Dear MoveOn member,
My name is Chris Torres, and I'm MoveOn's political director. I'm responsible for planning and overseeing the work we do to win elections, and unfortunately, I'm writing to you today because I am really worried about what could happen across the country next year.
The first wave of new congressional maps have just been released, and they are more distorted, biased, and gerrymandered than any congressional maps since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, according to The New York Times.1 These first maps alone—all drawn by Republicans—are likely to gain Republicans five seats in the House, enough to flip the majority in the chamber next year.2
There is no sugarcoating that news—but we can still win, and I'll tell you why.
The GOP is so focused on manipulating their districts and passing racist voter suppression laws because they know that cheating is the only way they can win, and, more importantly, they know that if Democrats organize and show up, they don't stand a chance.
That's our challenge and our opportunity. If we can build the infrastructure to inspire and energize voters, we really can defy history and win—just as we did in 2020.
But at this moment, MoveOn is facing a major problem: Grassroots donations from our members have dropped sharply, and we are facing a big budget shortfall this month—at the same time that I am working with my colleagues to make critical decisions about what our elections program will look like in 2022. If we can't close the gap, we will not have the resources to run the campaign we need in order to win.
I don't want money to be the reason we lose, John, so I'm asking: Will you chip in $5 a month starting right now to help us close our budget gap and sustain our work to win in 2022?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
It's not just MoveOn. Across the board, Republicans are far outpacing Democrats when it comes to fundraising in preparation for 2022.3
Why is that? One big reason is that many major Republican donors who publicly announced in the wake of the January 6 attack that they would no longer donate to the GOP have quietly gone back on their word and are shoveling money into the coffers of the RNC, dark-money PACs, and directly to members of Congress who supported the white supremacist insurrection.4
That is what the Republican Party has become: corrupt enough to support anything, even overthrowing our democracy, if it means they gain power.
I won't let them get away with it. And I know you won't either.
So I need your help, John. Even though MoveOn doesn't need to match GOP fundraising dollar for dollar (we've always been far too creative to let that stop us!), we can't afford to continue falling as far behind as we are today.
Because unlike the GOP, MoveOn is not hoarding cash to give out million-dollar bonuses to executives or throw lavish parties. Every dollar we raise goes toward supporting our mission of making this a country where everyone can thrive. And that means when our fundraising dips, we have to make hard choices about which programs we have to cut, how much we can spend to mobilize voters, and how many candidates we can support.
I'm the one who will have to make the decision about what we can and can't do to win in 2022. Can you help to make those decisions a little easier by chipping in $5 a month today?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thank you for always standing with MoveOn, and for all that you do.
–Chris Torres, MoveOn Political Director
Sources:
1. "Republicans Gain Heavy House Edge in 2022 as Gerrymandered Maps Emerge," The New York Times, November 15, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159549?t=6&akid=310819%2E40999114%2EdAmn2V
2. Ibid.
3. "Donors threatened to shun the GOP after Jan. 6. Now, Republicans are outraising Democrats." The Washington Post, November 9, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159550?t=8&akid=310819%2E40999114%2EdAmn2V
4. Ibid.
Want to support MoveOn's work? The GOP is launching an all-out campaign to take down the Democratic majority in Congress and reinstall Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader in 2022. To defeat the GOP, MoveOn is going all-in with TV ads, a nationwide grassroots organizing campaign, and more.
Will you chip in to power our effort to defeat McConnell and the GOP in 2022?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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