Friend,

Overview (a 9-second scan):

• A Russian troll farm sought to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election
• The campaign was intended to deter African Americans from voting and to exacerbate racial tensions
• Dean introduced legislation to ban online advertising paid for by foreign nationals in our elections
• Can you help us reach our $7,600 mid-month goal -- and send Dean back to Washington? [link removed]

Read my full story (a 1-minute 34-second read):

If our elections are not safe, secure, and free from foreign interference, then our very democracy is at risk. That's why Dean has been focused on the recently introduced Firewall Act, which consists of a number of measures to prevent foreign actors from undermining our elections -- including preventing the spread of paid ads that disseminate disinformation online.

Just this week, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a new, bipartisan report on Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The report confirms other findings that the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a so-called troll farm based in St. Petersburg, Russia, "sought to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election by harming Hillary Clinton's chances of success and supporting Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin."

According to the report, no group was targeted more than African Americans. Russian operatives used social media to spread disinformation and manufactured divisive rhetoric in an effort to deter African Americans from voting and to exacerbate racial tensions. In fact, according to the report, over two-thirds of IRA's Facebook posts were race-related.

Foreign interference in our elections is real, it is dangerous, and it is putting a massive strain on our democracy, not to mention our society. Doing something to stop it should be among Congress's top priorities.

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The bipartisan Senate report makes clear that these efforts weren't limited to the last election; they're ongoing, and they include foreign adversaries beyond Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrived at the same conclusion in his investigation into the 2016 election.

Dean is doing something about it. He's introduced legislation to ban online advertising paid for by foreign nationals in our elections, co-sponsored other measures to increase disclosure rules for paid online ads, and is one of the champions behind the recently introduced Firewall Act, as well as H.R.1, the For the People Act, which remains a top priority.

Still, he can't do it alone. We need Mitch McConnell and the Senate to work closely with the House to pass sweeping election security measures and fund our election infrastructure needs -- with enough time to implement everything before the 2020 election. We all must call on our elected leaders to rise to the moment.

Nothing less than the preservation of our democracy is at stake.

If protecting the security of our elections is critical to you please help us reach our mid-monthly fundraising goal of $7,600. Chip in now -- help send Dean back to Washington.

CONTRIBUTE >> [link removed]

Thank you,

Jonah  



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