National Security Leaders for Biden Achievements

During the 2020 elections, National Security Leaders for Biden (NSL4B) stood up to enable its members to advocate for presidential nominee Joe Biden. Initially, this effort focused exclusively on its members providing their individual voices through op-eds. In September 2020, NSL4B leveraged the collective voice of 489 signatories in a letter of public support for Joe Biden, which organically grew to 781 public members prior to election day. NSL4B members brought their experience as highly placed-military and national security experts to the table, tapping into the trust Americans inherently place in leaders who served in these roles.

NSL4B was not simply a letter of support with signatures; it was a coordinated advocacy and communications effort over five months. Once formally launched, NSL4B became a talking point for other groups advocating for Biden and was referenced frequently in the media as a rationale for supporting Biden -- and referenced by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the debate stage in October. The never-ending barrage of Donald Trump’s erratic behavior and anti-military policies created the need for strong and persistent messaging about his weaknesses and Biden’s strengths, as well as an opening in the media to fill this need.

Achievement Highlights

  • Created a validated talking point for the Biden campaign on military and national security support, timed to the debate cycle. Vice President-Elect Harris referenced our efforts on the debate stage on October 7

  • Surrounded voters with strong arguments in support of Joe Biden from trusted third party voices: with 244 op-eds (158 in battleground states) and 18 letters to the editor appearing in national and state media, including all battleground states, over the course of five months (from June 9 through November 2)

  • Released Open Letter to America resulting in several hundred media stories appearing nationwide, but especially in battleground states, and became part of the dialogue about Joe Biden throughout the rest of the campaign

  • Emerged as an enduring datapoint for ongoing endorsements and letters to the editor from third parties published throughout October (i.e., if 780 national security leaders endorse Biden, I can trust him, too)

  • Credited with contributing to 16-point swing in military and veteran support to Joe Biden away from Donald Trump (data from NYT exit polls, comparing the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections)