Certification is the standard. Endorsement is who we back.
Every endorsement starts from certification, but the two aren't the same thing, and they don't work the same way.
Certification vs. endorsement.
It's a standing status, earned once through the nine-stage review and held for as long as a candidate continues to meet the Creed's standard, race after race.
It's a decision we make for one particular race, one particular ballot, and it doesn't carry over automatically to the next election.
How we decide.
An endorsement is our public statement, for one race, that a certified candidate is the one we recommend to constituents in that jurisdiction.
Only candidates who hold current certification under the Politician's Creed are eligible for an endorsement in their race.
A candidate has to be officially filed for the specific office and election before we'll consider an endorsement.
We back a single candidate per race. If more than one certified candidate is running in the same race, we abstain rather than choose between them.
Not certified yet?
Endorsement isn’t a separate application. It starts with certification under the Politician’s Creed, and every certified candidate remains eligible for consideration in any race they’re officially filed for.
See What Certification Gives You →