Dear John,

This has been one hell of a year—in more ways than one. But despite the challenges that our country continues to face, we’ve found plenty of reasons to be excited about the future.

Many are breathing sighs of relief in the wake of Trump’s loss in the election, and recent news about the progress of forthcoming Coronavirus vaccines. We share those causes for celebration—while noting that the incoming administration has already presented the need to be held accountable, and also that the pandemic is not only far from over, but growing worse by the day.

Those continuing challenges are much of why I feel so personally grateful for all the support that helped us win 81,000 votes last month. That’s the most of any challenger to Pelosi in her 33-year career, and enough to win some congressional districts. We won 22% of the votes—despite having only 7% of Pelosi’s funding, and less than 0.1% of her press coverage.

But we didn’t just win an unprecedented result against the sitting Speaker of the House in the face of a corporate media whiteout. We also established remarkable momentum, more than doubling our vote total from the March primary. That trend puts us well on track to liberate the seat in 2022, matching the pattern set by Rep. Ro Khanna when he replaced Mike Honda in his third campaign.

Beyond the progress and momentum we established on our campaign, we also helped secure the passage of half a dozen federal policies through the House of Representatives. Together, we forced Pelosi to shift on issues from policing and foreign policy to funding the Postal Service and labor rights.

Having achieved those results, it would feel irresponsible to abandon the voters of San Francisco. I’m still recovering from our 2020 campaign, and not yet ready to formally declare my plans for 2022—but I’m excited to explore the possibility of running again.

As a grassroots candidate challenging the establishment without the support of a party machine, we face more headwinds than I can count. And running again will require some planning over the next several months that we’ll need help to do.

Your support will help us prepare the foundation to continue the historic momentum that we’ve started building together.

Whatever shape my future ultimately takes, one thing you can count on is that it won’t stray far from my 20-year track record of speaking truth to power.

President-elect Biden has already frustrated progressives—by pushing back on the movement for black lives, by including Neera Tanden from the neo-liberal Center for American Progress among his appointments, and by signaling his deference to the fossil fuel industry in other appointments. President-elect Biden and Speaker Pelosi are going to need voices holding them accountable.

I’m not going anywhere. Can I count on you to continue standing with us?

Whether you’re able to stay with us, or instead either politically exhausted, or at the end of your financial rope, we wish you & your family a healthy holiday season. However severe the public health & economic crises of the pandemic may continue to grow, remember that you are far from alone.

Your friend,

Shahid