John,

Five years ago, an ugly mix of Neo-Nazis and Klansmen invaded Charlottesville, Virginia under the "Unite the Right" banner.

They carried tiki-torches and Confederate flags.

They chanted racist, antisemitic slogans.

And one of their members drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist counter-protestors, killing one and injuring dozens more.

In response to this awful tragedy, President Trump refused to disavow the violence in Charlottesville that day, insisting "there were very fine people on both sides."

And the most troubling part for me, John? Charlottesville was only the beginning of the recent rise of hatred and far-right violence, stoked by Donald Trump and his enablers.

In the years since Charlottesville, hundreds of local far-right militia groups have popped up across the country. The Proud Boys. Oath Keepers. Patriot Prayer. Three Percenters. This dangerous list keeps growing. And although these groups have different names, they all share a racist, fascist agenda.

Unfortunately, we've seen this type of violent extremism right here in Oregon.

In December of 2020, with the aid of a Republican state legislator, a group of far-right protesters successfully breached our capitol building in Salem. They were met promptly by Salem police and state troopers who repelled the rioters and whose bravery that day prevented a possible tragedy.

About two weeks later, the same kinds of rioters would mount an insurrection at the United States capitol. The scenes from that day are still chilling to watch.

John, this is what we're up against. The unthinkable has become our new reality, as extremist groups look to push their radical agenda on all of us.

Here's the good news, John: these groups haven't won. They do not represent the majority of Americans. But we must remain vigilant. And you can be sure that our campaign will stand with you every step of the way as we combat bigotry in all its forms.

Thanks for standing with us as we fight hatred head on,

Val