It’s hard to believe, but today is the Swing State Project’s fifth birthday. I started the site all those years ago to focus (as you’d expect) on the swing states in the 2004 presidential election. At the time, we were in the midst of Primary Wars I (only then, of course, it was just the Great Primary War), but I was very eager to discuss the real fight that lay ahead – how we were gonna beat George Bush.
It was in that spirit that I created SSP, truly as a “project” for all those interested in educating themselves about the presidential battleground. I count myself among that number – I was largely a neophyte. Sadly, the 2004 election didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but I learned a great deal along that journey nonetheless, and I think a lot of readers did as well.
After the election, I imagined I would shutter the site, but Tim Tagaris convinced me to keep it running and to shift the focus to downballot races. We left the site’s name unchanged (leading to much confusion in subsequent years), but focused like a laser on House, Senate and gubernatorial races. The site really found its voice at that time, particularly in the run-up to the OH-02 special election in August of 2005. I certainly felt like I found my blogospheric calling, and it’s a niche I’ve truly grown to love.
Along the way, many people have been vitally important to this site’s success. Tim of course was the inspiration and main force behind SSP’s transformation into its present form. It goes without saying that James L.’s tremendous hard work, brilliant writing, and wicked sense of humor sustain this site every day. And undoubtedly I’m very grateful to Trent and Crisitunity for joining the team and devoting their time and effort to make this site so excellent.
But most importantly, I have to thank you, the readers. You truly have turned this into more than just a site but a flourishing community of intelligent, inquisitive, and committed Democrats always eager to learn more – and to keep each other on our toes. When people ask me for advice about starting up a new blog, I always say, “Write for yourself – don’t expect an audience.” But the fact is, there is nothing like the feedback and validation that a thriving community can provide. You guys make it all worthwhile.
So please join me in wishing the Swing State Project a very happy fifth birthday, and to many more to come. To victory in November!
Big shout out to you moderators. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so much free entertainment from one source before. Thanks ya’ll.
This site is absolutely required daily reading for anyone devoted to politics. And has some of the most personable moderators around. Congrats guys!
You give me too much credit for switching the focus. You came up with the answer, I just helped you create a little content while you were busy in those books.
Whatever the case, congrats on the five years — I remain proud to have been a part of them. That time during Hackett was really a three week adrenaline rush.
It was really something when people like Stu Rothenberg, specifically, were responding to our posts about what election outcomes meant. We have always “hit above our weight.”
Congrats everyone who’s been a part of the site!
Tim
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=…
SSP’s contribution to political discourse among Dems is invaluable in terms of both education and advocacy. Nowhere else do I find better access to the info I want/need or to the people who can point me to the sites where I can find it. This educational part of SSP helps me to become a better advocate in helping to educate others.
In its advocacy role SSP has alerted me and others to critical races we might not otherwise be aware of and to stimulate many of us to contribute financially to them.
The moderators should feel pride in what they have created–and achieved.
Keep it up, Guys! You’re doing a great job!
The daily must read for political junkies 🙂
Look forward to hanging out with y’all in Pittsburgh next summer too. 🙂
every day. The only place I see the news on many of these important down-ballot races.
And thank you so much for all your hard work. What you guys do here is invaluable. It’s the most well researched blog on House and Senate races online. I look forward to reading it every day.
Here’s to five more years!
I feel like its a happy birthday to all of us. Its not just a site where we go to learn, it feels like a community, and I think that is what makes it so special. There are certian people that I look for their comments, because I’ve learned to trust and value what they have to say over the years now. (still insane how long I’VE been coming to SSP).
So thanks again to all the big wigs, and all those that comment with valuable insights! Here’s to another 5 years!
and i wish i could come over to yours to clink glasses and talk about things that only a few of us nutballs even know. thanks for all your work – this is the finest site of it’s kind. brilliant, funny, compendious, and almost devoid of the kind of bullshit trollery that ruins so many political sites. here’s to you (Summit in the air – and then to the throat):)
I’ve been delighted to have spent 3+ of the last 5 years viewing SSP. SSP has easily become one of the top blogs around the country for political discussion (even Van Hollen and Schumer agree!) And, as others have said, it’s because of terrific front-page contributions, and a great, intellegent community that are often up ahead of most of the established political prognasticators (like Stu Rothenberg).
Here’s to you for talking about the REAL races that matter!
and all the people who put in the hard work behind it!
I don’t think I can open my browser without stopping by at least once…
I started looking at political blogs during the 2004 election cycle by following a mention about Daily Kos. That soon led me to MyDD which seemed more content and less flame driven. Yes, I looked at other sites including Swing State Project but I really made this my primary blog home when the Obama/Hillary/Edwards flame wars got out of control.
In fact, I went deliberately away from Presidential content back to the US House elections I was really interested in. And you were there on both fronts. Thank God. Intellectual content. Statistics. A few anecdotes. It was all there. Plus people that appreciated a guy in a long shot race in Arkansas named Andy Mayberry and Tom Sawyer in Ohio. Well, those were 2006 characters but this cycle has the blind rabbi psychologist (An empty suit? Puhlease Scott Garrett, come up with a better line if you want to denigrate Dennis Schulman.), the gay guy who got rich from e-cards, and the KY lady who got fired due to the personal pique of a Republican jerk senator. What stories. What information (now I know what CD has a majority Asian population).
So thanks for keeping it live and lively. And many more years to come.
My how things change in 5 years. In that short time we’ve gone from the worst of times for liberalism to the best of times. Let the good times roll!
SSP – one of the four or five must-clicks of my day.
And if it weren’t for your and SSP’s attention to my little corner of NH-02 last cycle and it’s sleeper race that you noticed first, I wouldn’t be at the helm of Blue Hampshire today.
This site is fantastic – clean and smart and focused. Many happy returns!
…returns. There will still be a lot of states to swing after November.
Congrats to DavidNYC, James L. and the gang. No one does it better than SSP.
My lunch hour is not complete without a tuna sandwich and my daily fix of polls! 🙂
Congrats!
And keep up the great work.
It’s been wonderful to watch the site I found so indispensable during the run-up to the 2004 election thrive and grow. When we took back congress in 2006, SSP became the blog of record for our 50-state battle; I believe I wrote the first reader diary ever to get front-paged when the new Scoop system was implemented (and I’ll always savor my ultra-low UID). I’ve gotten front-paged 6 times over the past 2 years, and it’s a huge honor every time. SSP was one of the major inspirations behind my own blog and remains a daily read – actually, a twice-a-day-or-more read.
Thanks, SSP, for all the hard work and good times!
Fantastic site! My only regret is that I did not find you earlier. If I don’t get my morning coffee, I might get grumpy. If I don’t get my morning SSP, I might commit murder (not really, I’m just saying to prove a point, wouldn’t really murder, might torture, but not murder).
You are not only good, you have also grown important. I think when it comes to online donations, it has a bigger effect to be recognized as competitive by you than being on the R2B program.
You were the one who insisted the site can and should keep going, and figured out what the hell we ought to be writing about. Without you, SSP would have closed its doors four years ago. I’m eternally grateful.