Dear John,
I am writing to you from our dining room table after a terrific weekend in El Paso and just before I hit the road again to travel to other parts of Texas.
Part of what made the weekend so good, of course, was that I had the chance to spend so much of it with our family — going on runs with Henry, watching Ulysses’ basketball games with Amy, and helping Molly take care of our animals (dog, cats, hens, bearded dragon, and python).
The other reason it was special was the time I spent with people in the community.
Saturday we brought hundreds of volunteers and supporters together to talk about the campaign and to remind ourselves of how lucky we are to live on the U.S. - Mexico border. At a time that Abbott is using communities like ours as a prop in an effort to scare people about immigration and immigrants, and after his disastrous border wall and “Operation Lone Star” which has cost us billions of dollars and put enormous stress on members of the Texas Guard, it’s important that we share the positive story of border communities. We are peaceful, safe, and successful because we are cities of immigrants, not in spite of the fact that we are cities of immigrants.
And we want more than just slogans, scare tactics, and photo ops. We deserve investment in our schools, better jobs for our neighbors, and the ability to see a doctor when we need to.
I know that the people of El Paso agree, because not only did hundreds come out to join us on a blustery Saturday afternoon, but on Sunday I had the chance to join a dedicated band of block walkers to knock on doors in central El Paso and meet the voters who live there.
Canvassing now — in the middle of January — may sound like we’re doing too much too soon. Usually campaigns begin door-to-door efforts in the summer, some wait as late as the early fall. But if we’re going to win this race, we need to be at these doors NOW, in January, and every day until election day.
It’s the most powerful way to connect with the people who will decide the outcome of this election.
Now, I’m going to head upstairs to pack my bags for tomorrow, then make some dinner for us (going simple and healthy — rice, beans, salmon, and salad) and get to enjoy a last meal with Amy and the kids before I hit the road.
Looking forward to it!
Thanks for helping to make it possible,
Beto
