Jason —
What a year it's been — I want to take a moment to reflect on the work we accomplished together and thank you for your support.
We started the year on a solemn note, marking the one-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol and attempted coup on our government. It wasn't long before we learned about a developing plot straight from Donald Trump: root out the weak links from his 2020 loss — namely, secretaries of state who wouldn't kowtow to his demands to "find more votes" for him — and replace them with loyalists who'd be ready to throw the presidential election his way in 2024.
Trump's 2022 plot was real, as real as the plot to overturn the 2020 election.
Like you, I was determined to fight back — so in April, with incredible support from this team, I launched The American SOS Project and dedicated time and resources to getting involved in these secretary of state races and defeating Trump's handpicked candidates.
We ran the numbers, looked at the landscape and decided our investments would be most valuable in four key states: Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nevada. These were battleground states that collectively represent 42 electoral votes — votes that a corrupt conspiracy theorist (like the ones on the ballot!) could manipulate the system to deliver to Trump.
The summer brought us unbelievable news story after unbelievable news story about the Republican nominees in those states — stories of people still denying the 2020 election results, people proudly announcing their plans to purge the voter rolls and eliminate all kinds of voting access, people aligning themselves with extremist groups like QAnon and the Oath Keepers — the list goes on. And most unbelievable of all, with just weeks to go, many of these candidates were actually leading in the polls.
This team stepped up in that moment. By the time November rolled around, we'd raised nearly a million dollars for this urgent mission and we were spending it on critical outreach to voters in those four states (such as radio, digital and print messages regarding the threat to our country). We partnered with organizations like the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State and National Security Leaders for America to find the best ways to make an impact.
And when the races were called in our target states, pro-democracy candidates prevailed in all four.
The election might've been over, but the work didn't end — this team stepped up yet again to help fund voter turnout efforts for the Georgia runoff (through our Democratic Majority Action PAC). And you know what happened there: Not only did we help re-elect a strong leader for Georgia, we expanded the Democratic Senate majority and denied Mitch McConnell the opportunity to "govern" by gridlock.
The year isn't quite over yet. But it is coming to a close, and I'm writing today not only to share how inspired I am by your generosity and commitment to our important patriotic work for America, but also to say that I hope you're taking a well-deserved rest over the next couple of days.
If this year is any measure, none of us knows exactly what 2023 will bring, but I do know one thing: With this team, we will fight for what's right. Rest assured that we will take on the continued threats to our democracy. And we won't leave anything to chance. I can't wait to partner with you again to keep fighting for our American democracy.
I will talk to you next year — until then, I wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year!
Amy
