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Leading national ballot measure organization the Fairness Project invests in building the bench, as they look to keep expanding abortion access and making gains for working families via the ballot box in 2026

WASHINGTON – The largest funder of abortion rights ballot campaigns in the 2024 election cycle is making a major investment in retaining and deploying top campaign talent to continue securing wins for working families in red and purple states going into the midterm elections. 

The Fairness Project announced today their new Ballot Measure Leadership Corps, an initiative to cultivate and sustain elite campaign talent for ballot measures across the country, starting with six leaders who led major ballot measure campaigns in the last election. 

“Now is the time to go on offense for working families – and to do that, we need a stable of veteran campaigns who know how to win and aren’t afraid of a fight,” said Kelly Hall, Executive Director of the Fairness Project, a leading national ballot measure organization that has won 39 campaigns across 20 states to protect abortion rights, raise the minimum wage, expand paid family medical leave, and more.

The Ballot Measure Leadership Corps will identify and invest in top-tier campaign managers and senior staff in order to bridge the gaps between election cycles, a time during which experienced leaders often end up unemployed just when new campaigns could most use their expertise. The program aims to bolster the long-term success of progressive campaign infrastructure by ensuring that the best talent remains engaged, supported, and ready to deploy for the next fights.

The 2025 class of Ballot Measure Leaders includes a veritable who’s who from the front lines of 2024 ballot measure campaigns: 

  • Laura Dent, Campaign Manager, Arizona for Abortion Access
  • Rachel Sweet, Campaign Manager, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom
  • Lauren Brenzel, Campaign Manager, Floridians Protecting Freedom
  • Lucy Sedgwick, Senior Advisor, Floridians Protecting Freedom
  • Taylor Aguilera, Organizing Director, Floridians Protecting Freedom
  • Allie Berry, Campaign Manager, Protect Our Rights 

Rachel Sweet, whose campaign in Missouri succeeded in ending Missouri’s total abortion ban, said, “The Leadership Corps ensures that top campaign talent stays in the fight to pass meaningful reforms for working families in the states. Without it, the ballot measure space would risk losing a lot of talent it cultivated last cycle.” Laura Dent added, “The Fairness Project has provided core campaign leadership with a unique opportunity that not only helps us stay in the fight, but allows us to collaborate with colleagues from other states and hone our skills heading into the next elections.”  

Allie Berry of Nebraska and Lauren Brenzel of Florida pointed to the value in honing the skills of campaign leadership when competing for tough wins in deeply red states. “Our experience in 2024 proved definitively that even in the most conservative of states, a majority of voters are in favor of abortion access. The investment TFP is making in this program sends a message that these fights are worth investing in over the long haul, and that makes the whole space stronger,” said Brenzel. Berry added, “The fight for abortion rights isn’t over in Nebraska. I have no doubt TFP’s Leadership Corps will pay dividends in the many fights ahead. I’m proud to be part of it.”   

Learn more about the 2025 Leadership Corps at TheFairnessProject.org

The Fairness Project won an astounding 9 of 11 ballot measure campaigns on reproductive freedom and economic justice in the 2024 election cycle. The group now has an unmatched number of victories on progressive ballot measure campaigns across the country, having won a total of 39 campaigns across 20 states since 2016. 

“We’re fighting to protect direct democracy like never before, and these talented leaders are on our front lines,” concluded Hall. “In November, we proved that our positions were popular and that we could win even against the fiercest headwinds; now, we couldn’t be in better hands as we work to protect reproductive justice, fundamental fairness, and progressive economic policies that put working people first.”

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