What did you learn from this documentary about how political campaigns work that you did not know before you watched the film?
Why do these candidates say they are running for Congress? What criticism do they have of incumbent Democrats?
What role do organizations like Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress play in recruiting candidates?
Why is it difficult for the candidates, especially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to talk with and canvass voters? How does this change over the course of the documentary?
The documentary shows Amy Vilela being greatly frustrated while she makes fundraising calls. Why is fundraising frustrating for all candidates, regardless of their status? Why might fundraising be especially difficult for the progressive challengers featured in this documentary?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compares her palm card to a mailer sent out by the Crowley campaign. What are some of the key differences between the two candidates? Why do you think the Crowley campaign and the Ocasio-Cortez campaign have such different messages?
What are the three most important things you learned about how to organize or run a campaign from Congress based on this documentary?
Watch the documentary Knock Down the House which follows four progressive candidates who run as underdog candidates in Democratic primaries in 2018. One of the four (spoiler alert) is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who wins her race. Then answer the question listed below about the documentary and submit them them here.
The documentary is available on Netflix, as well as on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCSo2hZRcXk.
