John,

This is going to be a longer email, but it’s really important. I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to read. I want to talk about the huge challenges facing our democracy.

But if you don’t have the time to read and you still want to make a donation to help Leaders We Deserve elect more young people who are committed to addressing those challenges, you can click here to split a donation between Leaders We Deserve and Fight for Progress.

Today, the Republic we learned about in school has been taken hostage by a tyrannical minority of politicians and lobbyists who have pledged allegiance to the powerful, not the people. They act to placate special interests that are destroying our planet, endangering our schools, and seeking to tighten their stranglehold on our suffocating democracy — all in the name of profit.

Young Americans have grown up witnessing this. Previous generations saw the horrors of war, racial injustice, and the assassination of our greatest leaders broadcast into their homes on TV. In contrast, we hold in our hands—on our phones—the horror of school shootings, attempted insurrections, hate crimes like those in Buffalo, El Paso, and too many others, as well as the wrath of climate change.

Yet, like our forebears, we refuse to accept that the America we were born into is the best we can achieve. We’ve protested by the millions, leading walkouts and marches to demand action on gun violence in every community, and we’ve staged sit-ins for climate action, demanding police accountability for the extrajudicial killings of our fellow Americans.

Young Americans have also voted at the highest rates in our history over the past three elections. We do so because we believe, contrary to what Fox News tells our grandparents, that America's best days lie ahead, not behind us. We know that our democracy is broken, but it’s not unfixable. We also know that no one else will come to save us — we must save ourselves and become the leaders we don’t have.

I believe the greatest threat to our democracy is not a single individual, such as Donald Trump. The real danger is the hopelessness that elevates such figures and the failure of our government to deliver for its people, fueling that despair. It's concerning to see an increasing number of Americans, both young and old, yearning for "one good politician who's not corrupt to come and fix it all," not realizing that such a day could herald the rise of a dictator.

Gen Z has been educated about democracy in our civics classes while simultaneously preparing for active shooter drills, reflecting a democracy that has failed to ensure our safety. If we don't address this and empower more young people who understand the anxiety of these drills and who can inject much-needed hope into our democracy, we risk losing it altogether. If our democracy fails to fulfill our most basic expectations — keeping us safe — voters may turn to someone who promises security while endangering democracy itself.

That’s why I co-founded Leaders We Deserve. We are striving to elect young leaders who believe our country's best days are ahead, who envision a government that truly serves its people, understanding that poor governance is a result of poor leadership. For too long, many politicians have been propped up by special interests who claim government doesn't work, only to be elected and ensure its failure.

That’s one of the biggest reasons we refuse to accept corporate money, relying instead on the vast majority of our funds from small donors. We help recruit, staff, substantially fund, and provide volunteers for the campaigns of young Democrats under 30 running for state legislatures and Congress.

If we can change the face of our government and elect more young leaders who understand the gravity of the problems we’re facing, we may finally be able to make the progress we need to overcome them. But the work we’re doing takes a lot of resources, John, and we’re counting on your support to keep going.

So if you’re with us in the fight to ensure our democracy survives for future generations, and if you’re able, please split a donation between Leaders We Deserve and Fight for Progress.

Thank you for your support, Firstname. This fight is too important to sit on the sidelines.

David Hogg
Co-Founder, Leaders We Deserve