Living Legend Awardee: Will Robinson

Founding Partner, The New Media Firm

A version of this was originally posted on GAIN Power. Join us for the in-person celebration of the Powerful IDEA Awards and Democracy Expo on June 24th and 25th. The awards celebration is on the evening of June 25th.

Living Legend Awardee

About the Living Legend Award

The Living Legend Award celebrates lifelong trailblazers in progressive politics, honoring a living leader whose decades of dedication have fundamentally reshaped the landscape of democracy, elections, and advocacy. Their transformative impact spans generations, creating pathways for countless others while continuing to break new ground. They represent the North Star of progressive leadership—a beacon whose influence grows stronger with time and whose most important work may still lie ahead.

About Will Robinson

Will Robinson is one of the most innovative architects of modern progressive campaign infrastructure. Throughout his distinguished career, he has consistently anticipated what the movement needs and built the tools, strategies, and systems to deliver it—often years before others recognized the necessity.

As a visionary strategist and infrastructure builder, Will invented the coordinated campaign model that became the foundation for how progressive politics operates today. He founded the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, creating systematic approaches to direct democracy that have shaped policy nationwide. He pioneered new ways to amplify authentic community voices in political communications through Real Voices Media.

Building the Foundation of Progressive Success

Will started Project 500, a redistricting effort in the 1980s that launched a renewed training program within the party and progressive movement.

Through the New Media Firm, Will has helped elect leaders from Congress to city councils, but his impact extends far beyond any single campaign or candidate. He has built the infrastructure that makes progressive victories possible—creating systems, strategies, and pathways that serve the movement across electoral cycles and political transitions.

Will’s influence multiplies through his role as a master trainer and mentor. His legendary “Robinson’s Rules for Campaign Staff” has shaped countless careers in progressive politics. Campaign professionals nationwide can trace their foundational understanding of strategic campaign management to his hands-on training and mentorship. He has created not just campaigns, but entire generations of campaign professionals who carry his strategic thinking into new contexts and challenges.

A Legacy That Continues to Grow

What distinguishes Will as a Living Legend is his past achievements, continued innovation, and forward-thinking approach. He remains at the cutting edge of progressive strategy, constantly evolving his methods and exploring new ways to strengthen democratic participation and progressive power.

Will recently launched a new substack here where he is teaching g

His greatest legacy lies in the democratic infrastructure he has built and the pathways he has created for future leaders. The coordinated campaign systems, training programs, and strategic frameworks he developed continue to power progressive victories nationwide. The professionals he has mentored now lead major campaigns, advocacy organizations, and democratic institutions across the country.

Transformative Impact Across Generations

Will Robinson embodies what the Living Legend Award celebrates: a trailblazer whose transformative impact reshapes progressive politics across decades. He builds the very foundations that make progressive victories possible, and his influence continues to expand through every campaign that uses his innovations and every professional who applies his training.

His work represents the essential truth that sustainable progressive power requires both visionary strategy and practical infrastructure. Through his decades of innovation, mentorship, and institution-building, Will has created the backbone upon which countless progressive victories have been built—and will continue to be built for future generations.

To learn more about Will Robinson, follow him here on Substack, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

The 2025 Powerful IDEA Awards

The Living Legend Award will be presented to Will Robinson at the 2025 Powerful IDEA Awards ceremony on June 25, 2025, at the Capital Turnaround in Washington, DC, and we hope you’ll join us there. This recognition celebrates his extraordinary contributions to progressive politics and his ongoing commitment to building the infrastructure and developing the talent to power our democracy into the future.

Join us to celebrate Will and the rest of our Powerful IDEA Awardees. If you have any questions, email awards@gainpower.org.