Friend,

Last night’s outcome in Iowa makes it all but certain that Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee. This is a critical inflection point, and we must use it as a massive call to action.

Because the good news is that we still have the power to stop Trump.

Doing that will require an unequivocal message about what is at stake and a clear vision about who we want to be as a nation. Foremost, our democracy is under attack, and another Trump term will potentially irreversibly undermine it. That's not hyperbole or fear-mongering. We only need to look at Trump's words and actions to see how real this is.

He's attacked the press, civil servants, men, women, the elderly, gold star families, prisoners of war, and veterans. He tried to tamper with a free and fair election. He cheered on and led a violent attack on our nation's Capitol. Cops were assaulted, people died, and the very guardrails of our democracy were bent almost to their breaking point.

He's told us he will use the Department of Justice, the United States Military, and other federal resources at his disposal against his political opponents. He said he would be a dictator on day one and called himself YOUR retribution.

The grievance politics and lust for power that Donald Trump and his MAGA enablers endorse are fundamentally antithetical to American values. We cannot let them win. I know what side I’m on, and I believe deeply that it is our duty as patriots to safeguard democracy. It's an American fight. One that generations before have sacrificed their lives to win.

We've defeated authoritarianism, fascism, and threats to democracy at every point in our history, and I am confident that we will do it again — as long as we rise to meet this critical moment together.

It's time to suit up, get in the fight, and bring friends. We need all hands on deck.

Yours in service,

Rep. Pat Ryan