Hi John,

I never intended to run for office. I never thought that politics was for someone like me.

I’m the daughter of a former union meat-cutter, a formerly unhoused single mother of two, and a survivor of gun violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

But when Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, I couldn’t stand by. For more than 400 days, I stood shoulder to shoulder with our community as a nurse, as a pastor, and as an activist on the frontlines of the movement to save Black lives.

Our community was suffering, with parts of St. Louis seeing decades of underinvestment. It was clear that the status quo wasn’t working for our families, our children, and for regular, everyday people. So my community came together and asked me to run, and against all odds, I defeated a 52-year political dynasty. Not only that, but together, we made history. I became the first nurse and first Black woman to ever represent Missouri in federal office.

Since taking office in 2021, I’ve seen the power our movement holds. When we come together, we’re a force of nature. I’ve been proud to testify before Congress about my personal abortion story, co-found the country’s first Equal Rights Amendment Caucus, introduce legislation to hold Republican insurrectionists accountable for trying to overthrow our democracy, took direct action on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to keep 11 million people housed, and introduced transformative legislation like a Green New Deal for Cities and the People’s Response Act, which takes a holistic approach to public safety. And I did all of that while delivering more than $2 billion and counting back home for everyday people in St. Louis, and passing over 25 pieces of legislation.

We can take on the establishment, we can bring billions of dollars home to our district, we can legislate to transform people’s lives, and we can push our pro-peace, pro-humanity movement into the national and international spotlight.

But to keep up this work, I need your help ensuring that my campaign has the resources to defeat far-right billionaires in the primary and all the way to November. In fact, one of my opponents is quietly taking donations from the same GOP donors who gave to Josh Hawley, Nikki Haley, and Donald Trump’s campaigns.

Will you help build up the momentum for my re-election campaign by splitting a donation between Justice Democrats and my own today?

Thanks again for being a part of this movement. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish, together.

Congresswoman Cori Bush