[link removed] [[link removed]]
Dear John,

Wow. What a night last Thursday. And what a week.

I wrote you last Sunday night from LaGuardia, waiting for my flight, which wound up being canceled amidst thunderstorms. So Assemblymember Latrice Walker (whom I ran into at the airport, along with her daughter) and I decided to rent a car and drive 12 hours to Chicago. I’m glad we did: it was an extraordinary week and I didn’t want to miss a bit of it.

secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24 [secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24]
Assemblymember Latrice Walker, myself, and our rental car.

The joy, unity, diversity, talent and abiding commitment of our renewed Democratic Party — under the leadership of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz — to a shared future for this country was deeply moving.

I feel highly energized to knock doors this fall to make sure we win, but also just very personally inspired and so hopeful about the future we can build together.

There were many moments that will stick with me for many years to come: Michelle Obama’s barn-burner speech on Tuesday. Shawn Fain’s calling Trump a scab. AOC reminding us that bartenders and McDonald’s workers can rise to lead our country. Rev. Al Sharpton and the Exonerated Five, including Council Member Yusef Salaam, taking the stage and reminding us that we will not go back. Hillary Clinton’s not-too-subtle Suffs references [[link removed]] (go see it!). And so many others — right up to Vice President Harris’ historic acceptance speech on Thursday night.

secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24 [secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24]
Did you catch Kamala's incredible speech?

During the day, I nerded out on policy. I met with mayors like Boston’s Michelle Wu, who is having remarkable success making Boston safer (the fewest murders there in recorded history so far this year) with a smart and compassionate approach — and got to learn from many other elected officials, labor and business leaders, advocates, and Democrats from all across the country.

secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24 [secure.actblue.com/donate/bsl-em-aug24]
Mayor Wu and I.

I especially loved all the conversation about affordable housing. I’ve been working on housing for over 30 years. In all that time, I’ve never heard as much commitment to federal policy to build more housing, focus on affordability, protect tenants, enable homeownership, and make sure all families have a place they can afford to live.

But honestly, what will stick with me most is how much the week spoke to me as a dad.

I found myself constantly calling and texting Meg and Marek and Rosa about these amazing moments: Watching Doug talk about Cole and Ella and their blended family, and listening to them talk about him [[link removed]] . The adorable bit with Kamala’s nieces teaching everyone to pronounce her name right. That beautiful moment, as we’re all waving our “Coach Walz” signs, when Gus and Hope stood up, tears in their eyes, saying “that’s my dad.” (FYI: In our family, Marek is the better sports coach).

It’s easy to see how much these families genuinely love and care for each other. And how diverse and accepting they are. (Rosa loved Ella’s dress, made by a young Brooklyn designer [[link removed]] .) It speaks directly to Harris’ and Walz’ fundamental decency and compassion — something that truly matters in our leaders.

More than that: Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are profoundly committed to ensuring for all families what has mattered for theirs. You can see how personally they want every single kid to grow up free from fear of violence, in decent housing without worry of eviction, with a great public school. With parents who love them unconditionally, who are beaming with pride as they grow to become who they are.

The values that shape what they’ve worked to provide for their own kids are at the core of the policies they will champion for all kids. I promise to do the same for every family in New York City (please considering contributing to my mayoral campaign [[link removed]] if you haven't already).

Two final notes here: Pete Buttigieg spoke movingly [[link removed]] about how politics at its best — in this case, organizing, advocacy and legislation to win marriage equality — are what made his family possible at all, something he could not have imagined as a teenager (even if calm dinner-times remain elusive).

And Rosa pointed me to this interview where Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke to Steven Colbert [[link removed]] about how she and her father used to watch Star Trek: Voyager, because it was only in science fiction that there were women captains. It’s not science fiction anymore.

What a blessing to have all these real-world role models for parents and kids.

And a party unified to fight as hard as we possibly can to spread these blessings to all parents and kids.

With a renewed sense of hope, a promise to fight to see it realized,

Brad

P.S. I know you’ve gotten more requests for campaign contributions than you can count lately, because I have, too. I’ve been sending a lot, and I know the persistence is grating. But I truly can't build a winning campaign without your help. Would you consider making a contribution to my campaign today? [[link removed]]
Lander 2025
68 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States
[email protected] [[email protected]]
Paid for by Lander 2025
This email was sent to [email protected] . If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please unsubscribe. [[link removed]]