Dear team,

Twenty-five years ago, I joined the U.S. Army. I held up my hand and swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I've come home after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq after missing birthdays, missing my son's first steps, and missing holidays. I'm grateful that my wife Karen — also a dedicated public servant and educator in our public schools — is equally committed to our country. But truth be told, she's hed a lot of tears when hearing of folks injured or killed in the units I've served in and fearing for my life on days and weeks when I couldn't call home.

Team, do you know why Musk and Trump don't think twice about firing veterans? Because neither of them have ever put their life on the line for anything — they're cowards by their nature.

So when chicken Republicans — in all their big talk of loving our troops — plan to fire over 70,000 federal employees from the V.A. and put our troops at risk in the Middle East, it REALLY sets me off.

Threatening the safety, livelihood, and promise to our veterans who served our country — it's unconscionable.

We need to get these spineless Republicans out of office. Virginia's legislature is led by Democrats, but by an incredibly slim margin. If we don't flip more seats this November, we run the risk of losing our majorities. I'm telling you, team: Our Democratic legislature is a bright spot in these dark times. We need to preserve AND expand it.

Please don't ignore this email and the call to action. A few dollars make a big impact in state legislative races, and I'm more determined than ever to flip some of the seats. Can I count on you to split a donation of $20 between Secure Progress and Pat Ryan?

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Let's fire the MAGA Republicans and restore our promise to veterans.
– Dan Helmer