The Grunt Work

The Grunt Work was created in the wake of Bernie Sanders' 2020 Presidential campaign, when myself (Ray Jarosz) and my then-boss, Herrick Sullivan, worked together on the Nevada Bernie campaign's paid-canvass program.

As long-time veterans of the paid canvass industry, we felt that the Bernie campaign was the best version of a paid canvass that we had ever worked on. There were many reasons for this, but notably- all the canvassers were unionized, and the paid canvass was conducted as an offical arm of Bernie's presidential campaign, not as an outsourced, separate entity. These were significant differences.

Additionally, The Bernie 2020 program was also an extension of the Bernie campaign's larger organizing efforts, which was incredibly effective, and a departure from the industry norm. Marrying the organizing and paid canvass programs created a potent force for the Bernie 2020 campaign, and the campaign resoundingly won the state.

Since that time, it has been the mission of The Grunt Work to recreate that program, and to build upon that experience for a client or partner organization here in Nevada.

The Situation in Nevada

Nevada is a sparsely populated state where everyone is essentially doing the same things when it comes to voter outreach and campaign strategy. Unfortunately, this often includes hiring remotely-managed, out-of-state, paid canvass vendors.

From our perspective here at The Grunt Work, we feel that out-of-state companies have made a huge fortune in Nevada by charging local organizations for their voter outreach services, and that there is a severe lack of competition within this space. We want to change this.

In our opinion, what often happens in Nevada is that instead of identifying and developing promising young canvassers and developing them into career-oriented operatives, Nevadan organizations outsource this work to out-of-state companies, and then have no idea what type of experience the staff at the outsourced company is having. These outsourced vendors often hire and fire people with reckless disregard- a practice that we at The Grunt Work believe undermines the strategic mission of the organizations that these companies are hired to represent.

At The Grunt Work, we believe these "Nevada canvasser mills" often create a negative backlash or have no impact on election results.

We believe that swing states need many smaller, boutique operators that compete with one another and that are capable of delivering these paid-canvass services to in-state organizations. Furthermore, organizations should use the opportunity of creating paid canvass programs as a way to identify, retain, and develop their next generation of leaders. By not completely outsourcing their voter contact services, Nevada organizations can build a more authentic community movement at a lower cost, while also building a legitimate talent pipeline.

Nevada candidates and organizations can do better for themselves and their communities, and we at The Grunt Work are here to lead by example. Hire us if you are serious about winning, and want to create the best paid canvass program in the state.