Friend,

Now that the dust has settled a bit on Election Day, I want to talk about the campaign we ran and how we won (hint, it's really all about you, here's why):

We ran a campaign that met people where they were -- before COVID, that meant meeting them in their homes, neighborhood block parties, coffee shops, and more. But we know 2020 demanded a pivot, so that's exactly what we did.

Instead of a TV first campaign, spending our time and money on overly produced ads -- we invested in a new type of campaign that put you, and an innovative set of digital tools, first.

In the end, we won by 11 points and earned 40,000 more votes than in our first campaign in 2018. All this while being outspent by our opponent on TV $813,603 to $0. That's not a typo -- it's a strategy.

We did all this because I firmly believe that democracy is strongest when everyone is invited. It meant believing in the power of grassroots donors and never taking a dime from PACs, lobbyists, or other members of Congress. It meant building a massive volunteer movement to write nearly 100,000 handwritten postcards to people in the district.

It meant talking with everybody -- from Democrats to Independents to Republicans -- about our shared values and goals, especially during COVID, to keep small businesses running, families healthy, and our environment protected for future generations.

And it meant a robust digital strategy unlike we saw anywhere else in the country. Not just running a few ads on Facebook but instead reaching voters across more than a dozen platforms with messages that were targeted directly to them, to ensure that they understood this election was a choice between fear and optimism -- especially during this uncertain political climate.

Because I know you didn't spend your time watching the news every day this year -- you hopped online for a few minutes here and there to catch up on the news, updates from friends and family around the country and the world, and connect with the people you love. To find an uplifting story, a piece of good news, something to hope for -- and we hope we sometimes could do just that.

There's plenty of work to do ahead, and I'm working hard on Capitol Hill to provide the support the American people need and deserve right now -- but before we close the book on the 2020 election, I wanted to celebrate what we built together. Because everything we've built together is thanks to you.

Onwards,

Dean Phillips