Friend,

Last Mother’s Day I shared how for 10 years my mother struggled with infertility, as I have, and how fortunate we both were to have control over our reproductive health — a freedom to which every person is entitled.

The subject of motherhood was brought up in last Sunday’s Georgia Public Broadcasting and Atlanta Press Club debate, with a claim directed at me that without firsthand experience raising children, I lacked the capacity for compassion and nurturing that is needed in government.

When Trip and I came to realize that we were not going to have children, I made the decision to enter public service. If I could not raise children of my own, I was going to dedicate myself to making sure that everyone else’s children had the institutional support needed to grow up in hopeful, nourishing environments.

How we raise our children as a society, and how we choose to invest in the future through government policy, both have to do with the kind of legacy we want to leave for the next generation. Right now it is obvious that we have to do better.

I submit to you my record. Public service and governing well is how I have endeavored to leave a legacy, much in the way those who are fortunate enough to conceive do with raising their kids. I have led a city, saved a public pension, and reformed a public healthcare system. I know in my bones that I can defeat David Perdue, who has allowed Donald Trump to wreak havoc on our country and make us less safe.

I believe in each and every one of you. Together we are going to do what it takes to win this election and deliver our children the kind of country they will be proud to inherit.

To all of the mothers out there, I wish you a sincerely happy Mother’s Day. To those missing their moms, particularly the mothers we have lost in this ongoing pandemic, I hope you can find peace in cherished memories. Let us move all forward together and each leave a legacy to be proud of.

Yours truly,
Teresa