Received this e-mail today from Democracy for America:
DC Democrats and beltway consultants have written off entire states for far too long. That's why Democracy for America is excited to announce our endorsement of two Bernie-style red state progressive populists -- Rob Quist in Montana and James Thompson in Kansas -- who are ready to show that progressives can win in red prairie states.
Last week DFA members like you helped stop the Republican attack on Obamacare. States like Montana and Kansas would have been some of the hardest hit had Trumpcare passed. Winning in Kansas and Montana will send shockwaves through the entire Republican Party.
Rob Quist is a beloved rancher and musician. He supports single-payer health care, opposes Citizens United and he's ready to take on corporations that outsource jobs and hurt workers -- but first he has to beat the carpet-bagging New Jersey billionaire the Republican is running against him.
James Thompson is a civil rights attorney and military veteran from Wichita who acutely understands the struggles both urban and rural working class families are facing under increasingly unpopular Republican leadership in his deep red district. He's running for the seat vacated by fringe right-winger Mike Pompeo, just appointed to head Trump's CIA.
If Democrats are going to stop Donald Trump and the GOP, we need to be able to win in red, blue and purple districts, in all 50 states. By winning these two critical special elections, we can prove to the Democratic party establishment that progressive populism is the key to defeating Trumpism.
Can you pitch in $3 to help Rob Quist and James Thompson take back House seats from the GOP this April and May -- and show the Democratic elite that progressive populism wins elections?
After November's upset defeat, Republicans crowed that Hillary Clinton's failure to compete in rural areas meant that Democrats were doomed. But we know better. Bernie Sanders won both Montana and Kansas by running on populist progressive ideas, focusing on real conversations with voters, and refusing to compromise away core values of racial, gender, and economic justice. These candidates are ready to make that happen at the Congressional level and send shock waves to the Republican party.
Donald Trump's horrible policy proposals may be giving progressive Democrats a unique opening in states like Kansas and Montana. A recent Priorities USA poll found that when Republican voters were told that their member of Congress supports Trumpcare, their support for GOP candidates dropped from +12 to -21.
Backlash against Trump could give us an opportunity to change the entire map up and down the ballot in 2018. But it won't happen with status quo candidates running on the old playbook - voters have made it clear that's not what they want either.
If Democrats want to win big against Trump's Republican Party, they need to run candidates who stand up for all working families, not corporations or wealthy donors. Rob Quist and James Thompson will do that. But they need the help of DFA members like you -- right now.
Will you chip in $3 or more right now to help progressive populists Rob Quist and James Thompson take back their Congressional districts this spring and send a clear message to Donald Trump and the political establishment?
Thanks for supporting DFA's 50 state strategy to build populist progressive power in Congress and defeat Donald Trump.
- Jim
Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America
Click here to donate to Quist and Thimpson’s campaigns.