Friend,
Let me tell you a story:
I was at my local Jewel-Osco, and had just walked up to the meat counter. A kind lady came up and asked if I was hosting a town hall soon.
I said, “Yes, I am. This weekend, actually.”
She told me she was so thankful that I was listening to them. At which point our butcher leaned over the counter and said, “I’ll tune into that one.”
This interaction was a testament to the importance of engaging with constituents and showing them that their voices matter.
If Democrats want to take back the House, we need to do a better job of communicating, and actually speaking (and listening) to people who may not necessarily identify as “Democrats”, but Americans.
And Americans need to know about what Republicans are doing to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and how these cuts will cause stores like our local Jewel to go out of business.
30-40% of folks in our district pay for their groceries through SNAP. Over 42 million folks rely on SNAP across the country. And I’m no economist, but a store losing more than a third of its revenue usually forces them out of business.
In fact, estimates show that the planned cuts to the program could cost states $20 billion annually.
A lot of members of Congress are ambitious people, but some sincerely lack a purpose beyond themselves. My purpose is to continue having conversations like the one in Jewel. It’s to continue engaging in conversations that build a path forward to prosperity for everyone who calls IL-17 home. And it’s to continue to fight for the support of our district over partisan political points.
These months ahead, but I take pride in knowing that the people of IL-17 have someone in Congress willing to listen to and fight for them every step of the way.
We’re two weeks out from our first major filing deadline of 2025. Can you contribute ahead of our end-of-quarter fundraising deadline so I can continue having these types of conversations, and help keep working folks first in Washington?
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Together,
-Eric
