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Friend, The 2024 general election ballot is almost set, and what we've learned this primary is that the future of the nation is hinging on our state. The U.S. Senate has a one-seat majority, and California has a critical seat up for grabs right now. In the House of Representatives, where Republicans have a majority of just five seats, the path to a Democratic majority runs through ten races in California swing districts.(1) It’s a fact: Congress is key. If Donald Trump is reelected (which is definitely the worst-case scenario), we must have a Democratic Congress in place to stop his fascist policies. And if Joe Biden wins, he will need a Democratic Congress to implement his agenda. What happens now depends on what we are able to do over the next seven months. I want to assure you, Friend, my team is ready. We have spent tens of thousands of hours preparing for this moment, carefully researching and producing our Courage Voter Guide, developing partnerships to elevate disaffected voters, and preparing a massive get-out-the-vote effort. But whether we will be able to leverage these tools to their fullest depends on you, right now.
In many ways, the March 5 election showed a lot of hope for California. Eleven of our Courage California primary endorsements -- progressives who will put people before corporations -- are moving forward to the general election. What looked like a record low turnout was swung by a last-day surge of voters. But in other ways, the primary election showed that California has quite a ways to go. Dark money is pouring into California, with two California House of Representative races and the U.S. Senate race representing 3 of the top 10 election contests in the nation in terms of anonymous Super PAC spending.(2) Wealthy industries and corporations, law enforcement, and landlords spent millions of dollars across races up and down the ballot. MAGA Republicans and corporate Democrats still found themselves at the top of the ticket in too many races. That’s why Courage California’s work is so important. While national organizations are ignoring California in favor of swing states, California’s progress is our first priority. We are on the forefront of defeating new blue state tactics deployed by wealthy special interests. We are on the ground in the 13th and 41st Congressional districts, talking to residents about just how important it is that their members of Congress represent them on their issues and values. Fifty percent of the users of our Courage Voter Guide are voters 18-34 years old, a demographic California needs to get to the polls. We are reaching Latina voters, one of the most powerful -- and yet ignored -- blocs in the state. And we are launching an online elections hub to help people easily exercise their right to vote. Our budget operates on razor-thin margins -- if we don’t meet our fundraising goals, we have to cut programs. And with democracy on the line this November, we just can’t afford any cutbacks. Donate to Courage California today! Thank you for standing with us, –Irene, Annie, Angela, Isidra, Mario, Marvin, Alyssa, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
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