NDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic operative Kelly Dietrich.[6][7]
In 2018, the group launched online training forNGP VAN's "VoteBuilder", the voter database used by theDemocratic Party.[8]
In 2019, NDTC launched their Staff Academy program to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the2020 election cycle.[9][10]
The group claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the2018 United States elections, including three Congressional candidates.[18]
The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with former head of theNorth Dakota Democratic PartyKylie Oversen stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office.[19]
The Washington Post said that some Democrats have called the group's primary fundraising consultant, Mothership Strategies, "unethical," because of its "aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics," such as claiming that President Trump was preparing to fire the special counsel. Mothership charges some clients a commission of 15 percent, higher than the industry standard of 7 to 10 percent. Their fundraising tactics are effective, in raising large amounts of money, but the Democratic critics of Mothership Strategies worry that the company’s profits are built on exaggerating fears, and could erode trust among small donors needed in the future.[20]
