About Common Ground

The Real Problem

Washington has become too extreme — but not because America has. Most Americans are reasonable, practical people who want the same basic things: a fair shot, a government that works, and leaders who answer to their constituents rather than their donors.

The problem is structural. Over decades, elected officials have made themselves less and less accountable to the public and more and more accountable to small, extreme factions — ideological donors, political activists, and special interests on both sides.

The result is a Congress that reflects the loudest 20% of the country while ignoring the remaining 80%.

The problem isn't Republicans. The problem isn't Democrats. The problem is a system that rewards extremism and punishes moderation. Politicians who compromise lose their primaries. Politicians who perform outrage keep their seats.

The Forgotten Majority

Poll after poll shows the same thing: most Americans want a government that isn't bought by the highest bidder. They want term limits, an end to gerrymandering, and elected representatives who don't get rich trading stocks and peddling influence while in office. They want higher wages, affordable healthcare, and a tax system without loopholes for the richest Americans.

These aren't left-wing or right-wing positions. They are the positions of the American mainstream — a Forgotten Majority that has been systematically locked out of its own government by a political structure designed to keep extremes in power.

The Forgotten Majority is not powerless. It is simply unorganized. Common Ground is the organization.

This Has Happened Before

In the early 1900s, America faced a similar crisis. Corporations controlled entire legislatures. Senators were appointed by state political machines, not elected by voters. Monopolies crushed competition and workers had no protections. The system was rigged — and everyone knew it.

The Progressive Era changed all of that. It wasn't a party. It was a movement — driven by ordinary Americans who demanded structural reform. They won direct election of Senators. They broke up monopolies. They created the minimum wage, the 8-hour workday, and food safety standards. They didn't ask permission. They organized, they voted, and they made the system work for the people it was supposed to serve.

Common Ground believes we're at that moment again. The corruption is different — it's legal now, hidden behind super PACs, gerrymandered districts, and revolving-door lobbying. But the solution is the same: structural reform, driven by a majority that refuses to stay quiet.

What Common Ground Is

• A nonpartisan civic engagement platform
• A tool that helps voters find where their vote has the most impact
• A voice for the policies that 60-85% of Americans already support
• An organization that uses the primary system — the one lever that actually works

What Common Ground Is Not

• ✕  Not a political party
• ✕  Not a PAC or dark money group
• ✕  Not aligned with any candidate
• ✕  Not fighting the culture war
• ✕  Not telling you who to vote for

We focus exclusively on the policies where Americans already agree — and we use the one lever that actually works: the primary election, where a small number of engaged voters can change everything.

How the Strategy Works

88% of U.S. House seats are not competitive in the general election. In those districts, whoever wins the dominant party's primary wins the seat. Yet primary turnout is typically under 20%.

That means a tiny fraction of voters — often the most ideologically extreme — are choosing your representative. The general election is a formality.

Common Ground changes that equation. We help voters identify which primary actually matters in their district, regardless of their personal party affiliation. In a deep-red district, the Republican primary is the real election. In a deep-blue district, it's the Democratic primary. We show voters how to participate in the election that actually decides their representation — and support candidates from either party who are willing to govern for everyone.

Common Ground changes the incentives — by showing up in the primaries where the real decisions get made.