John,
The past two weeks have changed El Paso. They’ve changed America. And they’ve changed me too. These last few weeks, I made a decision to focus on El Paso and to be here for my kids and my community. A big part of me wants to stay here with all the people I love.
But this moment requires leadership. It demands we take on the man who bears so much responsibility: Donald Trump. I have to be in this fight for my kids, for El Paso, and for everyone in this country. So today we are heading back out to Mississippi today and Arkansas tomorrow because I’m thinking about this campaign in a new way.
As we get back out there, we’ll need you with us more than ever, especially since we took the last two weeks and focused exclusively on El Paso and healing instead of fundraising and campaigning.
I see more clearly now than I did two weeks ago that the 390 million guns in a country of 320 million, especially weapons of war, are an existential threat to this country. These guns, including the AK-47 variant that the El Paso terrorist used, are meant to be on battlefields, not here in El Paso. They’re meant to kill as many people as efficiently as possible. We cannot sell assault weapons anymore, and we need to get them off our streets.
I see more clearly than ever that we must address our failure to provide the dignity that every American deserves in their lives — from preventing economic isolation to ensuring that everyone realizes their right to health care. If we don’t, we are providing fertile ground for fascism and nativism.
I see more clearly than ever that we must be constantly telling our story — of how we got here, of who we are, of who and what makes this country great — or it will be told by those who will lie and provoke fear.
I see more clearly than ever that we must not just defend immigrants — but elevate them, speak with truth and pride about their accomplishments, and make sure no one in this country — regardless of immigration status — ever has to live in fear.
I see more clearly than ever that when we stand up against Trump and for what we believe in, we are stronger.
Moving forward, I will fight with urgency and clarity. I will speak as honestly as possible about the challenges we face and run a campaign that meets this moment.
When Trump terrorizes communities, like we saw last week with his ICE raids in Mississippi, we will be there. We will show up anywhere there is suffering, anywhere people are crying out to be heard. I don’t care if it’s an early state or the last state on the calendar — we will show up.
On the campaign trail, we will be a voice for communities like El Paso which have borne the brunt of Trump’s racism, hatred and division. We will carry El Paso’s strength, kindness, warmth and pride with us at all times.
Ultimately, we will campaign on the belief in an idea of America that has never fully been realized — an idea we know can only be true when all of us come together.
From the very start, we’ve funded this effort with that idea in mind. All our money has been raised from people coming together to chip in what they can. And now we need your help to make our campaign stronger than it’s ever been.
Our country is in grave danger. And in this democracy, there are no sidelines to stand on. We either fight to protect America or we lose what this country means to us — and the world — forever.
I’m ready to get after this. I’m ready to fight for our future. But I can’t do it without you.
Thanks for being with us,
Beto
