Team,

If you’ve been following our campaign this last year, you probably remember our emails about The Formidable Five, the five Democratic members of the House – Cindy Axne (IA-03), Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Jared Golden (ME-02), Andy Kim (NJ-03), and Elissa – that all won districts that Donald Trump won in 2020. 

We wanted to provide an update on those candidates now that the 2022 election is over. And the results show us that while we might not always be successful, there are still red-leaning districts out there willing to elect both Republicans and Democrats. 

Reps. Cartwright, Golden and Kim all won their races. Unfortunately, Elissa's friend Rep. Axne lost by less than one percentage point – still an incredibly impressive margin in a district and state trending red. 

And in a testament to how much Democrats and Republicans care about these seats, all of The Formidable Five were consistently listed among the most expensive districts across the country. Here in Michigan, Elissa was at the very top of that list. 

What we know is that strong candidates who are well-reasoned gave us the best chance to hold on to tough seats. Thanks again for all you did to help Elissa, and all of The Formidable Five. It mattered.