Friends,

This is not how any of us wanted to wake up today.

I know we are all processing, so I’ll keep this as short as I can.

First, I want to say thank you. I know how many of you left it all on the field this election. You door-knocked, phone-banked, traveled to swing states, organized your communities, and had difficult conversations with family and friends.

No matter the final results: It mattered. It counted. It made a difference. So thank you.

Second, I want to share with you the small note of hope that is stuck in my head today, which I’ve gleaned over the past four years of running Groundwork Project.

Across Groundwork’s states and regions, there are organizers and civic leaders made for this moment. And the work they’ve been doing isn’t going away with the close of an election cycle.

These “red state” progressives have spent the last near-decade fighting on the frontlines of MAGA and authoritarianism, no matter who has been in the Oval Office. They work, year-round, in the places from which Donald Trump draws power. They know the far-right’s playbook inside and out.

Through the support of so many of you, our organization has helped them do this work for the past several years, laying solid “groundwork” for the fight demanded of us now. So we’ll be doubling down on our support for these organizers in the months ahead, elevating their voices and leadership in the looming battle to defend justice, equity, and democracy on every front.

We hope you’ll join us.

Take good care today,

Joe