Dear John,
Election Day is upon us. While we squeeze in those final phone calls and try not to look at the polls, I wanted to share a few reflections on where we’ve been, and where we’re going.
My co-founders and I started Sister District in the wake of the 2016 election as part of a nationwide uprising against not just Trump, but the systems and ideas that enabled his rise. We focus on building power in state legislatures because we understand the outsized importance they have on every issue we care about, from abortion to climate to the economy to democracy itself.
While we endorse candidates each year, our success is not defined by electoral wins alone—in order to counter the cynical politicians who want to divide and distract us, we must focus on building power for the long term.
This is the perspective I want you to keep in mind as the polls close, and as we wait for results to roll in over the following hours and days. The work we do is about more than any single district or chamber. It’s also about what we do next, no matter the outcome—how we take the time to celebrate, to learn from our losses, to build knowledge and data and infrastructure in every place we go.
Many of us spent the weekend knocking doors for our candidates, talking to voters who were excited to cast their ballots to protect our freedoms, expand reproductive justice, strengthen our economy, and more. I personally spoke with many voters who knew our candidates personally from local civic life, even when they expressed frustration with national politics. This is the power of down-ballot work.
I also spoke to our candidates themselves, who were tired, yes, but also determined and hopeful. They and their staff gushed about how grateful they were for everything that Sister District has done, and how they never would have been able to raise as much money or reach as many voters as they have without the help of our powerful community.
We knew that Democrats would face historical headwinds, and that’s why we showed up big this year. And we remain hopeful about tomorrow because we have seen what can happen when organized people and organized money refuse to accept the status quo. We are buoyed by the incredible enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication of all of you, which has unquestionably made a real impact for our candidates. We’ll have more details for you tomorrow, but we’ve had our strongest year since 2020 in terms of fundraising, voter contact, and professional support.
Look, I’m not here to tell you that everything is going to be okay. No one can tell you that. But I’m here to say that it can be okay if we continue to commit ourselves to building power from the ground up, where it matters the most—in the states. And it can even be more than okay if we hold steady and never let go of our vision for a better future—we can achieve a country that has all the freedoms and joys our forefathers and foremothers dreamt for us, and so much more.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
