The Dutch left-wing political parties need to build a larger, more active political movement with thousands of volunteers to effectively compete in future elections. This involves strategic organizing, training volunteers, and focusing on grassroots campaigns to connect with voters on a personal level.

The recent elections in the Netherlands highlighted the challenges faced by the left, prompting analysis about how to improve their performance. While various factors are often discussed, such as the need for charismatic leaders or different framing of messages, the importance of volunteers and street-level visibility is frequently overlooked.

Inspired by successful grassroots campaigns in the United States, such as that of Zohran Mamdani, a socialist candidate in New York, it’s evident that a strong volunteer base can significantly impact election outcomes. Mamdani’s campaign mobilized over 50,000 volunteers, demonstrating the potential reach of an active and engaged support network.

To replicate this success in the Netherlands, the left needs to prioritize building a broad community of active volunteers from all layers of society. This requires training them to have meaningful conversations with voters, establishing a supportive leadership structure, and investing the time and resources necessary to create a robust ground campaign.

By focusing on door-to-door engagement and relationship-building, the left can effectively communicate their message of a fair, solidary, sustainable, and just Netherlands, potentially changing the game in future elections.