Democratic group Organizing Together 2020 debuts in Pa. They’ll text instead of knocking until it’s safe.

They want to knock on your door and appeal to you face to face to vote against President Donald Trump. But as the weeks until Nov. 3 melt away, they’re relegated to texts and phone calls.

Democrats looking back at 2016 blame a lack of organizers on the ground in key parts of battleground states for their loss and have pledged to remedy that.

Organizing Together 2020, a labor-backed coalition, launched this weekend as part of the effort. It had planned to hire a small army of staff to embed in communities and knock on doors in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan well ahead of the general election in November.

Then the pandemic hit.

“Of course this affects how we do the work of organizing. It completely changes it,” said Amanda Green Hawkins of Pittsburgh, a former candidate for Superior Court judge, who is chairing the organization. “You have this new digital age where we’re able to talk to people through all sorts of means, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to let them know we’re here.”

On Saturday, about 100 people joined a Zoom call to launch Pennsylvania’s program. Newly minted regional directors took turns introducing themselves — if their internet connections cooperated. Helen Gym, a member of Philadelphia City Council, made a guest appearance to inject some energy into the format, which lacked the oomph of a traditional campaign kickoff.

“This is a strange time for all of us,” Gym said. "You’re going to learn new tools. How to virtual phone bank.... Zoom conference calls as a good way to have cogent conversations. It’s weird to be looking into this tiny little pinhole in your iPhone, or your iPad, or your laptop, but we’re going to have to convey emotion and heart even so.”

The group is one of several Democratic independent groups operating in the state. All have slightly different missions. For Our Futures focuses on voter mobilization and turnout; Priorities USA and American Bridge mostly create anti-Trump advertising and messaging. Organizing Together is all about field work: Training volunteers who can shift to work for the eventual Democratic nominee.

The group is committing at least $2 million to Pennsylvania, according to a source familiar with its plans, and will hire about 100 people here — the same investment planned before the coronavirus.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, continues its own efforts, announcing on Monday a $22 million investment in voter protection operations, communication, and increased staff and field offices in six battleground states, including Pennsylvania.

“Good organizing can’t be done overnight," said Ashley McBride, Pennsylvania state director for Organizing Together. “You can’t just drop some kid into Scranton and say, ‘We have Senator So-and-so coming. Gather 100 people from the community.’ It takes time to embed and get to know leaders and build relationships that lead to better results.”

The organization’s national director is Jane Slusser of South Philadelphia, former chief of staff to Mayor Jim Kenney. Slusser talked on the Saturday call about her shift to national politics: “I was excited to be working for a mayor, but realized mayors weren’t going to be able to do it all if we had a menace in the White House.”

Democratic groups have started working far earlier than they did in 2016, and there are more of them this time around.

But Trump has the advantage of time, as the known nominee of his party. While former Vice President Joe Biden is the Democratic front-runner, groups like Organizing Together won’t begin promoting him personally until he’s clinched the nomination, a process that has been delayed due to virus-postponed primaries in several states.

Trump’s campaign has been similarly sidelined and moved all organizing online. But the Republicans have enjoyed a considerable head start, training volunteers and launching several coalitions like Latinos for Trump, Blacks for Trump, Catholics for Trump, and Greeks for Trump.

Since March 12, the Trump campaign, along with the Republican National Committee. has made 500,000 calls in Pennsylvania and held 360 trainings or “MAGA Meet-ups,” according to Rick Gorka, deputy communications director for the RNC.

“When you go 100% virtual, you’re able to shrink a state,” Gorka said. “It’s not that old model where you have to go somewhere in Delaware County or rural Pennsylvania to go find your Republican Party office, it’s literally right at your fingertips. So it’s allowed us to bring the campaign into their home so they can operate on their timeline.”