Friend,

There’s a bit of a running joke on my team that has developed into somewhat of a motto since 2018. Team Slotkin: leaping over a very low bar.

This came about when folks continuously expressed their amazement that we were doing things that – up until then – we had considered pretty basic. Things like visiting small businesses and listening to business owners, learning the lay of the land from local leaders, and making an effort to speak with folks on all sides of an issue impacting their community. Oh yes, and then ACTUALLY following up with direct action. I’ve even been thanked for “speaking like a normal person.” I realized that the reason people were thanking me for such basic things is because their expectations of elected officials are sadly, painfully low.

There are some small communities, in particular, that have not had a Democrat come to visit in decades. As a result, they are surprised when I show up, and downright amazed when I’ve done my homework. Things that should be a given for anyone running for office.

For the past 6 months, our strategy has been to run this campaign as if I’m running for mayor in 30 small towns at once. All I do is sit down with people and dig in on how to get things done at the hyper-local level, whether it’s helping to build a badly-needed sewer system, or a new sidewalk, or a new library. It’s a ton of detailed work but we’ve been able to do it with the help of our generous grassroots supporters. So as we head into the final stages of this election when things really kick into high gear, your contribution, large or small, helps us get where we need to go.

It may be a low bar, but I’m determined to continue leaping over it as high as I possibly can.