Friend – the other day, my staff asked me how I'm always so optimistic in the face of so many obstacles. Here's what I said:

When my late friend John Lewis led the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, he reached the top of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and knew there were state troopers waiting to beat him with clubs at the bottom.

But he boldly walked right across that bridge, resolute even in the face of danger, because he was looking past the pain of the present moment and straight toward the future. 

Every day, I put that lesson of perseverance and optimism to good use in order to not lose hope. 

There's no question that we're at another inflection point for our democracy and voting rights. States across the country are trying to keep Black and brown voters from reaching the ballot box – and we just learned that we don't have enough support in the Senate to pass our federal voting rights legislation.

Now, I've heard others voice frustration and despair, and to that I say: If John Lewis could put his body on the line to advocate for voting rights, we can't get discouraged because two senators and the filibuster are standing in our way today.

I'm never giving up my hope. I promise that I will never tire of fighting for voting rights. I'll do everything in my power to expand our Senate majority and pass the voting rights legislation named in honor of John Lewis. 

If you're with me, will you help me become the 50th vote we need to finally achieve John Lewis' vision of an American democracy that we can all participate in?

Here's the best link:

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Thank you, 

Congresswoman Val Demings

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Val Demings for U.S. Senate
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United States