John,

I'll never forget the events that unfolded three years ago today. While I was preparing remarks on President Biden's victory in the 2020 election, an urgent message came through from the U.S. Capitol Police.

"Shelter in place. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR OFFICE."

It didn't take long to realize that rioters had stormed the Capitol building. I sheltered in place with my staff while a mob smashed windows and broke down doors being barricaded by Capitol Police (who bravely put down the attack while many officers sustained lasting injuries). The events that day would go down in history as a stain on our very democracy.

The January 6th rioters had been fed lies that the 2020 election had been "stolen" from Donald Trump and that only a violent insurrection could overturn the results. Trump – and his far-right Republican allies – saw an opportunity to sow chaos and division by attacking our democratic process.

However, the attacks on our democracy didn't start or end on January 6th, 2021. In Georgia and across the country, Republicans have passed voter suppression measures under the guise of "election integrity". They've shown they'll cheat to win to get their desired result, subverting our democratic ideals in the process. 

Three years after he illegally tried to overturn the election results, Donald Trump is yet again the frontrunner to be the Republican presidential nominee. The GOP is once again showing its lack of moral clarity.

I've fought tooth and nail for free and fair elections since my first day in Congress, and I'll continue doing all I can to make sure all Americans can make their voices heard by casting their ballots. We must never again allow bad actors in our government to attack our democracy as they did on January 6th.

Thanks for reading,

Lucy