Dear MoveOn member,
WE DID IT!
We—millions of people, from all races and genders and religions and class backgrounds and walks of life, MoveOn members and so many others—came together, and we ended Republican control of the House. We smashed an opening in the solid wall of Republican control of the federal government and won major victories in many states. We rebuked Trump and Trumpism at a critical moment to do so.
And we did something more than resist: We elected progressive champions up and down the ballot. We won victories for candidates who ran on game-changing ideas and whose diversity will better represent our changing country in the halls of power. In the face of a system that's too often rigged against working families, in the face of constant attacks on our communities, we affirmed something better: a vision of an America where everyone can thrive.
This night marks a turning point.
It's clear, now, that a grassroots uprising, a united and diverse movement with women and people of color in the lead, can beat the forces of greed and hate. And it's clear that Democratic candidates don't have to look or sound like Republicans to win.
The leaders we collectively lifted to power tonight—including Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, Colin Allred in Texas, Haley Stevens in Michigan, and Deb Haaland in New Mexico—include a record number of women, people of color, and first-time candidates—championing an agenda more progressive than any in recent memory. Against corporate money in politics. Standing up to the gun lobby. Fighting for Medicare for All.
Of course, tonight had some heartbreak, too. We lost ground in the Senate—including coming up just short in Beto O'Rourke's phenomenal grassroots campaign in Texas and in Andrew Gillum's campaign in Florida. As of this writing, Stacey Abrams race hasn't been declared yet. And more.
But MoveOn members' top priority together was to flip control of the House of Representatives. So take that deep breath. Fill your lungs. We reached our biggest goal for the night.
Then exhale, because we have a long way yet to march.
Tomorrow, the next phase begins—to end the Trump presidency, to root out the old and deep injustices of white supremacy and patriarchy and plutocracy that got us here, to tackle the newer crises like climate change, to build the kind of country we want to pass on to today's children and to tomorrow's. And make no mistake: Trump and his GOP enablers still hold a staggering degree of power, the deeply destructive forces that have given them a platform won't abate overnight, and these Republicans in power constitute a real and present danger. There's the threat that this loss will cause Trump to act desperately—ratcheting up attacks on immigrants, moving to end the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, or even moving us toward launching a new war. Every day, attacks from his agencies and from his Twitter account will have real-world impact that we need to confront and overcome.
But for now, at this moment, let the sensation of victory be a salve for your soul.
Just when it felt as though our country was being driven off a cliff, we reached out and pulled the emergency brake. In the face of a scorched-earth campaign season spectacular in its dishonesty, viciousness, and even violence, we stood firm. We said no. And we said yes to something better.
We can be proud as Americans. We can be proud as MoveOn members.
This fall marks MoveOn's 20th birthday. It's our eleventh national election. And we can be proud that we—this community of millions of progressives—did more to affect the outcome this year than we ever have before.
In coming days, we'll have more analysis to share, but our number crunching so far suggests that MoveOn members' efforts directly shifted hundreds of thousands of votes, with a local impact greater than the margins of victory in some races all across the country. We ran thousands of ads centered on real voters' voices. We hosted over a thousand voter contact events. We knocked on tens of thousands of doors. We contributed more than $4.5 million directly to campaigns, including more than $1 million for Black women candidates. MoveOn volunteers sent 35 million texts to potential Democratic voters. More than 150 MoveOn videos were viewed more than 50 million times.
This year, MoveOn members voted to endorse more House candidates—106!—than we did in the previous three election cycles combined. And we endorsed more than 100 other candidates as well, for Senate and governor and state legislature and county commissioner and prosecutor. And then we poured our energy and outrage and hope and spirit into helping them win. Newly elected MoveOn-endorsed officials at the state and local levels will tackle the challenges of expanding voting rights, protecting our environment, increasing access to health care, reforming the criminal justice system, and so much more. They have the potential to help transform our country through the work we will do with them in the years to come.
What's more, we did it all as part of a much bigger movement. Every fight over the past two years has been a team effort; sometimes, MoveOn members have been out front, and other times—just as critically—we've marched to lift up others' voices. In all the causes that brought us to the streets—for women, for health care, against hate, for an economy that works for everyone, against gun violence, for keeping families together, and so much more—we've acted in a spirit of deep partnership that has made the whole greater than its parts. Time and again, all of us showed up.
None of this was inevitable. This could have been a night when we moved deeper into darkness. Instead, thanks to all of us, we took a step toward the light. Now, together, let's keep marching forward.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilya, Anna, Alechia, Allison, Allison, Americo, Amina, Amy, Andy, Ann, Anne, Arvin, Ashley, Ben, Beth, Bill, Brian, Casey, Cheryl, Chris, Corinne, Dan, Danielle, David, Duncan, Elsie, Emeliem, Emily, Emma, Eric, Erica, Erica, Erik, Eskedar, Gabbi, Gabby, Gajus, Hamna, Heather, Iram, Isbah, James, Jayne, Jenn, Jennifer, Jenny, Jessica, Joz, Jordan, Josh, Julia, Justin, Karine, Karthik, Kate, Kate, Katie, Kelly, Kenia, Kristina, Liia, Lisa, Manny, Maria, Marie, Marissa, Marium, Mark, Matt, Melissa, Michael, Michael, Michelle, Mikey, Milan, Nadia, Nick, Pulin, Rahna, Reggie, Robert, Rohan, Ryan, Sandra, Sara, Scott, Seth, Shaka, Shari, Shelby, Sky, Stephanie, Stephen, Sue, Thad, Tiina, Tillie, Tzyh, Vicki, Vickie, Zach, and the rest of the MoveOn team
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it MoveOn needs your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with MoveOn?
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This email was sent to Eddie Alfaro on November 7th, 2018. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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