For a year now I've been fundraising for a project called the Great Slate, an effort to persuade tech workers to make campaign donations to Democratic House candidates in Republican-leaning districts where money might not otherwise flow.

In that time, while I've talked and tweeted a lot about the Great Slate, I have never…

First disclaimer: The following is not intended as a roman-a-clef. Everything here is a composite portrait drawn from a dozen or so campaigns in similar circumstances in 2018.

Second disclaimer: I am a political novice and don't know all the fancy things. But I do like structural thinking and have a functioning pair of eyes and ears. I spent the last year traveling and meeting …