Dear Pete for America community,

Thanksgiving is an opportunity for Americans to come together -- as families, friends, and as a nation.

We know that after a year of avoiding getting into political debates with some relatives on Facebook, we’re going to find ourselves sitting across the table from each other.

We sense those walls going up between us in our communities, our churches, and yes, even within our families. We feel the pain of what I can only describe as a crisis of belonging in America, with so many of our fellow Americans wondering where they fit in and whether they belong at all.

But on the day after this presidency comes to an end, we’re going to need to pick up the pieces of our divided nation and come together to tackle the urgent challenges we face.

So in the midst of a heated political season, I hope we remember the values we share -- especially today, on Thanksgiving.

Let’s take inspiration from the extraordinary Americans I’ve met throughout this campaign. Veterans who didn’t hesitate to answer our nation’s call. Farmers in rural Iowa discussing how they can be a part of addressing our climate crisis. Young people demanding we act on guns. DREAMers making this country their own, and conservatives who recognize immigrants as a credit to their communities.

If we focus on what we hold in common, then I believe we can knit back our country and deliver a future where every one of us belongs.

I hope everyone has a meaningful Thanksgiving.

Pete