamas extraordinary digital outreach effort using advanced analytics to identify and turn out voters. By next fall, the New York State Democratic Party will have the most advanced digital outreach operation of any state party in the country. To help us achieve this objective, we are in the process of finalizing an engagement with one of the leading digital outreach firms in the nation. Updated Website: Our efforts begin with a new web site, which is in production. This new website will serve as resource in your work, and a place you can send people to for more information and to get involved. Social Media: Over the next year, the NYSDC will lead a much more pronounced engagement in social media. We will be using Twitter and Facebook more aggressively to disseminate messaging; activate our supporters; promote our Democratic agenda in Albany next year; and get out the vote in 2014.

Digital Outreach: We are investing in building a digital outreach operation that will enable Democrats at every level in New York to take full advantage of the very best technologies in reaching out to and turning out voters. It is going to take time to do, but we are committed to making it a reality. Under Governor Cuomos leadership, we are committed to ensuring that this investment benefits all Democrats in New York State. Building a Stronger NYSDC As you can see, we are taking unprecedented steps to build a stronger State Committee and to get more New Yorkers involved in the political process. We are committed to putting an infrastructure in place that will help elect Democrats at every level. This is a comprehensive effort that will require your full support and engagement. We have built a solid foundation and we look forward to working closely with you in the months ahead.