It is hard to think of a more pivotal moment in American history. From ongoing existential challenges to democracy to the Supreme Court's direct assault on women's reproductive freedom and privacy rights, the challenges we face affect people's lives in real and material ways.

Yasmin Razi, executive director of the progressive political organization Swing Left (opens in new tab), says that driving to the nearest swing district or high-impact state can make all the difference.

We are now in the midst of midterm primaries that began in March and will continue through September; August is one of the busiest months with a total of 15 key primaries, including Senate battleground states of Alaska, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Florida. However, according to FairVote, the primaries do not receive as much attention as the general elections. Even general elections in non-presidential election years do not receive enough attention: in presidential election years, about 60% of voters cast ballots; in midterm election years, about 40% do.

Ruggie is alarmed by the many women's issues at stake in the midterm elections - economic equality, immigration issues, racial justice, the child tax credit, and last but not least, sexual and reproductive rights. Razzie recently served in public outreach for the Biden-Harris administration, but the bulk of her career has been in grassroots activism nationally. (She also served as the former national political director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.)

She cites the election of Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, based near Illinois' 14th District, as an example of the work that Swing Left and its million-plus grassroots members can do. She is "an important voice for reducing maternal mortality among blacks," Razzie says. 'I've heard story after story of a sea of volunteers mobilized at the grassroots. Hundreds of Swing Left volunteers drove up from Chicago and the election was a tight race. Today, the registered nurse-turned-congresswoman has secured funding for services such as telemedicine and electronic health record systems to ensure that low-income and immigrant residents have access to quality health care.

Rajee's current job is to repeat this success, organizing and promoting volunteer energy at the grassroots to support Democrats in competitive races, including city and state legislative races. She highlights here what is at stake this year and what we can do to get through the most tense midterm elections ever.

Marie Claire Why are this year's midterm elections more important than ever? Yasmin Razi Republican extremists are overreaching to destroy our basic freedoms. The midterm elections are a pivotal moment that will determine what path we take as a nation, and we have two choices: sit back and watch as these rights are further eroded, or continue to fight to the death to win the midterm elections.

I recently left my job supporting our nation's economic recovery in the Biden administration to lead Swing Left. Not enough Democrats are in office at either the state or federal level, and time is running out. So Swing Left is working to connect volunteers and donors to competitive races where their money and time can have the greatest impact on electoral victories. But to secure these critical victories, we need as many people as possible to knock on doors, make phone calls, write letters, and get others to vote in key swing districts across the country.

MC: How will abortion access affect the November election?

YR: Abortion will be a key issue in the midterm elections. As the former national political director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, I have seen firsthand what the polls support: the overwhelming majority of Americans (including Republicans and independents) support the right of many women, non-binary and intersex people, trans men, and anyone else who could conceive to have a safe and support the right to legal abortion. Yet despite that overwhelming support, right-wing extremists have fought in nearly half the country to ban abortion before most people realize they are pregnant and to ensure that abortion is inaccessible, especially to low-income women and women of color. And that was long before this SCOTUS ruling. And just in case you're wondering, this is all about controlling people's bodies: the Republicans are trying to restrict medical abortions mailed across state lines, and 195 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted against access to birth control just two weeks ago.

The extreme overreach by so many Republicans in enacting what is essentially a total ban on abortion is cynical and political and will not go unnoticed and unpunished in November. At Swing Left, our volunteers are angry and taking action in greater numbers than in 2018. From distributing ballots to writing letters to donating to Democrats running in the most competitive races.

MC: What are the top 3-5 races to watch in the 2022 midterm elections? Who is really fighting for women?

YR: There are a lot of important races to get involved in this year, and you can go to Swingleft.org to see all the races we are supporting, but here are some of the great candidates:

Cheri Beasley is North Caroline State Sen. She is running for Congress. She is a mother, former public defender, judge, and the first black woman to serve as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Not only that, she is a former patient of Planned Parenthood and knows firsthand the importance of fighting for access to reproductive health care. The path to expanding the Democratic Senate majority, repealing the filibuster, repealing the racist Hyde Amendment, and codifying abortion access into law runs through North Carolina.

Current Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is running for reelection and has been at the forefront of defending abortion rights in this Republican-controlled legislature. And for her, these issues are personal: she is the mother of two young women navigating what it means to be of reproductive age in post-abortion America.

Michelle Vallejo is running for Congress in South Texas (TX-15) with a bold progressive vision, but she is also a business and community leader whose parents immigrated from Mexico when she was a child. Michelle Vallejo is a business and community leader whose parents immigrated from Mexico at an early age and comes from a family of farm workers and business owners. Michelle's campaign focuses on fighting for economic opportunity for all, including access to reproductive health care for all, regardless of income level.

Finally, I am also keeping a close eye on Emilia Sykes, who is running for the Ohio House of Representatives in a district where I actually worked as an Obama organizer in 2008 (OH-13). Her district includes the former rubber and glass capital of the country, and I have seen firsthand the importance of electing a champion of labor and the economy to represent an area that our economy left behind decades ago. She is a sitting state legislator and former Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives and a 2020 recipient of the EMILY's List Rising Star Award.

MC: Most of her constituents

YR: live within 50 miles of her district. This is true even in blue states. Swing Left was founded in 2017 to make it easier for volunteers and donors everywhere to maximize their impact and help Democrats win key races up and down the country. While we are supporting races in 29 states this year, some of the most important races that Democrats need to win to maintain control of Congress this year are in deep blue states like California, New York and Illinois.

Find your nearest district at swingleft.org/targets.

MC: Is there a way for anyone to get involved at the grassroots level, even if they consistently live in blue or red states?

YR: Anyone can get involved by not only voting, but by volunteering to help others vote or donating to competitive candidates.

We've done the research to make it easy: go to [15], enter your zip code, and you'll see high-impact ways to make a difference in important elections. In short, we can introduce you to local groups, provide you with tools to write to voters in your district as part of our "Big Send" campaign, let you know about upcoming events to go door-to-door, and support major candidates and local civic organizations working to defend democracy. You can help start a virtual fundraising campaign, whether it's $5,000 or $5,000, two hours or 200 hours, it will take all of us to win the battles ahead.

MC: How does your motherhood and your family's immigrant experience contribute to your mission at Swing Left and your fight for reproductive rights?

YR: My parents fled Iran for the freedom to vote in fair elections, the freedom to control our own bodies, and the freedom to speak up when politicians are failing us. I saw that these freedoms were not always accessible to all, and I entered politics to fix that. Today, faced with the undermining of rights that existed when my parents first moved to this country (including the right to a legal abortion), I am more committed than ever to fighting for this country to live up to its promise.

As a new mom with a four-month-old, time seems more precious than ever. I joined Swing Left because I knew that here I could focus all of my time in a day on working on the most decisive election in the nation. We owe it to the next generation to deserve all the freedoms this country promises them.