John -- Last week BNC Board Chair Chris Noble sent this message recapping all the great work we did in 2021. If you missed that update, you definitely want to check it out below.

Looking back over this list, and knowing these are just the highlights, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all that you helped us accomplish.

We have a huge task ahead of us in 2022, starting with Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s special election next week.

Can you chip in $22 now to make sure we’re ready for anything?

Adrienne

-------- Forwarded message -------

From: Chris Noble, Brand New Congress <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Dec 27, 2021 at 7:01 PM
Subject: What a year!

John --

The clock is running out on 2021, and it’s a good time to reflect back on all that we’ve accomplished together.

In a moment I’m going to highlight some of our biggest milestones from this year, but before I do that I need to ask for your help.

We are less than $2,000 shy of our fundraising goal for December, and it’s really important that we hit that mark. Can you pitch in $22 now to make sure we’re ready to win in 2022?

It’s been a challenging year with some big changes, but also one of steadily building on the good work Brand New Congress has been doing since our founding in 2016.

Here are just a few highlights from this incredible year.

In January we saw the inauguration of Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), whose historic elections in 2020 set the stage for a radically different approach to politics. (More on that in a moment.)

We also launched our new candidate recruitment drive for 2022 at the end of January – a full year before most progressive organizations begin their endorsement process.

In February we began conducting training for nominees. Training and support for candidates has always been a core part of BNC’s mission. Since 2016 we have invested in nominees months before we knew whether or not they would be part of the Brand New Congress slate – because this is bigger than any one election, and we’re investing in the movement.

In March, Adrienne Bell joined us as our new Executive Director, replacing Robb Ryerse who stepped down after two years of service. As a former congressional candidate, Adrienne’s experience has been vital in keeping our work centered on meeting the needs of candidates and their campaign teams.

We announced our first candidate in April, Melanie D’Arrigo (NY-03), who returned for a second run after a strong performance in 2020. We also celebrated FIVE YEARS since launching our first nationwide search for candidates in 2016!

In late July, Rep. Cori Bush – BNC’s very first candidate – led an unprecedented protest as a sitting member of Congress over the expiring federal eviction moratorium.

Cori’s leadership reverberated around the country, inspiring BNC candidates like Brittany Ramos DeBarros (NY-11), Rebecca Parson (WA-06), and Shervin Aazami (CA-30) to join in by organizing protests against their own members of Congress who had failed to act.

Cori successfully pressured the White House to extend the moratorium, saving millions of families from immediate eviction just as the Delta variant was surging.

August was a busy month. While we worked to turn out the vote for Nina Turner’s special election primary in my home state of Ohio, we had some big internal changes. I was proud to be elected as Board Chair, replacing my friend Cory Archibald after her four years of service.

On September 1st we hit a major milestone: 100,000 individual donations! With an average contribution of $17.18, BNC continues to be a grassroots-led organization.

Throughout the Summer and Fall our four BNC reps led the fight in Congress to pass the Child Tax Credit extension, free community college, paid family leave, universal childcare, and expanding Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing care for Seniors – just to name a few.

The heavy opposition they faced from conservatives within their own party proves how important it is that we get more progressives elected.

And good news, help is on the way! In November, BNC candidate Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won her special-election primary for FL-20 by just FIVE votes – thanks in part to BNC volunteers who phonebanked to turn out the vote.

Sheila’s general election is now just two weeks away, and if she wins she’ll be sworn into Congress immediately to join the squad.

Brand New Congress was the ONLY national organization to support Sheila’s candidacy, because we believe in investing in candidates early. Help us score more wins next year by pitching in today.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Now we’ve launched an all new store with brand new merch. Check it out here and gear up for the new year!

These last few weeks of 2021 have been hectic as we’re ramping up our volunteer operation to hit the ground running in 2022.

Immediately after Sheila’s January 11th election, we have to get ready for early voting in Texas. Then all THREE of our Senate candidates running to flip GOP seats are up for vote in May.

If you haven’t had a chance to make a contribution to BNC yet this year, this is the time. With less than $2,000 to hit our goal for December, your contribution could be the difference between victory and defeat in any one of our elections next year.

You can also sign up to volunteer to find out how you can turn out votes for BNC candidates across the country.

Whether you contribute, volunteer, or simply follow our work and help us spread the word, I want to thank you for being a part of all that we’ve accomplished this year.

2021 was another challenging year as the pandemic has dragged on. And the road ahead to 2022 is not going to be easy. But this work we are doing is vital to the survival of our democracy and our planet – and your contribution makes a difference.

Thank you for being in the fight.

In solidarity,

Chris Noble
Board Chair
Brand New Congress