Friends,
At this point in life, I do not get goosebumps as often, or butterflies in my stomach.
But with the start of the general election here in Virginia, my heart and soul tapped in my body to remind me how special it is to ask for people’s vote, to get that vote, and to earn a nomination to represent hundreds of thousands of people in Congress.
I am truly grateful that tens of thousands of people across 24 counties believed in me and in this campaign enough to do their part. I am proud of the fact that voters in all 24 counties and municipalities of this district voted overwhelmingly to make me the Democratic nominee. And I was particularly moved to see our watch party dominated by young people determined to reclaim their district, their democracy, and their future.
For me, this mission is not the nomination. It is not just reclaiming VA-5 for the people who live here. It is a project of reclamation and reimagining. In the shadows of the Blue Ridge where I was born and raised, in the seat first held by James Madison, we must meet this moment of defending the best of our past and dreaming of an even better future.
Like generations of Americans before us, we must protect our defining aspirations of a more perfect Union, of an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, like the generation of young people driving this campaign’s energy, we must dare to look beyond the constraints of stale politics to meet this moment of AI and emerging powers. We must face down the attacks on our Constitution and communities, and also set a new North Star of an American dream that leaves no region, race or generation behind.
Since I launched this campaign, I've sat down for more than 500 listening sessions across this region. In living rooms, union halls, and church basements, on stoops and sidewalks, at county fairs and homecomings, I have heard the same refrain. A harmony of sorts. People want to get costs down, paychecks up, and common sense back to DC. They also want a system that treats humans with dignity and decency, and they want the powerful to play by the same rules as everyone else.
Nobody I meet expects the folks in Washington to solve every problem in their life. But they have EVERY right to a representative who doesn't go and make things worse.
Folks around here want a representative who fights for us. They are sick of sell-outs who let dark money donors tell them what to do. McGuire has clearly broken that trust, and busted the wallets of so many families in the district. But voters want more and deserve more than a chance to fire John McGuire. They need a real alternative — a fighter who cares more about right and wrong than right and left and is not afraid to stand up for it.
You have given the people of Virginia’s Fifth that alternative. I take this nomination as a mission. As a sacred chance to restore faith in our democracy, return our Constitutional freedoms and common sense, and reimagine an American dream for an era that will be dominated by AI.
As a good friend noted to me recently, the path to freedom passes through this district. The path back to sanity passes through this district. The path to hope rooted in reality passes through this district.
I know we can do it, because I've won this seat before by spending time in every precinct and outperforming in every nook and cranny of the district. This time, against a much weaker and more extreme opponent, we already have the momentum. But we cannot rest.
If you're with me, I'm asking you to start this next chapter of our general election with a people-powered contribution. Every dollar becomes a door knocked, a voter called, a vote banked. Will you split a donation between my campaign and Mark Warner right now?
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Thank you for putting your trust in me, and for every bit of time, talent, and treasure you give to this fight. I will spend every day of this final stretch earning it.
Let's go win this, and then let's go build something worth winning.
—Tom
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Friends of Mark Warner
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