Nobody ever said that taking on the establishment and the billionaire
class would be easy. We're going to win some—including a great victory
by Christine Pellegrino in a New York State Legislature special election
last week where she won by a landslide in a district that heavily
supported Trump. And we're going to lose some—including Rob Quist's
defeat in the Montana congressional special election where Rob ran 14
points ahead of Hillary Clinton in a very conservative state, but still
lost.
There is no question, however, that the political momentum is with us.
All across the country people are becoming increasingly involved, and
Trump's support is in decline. In Virginia, there will be a very important Democratic gubernatorial
primary on June 13th. Tom Perriello is taking on the Virginia political
establishment, and his grassroots campaign has made real progress. He
started out as an underdog but, because of his progressive agenda and
incredibly hard work, the last public poll had him slightly ahead. Tom
will win this election if the turnout is high, and if he has the
resources to put together a strong get-out-the-vote effort. Please join me in supporting Tom's campaign.
Tom's
candidacy is about improving the quality of life for working people,
students, people of color, women, kids, seniors, and those that the
government often ignores. He has pledged to raise the minimum wage to
$15 an hour, make community college free, and opposes the construction
of fossil fuel pipelines.
He is also tackling racism at the institutional level. The
school-to-prison pipeline funnels children, disproportionately children
of color, down a path devoid of the hope and opportunity that we must
nurture within every child, in every school, and in every home. Tom
wants to end this system that sees the state spend millions of dollars
locking people up when we could provide real education opportunities
instead at a lower cost. Additionally, his guarantee for paid family
leave and affordable child care will give young families across Virginia
the break they sorely need.
In Virginia there are virtually no campaign finance restrictions, and
Tom is the only gubernatorial candidate rejecting corporate
contributions from the state's largest utility—an entity that has
dominated politics there for years. Despite the strength of his
campaign, Tom has been outspent by the establishment candidate who is
flooding the state with TV commercials.
Please join me in supporting Tom Perriello.
We need a governor like Tom who will fight for the progressive values
that we support. A progressive victory in the governor's race in a
conservative state like Virginia will be a shot heard around the
country, and help us expand the national momentum we already have.
The gubernatorial election in Virginia is an opportunity to put our
stamp on 2017. The election is in just two weeks, and will be one of the
most-watched in the entire country. Will you join me in this fight?
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
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