John, someone at a recent town hall asked me this:
“What really separates you from another Democrat in this primary who eventually called what’s happening in Gaza a genocide?”
It’s a valid question, maybe one you yourself have wondered, so I want to answer it for you today.
First, imagine I asked you, “What color is the sky?” You’d say blue.
Now, imagine I look at the same sky and say: “It’s hard to say. Could be anything. Let me get back to you.”
Weeks go by. Then months. And finally, I say: “Okay, fine, it’s blue — but let me give you five caveats about why maybe it’s not blue.”
You’d think that was… odd.
And what if you later learned the reason I hesitated to call the sky blue was because I was trying to win over support from people who didn’t want me to say what was obviously true?
That’s the difference between me and that other candidate.
When nearly 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza, that is genocide. When people from the very place enduring the violence say it's genocide, that is genocide.
That’s why I’ve been outspoken against sending our tax dollars overseas to fund the genocide. I’ve never hemmed or hawed over my stance.
And I know that this will result in probably millions of dollars’ worth of attacks from AIPAC and billionaire-backed groups. But if I can’t say what’s true now, why should I have the job?
Michiganders have a clear choice in this primary election: Vote for a politics that waits to see which way the wind blows — or choose a politics rooted in moral clarity from the start.
I’ve never taken corporate PAC money. Not in 2018. Not now. Not ever.
I didn't suddenly “discover” corporate money was bad because I’m running against someone who refuses it. I’ve been about this from day one.
But here’s the part I need your help with, John:
Telling the truth comes with a real cost — and our campaign will only withstand that pressure if we build the strongest grassroots coalition in the country.
If thousands of us step up together, even with $5 or $10 at a time, we replace the millions of dollars AIPAC, corporate PACs, and the old guard will spend trying to sink this movement. And we prove that moral clarity still has a place in American politics.
So I’m humbly asking: Will you chip in $10 or whatever feels right to you today? Your donation is the only thing keeping this campaign independent, honest, and unbought.
Thank you for reading this longer message, and for being a part of our campaign.
In solidarity,
Abdul
