Dear MoveOn member,
I want to share a story with you, a story that I hope can serve as a reminder and call to action for each and every one of us.
Bev Veals, a longtime North Carolina resident and three-time cancer survivor, had been struggling to cobble together enough money to pay her insurance premium after her husband lost his job because of the coronavirus pandemic. She wasn't sure what to do, so she called the office of her senator, Thom Tillis, to ask for help.
Instead of getting help, Bev was told by the Republican senator's office, "just like if I want to go to the store and buy a new dress shirt, if I can't afford that dress shirt, I don't get to get it."1
Let me be very clear: Health care is not the same as buying a dress shirt. Our elected officials should be doing everything in their power to make sure every American has access to the care they need, but as this story shows, Senator Tillis is not living up to that basic requirement for service.
Luckily, in just 53 days, we have a chance to elect a real leader for North Carolina residents like Bev—and this leader will work to fight for not just health care but the rights and opportunities for each and every one of us.
His name is Cal Cunningham, he's my friend and fellow service member, and I'm reaching out today to ask if you can help give him the resources he needs to defeat Thom Tillis and help flip control of the Senate in November.
John, can you please chip in $3 directly to Cal's campaign?
After the September 11 attacks, Cal was called to service and joined the Army Reserve, going on to serve three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since returning to North Carolina, Cal has served in the state's Senate, where he has pushed for strong environmental legislation, worked to curb the opioid crisis, and pushed for better pay for teachers.
In the United States Senate, Cal will fight to ensure that every single one of us has access to affordable health care—unlike Thom Tillis, who ran his first campaign on the vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act.2,3
Cal knows that the existential threat of our time is climate change, and he will work to protect the future of our nation and our planet. Thom Tillis was one of the senators who encouraged Donald Trump to take the United States out of the Paris climate agreement and has raked in more than $200,000 in contributions from oil and gas companies.4,5
Cal is a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community and has vowed to help pass the Equality Act when elected.6 When he was the speaker of the North Carolina House, Thom Tillis helped pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state.7
And last week, after it was revealed that Donald Trump called fellow service members who have died for our country "losers" and "suckers," Cal rightfully rebuked the comments as "indefensible and offensive."8 Thom Tillis said nothing.9
As we head into the home stretch of the election year, it is absolutely crucial that we all do what we can not only to defeat Donald Trump but also to end Mitch McConnell's control of the Senate and ensure that a strong Democratic majority is ready on day one to help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris undo the damage done by Trump and guide our country forward.
North Carolina is one of the most important swing states in this election—both to defeat Trump and to flip control of the Senate. And any help we can give to Cal Cunningham will help to accomplish both of these goals.
So I need to ask you, John: Are you in? Click here and please chip in $3 now to Cal's campaign.
Thanks for all you do.
–Pete Buttigieg
Sources:
1. "Cancer survivor pleading for help with health insurance 'angry and hurt' over Tillis staffer's response," WRAL.com, September 8, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144167?t=5&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
2. "Priorities," Cunningham for U.S. Senate, accessed September 10, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144168?t=7&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
3. "Thom Tillis Wanted to Kill Obamacare. Now He's Plagiarizing It." The Daily Beast, August 2, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144155?t=9&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
4. "Priorities," Cunningham for U.S. Senate, accessed September 10, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144168?t=11&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
5. "Thom Tillis Urged Trump to Pull Out of Paris Climate Accord, Netted $263,400 From Oil and Gas Companies," IndyWeek, June 1, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/144157?t=13&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
6. "Priorities," Cunningham for U.S. Senate, accessed September 10, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144168?t=15&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
7. "Group backing Tillis calls him a ‘pro-LGBTQ Republican.’ What does the record say?" The News & Observer, May 17, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/144169?t=17&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
8. Tweet by Cal Cunningham, September 3, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144170?t=19&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
9. "Losers and Suckers, Thom Tillis running scared," Daily Kos, September 4, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/144171?t=21&akid=273572%2E40999114%2EcCH2xz
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