# [#]John,

Normally my post-election message is about gratitude and rededication to the important work we do together. Make no mistake, I feel both of those things right now. I am very grateful to have won a resounding re-election victory this week and for your support and friendship without which I couldn’t do this work. And I’m going to work harder than ever in the 119th Congress.

But I can’t sugarcoat the broader election results and the implications of a second Trump presidency. It hurts, and not just because we lost; it’s because we know what this means for the people, values and country we care deeply about.

We knew major headwinds were built into this election cycle, including widespread frustration over post-pandemic inflation which has been toppling governing parties in elections all over the world. But I hoped we could still prevail by passing the torch to Kamala Harris and reinvigorating the Democratic party. I also hoped that the collective wisdom and decency of the American people would shine through and reject Trump’s authoritarianism, corruption, misogyny and hatefulness.

Instead, despite the spectacular Harris-Walz campaign, despite heroic efforts by Democratic candidates and volunteers, and despite our best efforts to warn Americans about Trump and his Project 2025 agenda, voters chose to put Trump back in power with very few guardrails. Worse, he’ll have a Republican Senate and even though House Democrats outperformed the general trend of this election, control of the House is still unclear.

Confronting this harsh political reality starts with acknowledging it. Many of us are struggling through waves of complicated feelings including fear, anxiety, anger and dismay that our fellow Americans voted this way. But unlike Trump, we accept election results and support the peaceful transfer of power. Even when we lose. Even when our democratic system gives power to someone who may try to end democracy as we know it.

And no matter how much we are reeling, it is critical that we quickly get ready for what is coming. As your Congressman, I’m no good to you if I wallow in despair, indulge in rationalization and wishfulness, or otherwise distract myself from the unprecedented attacks on our values, rights, and democratic institutions that are coming in a matter of weeks.

As Thomas Paine wrote at the perilous start of the American Revolution, “the times have found us.” The historic crucible of our time is to peacefully defend the democratic republic our founders risked their lives to create. Our secular democratic republic, despite its problems, is still the best form of government the world has ever known. We cannot surrender it to autocrats, kleptocrats and theocrats.

So, I am going to dust myself off, get back in the arena, and do my very best to meet this moment. I have some experience at this, having served in the minority during the first Trump presidency. I also spent much of this past year studying and warning about Project 2025, including meeting and strategizing with top scholars and experts. I therefore have a good sense of what is coming and what it’s going to take to stop it. I promise to never give up.

I know you’re also counting on me to govern. As I fight to defend democracy and core values and freedoms, you expect me to keep delivering results for our district; keep resolving hundreds of constituent cases each year involving issues big and small, regardless of anyone’s party preference; and keep looking for bipartisan problem solving opportunities in Washington, despite our differences.

And without compromising core values or shrinking from the existential fight for democracy, I’m sure you want to see me and everyone else in politics work to restore civil discourse and avoid gratuitous vitriol, animosity and incitement. Even when that effort feels like one hand clapping, I should keep trying.

It’s a tall order, but I will endeavor to do all of these things as your Congressman. Please hold me to it.

Finally, since we’re in this together and some of you may be wondering what you can do, I have a few suggestions: *
Practice
serenity,
not
disengagement.
I
don’t
pray
in
the
religious
sense,
but
I
do
believe
in
the
Serenity
Prayer
attributed
to
German
theologian
Reinhold
Niebuhr.
As
he
watched
the
rise
of
the
Nazis,
he
prayed
for
“the
serenity
to
accept
the
things
I
cannot
change,
the
courage
to
change
the
things
I
can
and
the
wisdom
to
know
the
difference.”
*
Consider
getting
more
of
your
news
and
information
from
trusted
and
dispassionate
sources.
Social
media
platforms
use
algorithms
to
promote
conflict
and
disinformation,
and
the
gladiatorial
programs
on
cable
TV
are
no
better.
Try
sources
like
NPR
and
ProPublica,
and
support
honest,
fearless
investigative
journalism
wherever
you
find
it.
Definitely
avoid
“doom
scrolling”
on
Twitter/X.
*
Stand
up
for
other
people’s
rights
and
freedoms,
not
just
your
own,
and
protect
our
most
vulnerable
and
marginalized
neighbors.
When
Trump
targets
immigrants,
which
he
will
do
very
soon,
remember
this
poem:
“First
they
came
for
the
Communists,
and
I
didn’t
speak
up,because
I
wasn’t
a
Communist.
Then
they
came
for
the
Jews,
and
I
didn’t
speak
up,
because
I
wasn’t
a
Jew.
Then
they
came
for
the
Catholics,
and
I
didn’t
speak
up,
because
I
was
a
Protestant.
Then
they
came
for
me,
and
by
that
time
there
was
no
one
left
to
speak
up
for
me.”
*
Continue
to
speak
out.
As
the
apocryphal
saying
goes,
“The
only
thing
necessary
for
the
triumph
of
evil
is
for
good
[people]
to
do
nothing.”
*
Keep
living
your
life
and
doing
things
that
make
you
happy.
Autocrats
win
when
they
exhaust,
isolate
and
overwhelm
us.
Especially
focus
on
taking
care
of
yourself
and
your
family.
*
Support
groups
who
are
leading
the
legal
and
political
fight
to
defend
democracy
and
protect
civil
liberties
–
groups
like
the
Brennan
Center,
ACLU,
Democracy
Forward,
Indivisible,
and
others.
*
Support
California
officials
who
are
building
a
critical
xxxxxx
of
resistance
to
Trump’s
extreme,
hateful
agenda
and
making
our
state
a
beacon
of
good
policy.
*
In
whatever
ways
you
can,
big
and
small,
every
day,
do
good
things
for
others
and
keep
trying
to
build
community
*
If
you
find
value
in
any
of
this,
share
it
with
others.

Thank you for standing with me, now more than ever. We will face some dark times ahead but we’ll get through it together. As they say in Humboldt County, onward through the fog!

As ever,

Jared
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Congressman Jared Huffman represents California's 2nd District, which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border. As a Democratic leader, Jared is committed to protecting our environment and fighting for access to affordable healthcare and equality for all Americans.Support Jared's campaign with a contribution today [[link removed]] , or sign on to become a sustaining supporter by making a monthly contribution. [[link removed]]
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P.O. Box 664
Petaluma, CA 94953-0664
United States