Indivisible, a Progressive Group That Grew Out of Opposition to Trump, Endorses Biden in Possible Rematch (Exclusive)

Indivisible, the progressive organization that grew out of Donald Trump’s election in 2016, will announce its endorsement of President Joe Biden on Tuesday – backing the man who defeated the former president in a possible rematch between the two in 2024.

The organization, made up of thousands of activists across the country, asked its membership about endorsing Biden in late August. Over 97% of the members who responded supported backing the incumbent president, well over the 60% threshold needed for the group to support Biden’s campaign.

“We are clear on who is on the ballot and what is at stake and we wanted to be sure that there was a clear and resounding endorsement in support of the Biden-Harris ticket,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible. The group and its different local entities will be doing “our own voter turnout work in key swing states on the presidential side and on the Senate side,” she added.

Indivisible’s endorsement is not a surprise – the group traces its roots to Trump’s election and there is a significant chance that the former president will be the Republican nominee again in 2024. But the prospect of Trump being on the ballot again rekindles the original mission of a group like Indivisible.

“It seems quite likely at this point that Donald Trump will make his way to the nomination/ Whether or not he does, it is quite clear that MAGA extremism will be on the ballot,” said Greenberg. “No one [who wins the nomination] is going to be taking a milder or friendlier approach to MAGA… and if they get to the nomination, they will get there out-MAGAing each other.”

The strength of the endorsement from the Indivisible activists also highlights the lack of appetite from the Democratic base in a primary challenge of Biden, despite Democrats like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson mounting unlikely challenges to the incumbent.

“Folks recognize that RFK Jr. is a proto-Republican troll candidate. We have heard no enthusiasm from our leaders and activists around RFK as a real or serious candidate,” said Greenberg, calling Kennedy a “crank on a soapbox.”

Indivisible was founded in 2017, beginning as a group of Democratic operatives working together to determine how to oppose the Trump administration. The high point for the organization came in 2018, when Indivisible provided an outlet for the considerable activist energy pulsating throughout the Democratic Party, helping to usher in the blue wave that saw Democrats take control of the House of Representatives.

The group did not endorse during the competitive portion of the 2020 presidential primary, instead using their network to create a unity pledge that allowed the sweep of Democratic candidates who ran for president and activists who backed a specific candidate to commit to supporting the eventual nominee. And during the coronavirus pandemic, which dominated the general election in 2020, the group created a “no contact” field program so that activists would continue turning out voters during the pandemic.

So far, the group’s priorities in 2024 include continuing the Democratic success in Arizona, a state that will be home to one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country, and flipping the 18 House districts that Biden that are now represented by Republicans.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, said the president and vice president are “honored to be endorsed by Indivisible, one of the most active and engaged grassroots organizations in the United States.” 

“To win in 2024, the president needs a diverse and broad coalition of voters in every corner of the country, and the organizing power of groups like Indivisible will be critical as we continue to build unprecedented support for President Biden and Vice President Harris to finish the job for the American people,” she said.