Arena Community,
It has been a difficult and painful summer for so many. Americans are dying because of hate and incompetence in the White House and concentrations of power that don’t reflect the views or values of the American people. These problems are too big for one person to solve alone. We need a new generation of diverse progressive candidates to stand up and fix the system. That’s what I’m emailing you about today.
In 2018, Arena was instrumental in helping me flip my Congressional seat and oust a long-term Republican Congressman in a conservative-leaning suburban Chicago district. Today, I am the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress and was even chosen to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
Had Arena not been involved, I’m not sure how we would’ve won. Arena’s guidance was always on point. There was no upsell. There was no gossip. Just candid advice from people who invested in my race and became my fiercest advocates.
Maybe that’s why even though government dysfunction is at an all-time high, I am hopeful that 2020 is a year of laying new foundations. Arena just finished training thousands of volunteers at the Democratic National Convention, making their Academy programming free to anyone who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and elect Democrats up and down the ballot.
It’s not hyperbole to say that those volunteers could make the difference in this election -- and determine whether policies that simply give people a chance to live get passed into law.
But in a historic year that will impact the next thirty years and beyond, we also face a new challenge: adapting to the pandemic by getting out the vote in a safe way that won’t put people’s lives at risk.
Arena needs $1.2M by early September to ensure candidates and their staff have the tools and training to get out the vote both safely AND effectively this fall.
There’s no time to waste, Friend: help Arena close the gap by donating $17 (their average) to train the campaign staff who are fighting like hell to prove you don’t need to be a wealthy white landowner to deserve a seat at the table.
Arena was started by people who gave America hope. As a supporter, you have the power to work with Arena in making transformational change and empowering a new generation of leaders.
A better America is possible, but only if you heed the call and say, “let’s go.”
Thank you,
Rep. Lauren Underwood
Congresswoman representing IL-14
