Where we started

Hey folks,

Election Day is here. Today, Ohio decides whose voice is louder: working people or billionaires.

When I launched this campaign, I told you the air was getting toxic for Ohio families. I told you that the system is rigged.

Ohio deserves a leader who fights for you. Winning this campaign is the first step in doing that.

I hope you are proud of the role you are playing in setting our campaign up for victory.

This has been the honor of my life. I feel so lucky for every conversation out on the road, every phone call, every message on here and every reply you’ve sent us.

I’m grateful.

This is what I wrote to you on the day that I launched my campaign for U.S. Senate, if you’d like to take a trip down memory lane.

Donate

Every day, I wear the same pin on my lapel.

It’s a small yellow canary, given to me by a steelworker at a Workers’ Memorial Day rally in Lorain.

In the early 20th century, coal miners would carry a canary underground with them. If the air turned poisonous, the canary detected it first so the miners knew to get out, before it was too late.

They didn’t have a union strong enough, or a government that cared enough, to warn them. To protect them.

Through organizing and years of hard work, that changed.

And not just on mine safety. We fought for – and won – safer workplaces, fair wages, Social Security, Medicare, civil rights, and voting rights. We made progress that generations before us could only dream of.

But right now, the air is getting toxic again for working people. Alarm bells are ringing.

Wages aren’t keeping up. The cost of everything – groceries, housing, health care – keeps climbing. And the same forces that fought against fair pay and safer workplaces all those years ago are back at it. They’re rigging the rules to benefit their wealthy donors and corporate special interests.

Ohioans feel like the system is rigged against them. And it is.

I never planned to run for office again.

But when I see politicians in Washington working for the rich and powerful instead of the people who make this country run, I just can’t sit on the sidelines.

Share

That’s why today, I’m announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate.

Because I’ve seen what our country – and the Senate – can look like at its best. What it looks like when workers are at the table, not on the menu.

For me, this isn’t about left vs. right – it’s about which side you’re on; who you fight for and who you’re willing to stand up to.

This moment demands champions for our working families. Because whether you punch a clock, swipe a badge, work for tips, or care for a family member – you deserve the tools you need to build the life you want.

Not just to put food on the table, but to build a good life for your family.

Not just to afford rent, but to afford a home, in the community you want to live in.

Not just to have a job, but a career with great wages, strong benefits, and dignity.

The people who make this country work deserve their fair share. And at this moment when workers are struggling – we need leaders in Washington who will put them first.

So I’m asking you to join me. If you’re ready to join my campaign from Day One, consider making a donation to power our movement or forwarding this to a few friends.

Share

This moment is our canary. Its warning is loud and clear.

What we do next is going to depend on all of us.

Are you with me?

- Sherrod

Before you click away!

Our resources are zeroed out. We’ve allocated every dollar that came in the door to reach voters before polls close tonight. That means our accounts will be empty (or maybe even a little in the red). That’s on purpose. But it’s also taking a big risk.

If the result is too close to call and Sherrod’s fight continues beyond tonight, we won’t have the resources we need to wage it. Outside groups have shown they’re willing to spend ungodly sums to buy this seat. We can only expect they’ll do the same with Senate control still on the line.

If you have the means and would like to help get out ahead of that, make a donation right now.

Donate