1. United States
2. Letter

I met your husband at Penn State during the 2020 campaign. I was that district's Democratic Congressional nominee. I chose to run in a deep red district with the primary aim of supporting the Biden Harris ticket and defeating Donald Trump. My counties delivered 20,000 more votes for Biden Harris than they did for Clinton in 2016. I recognize many of the progressive gains of this administration, including an FTC that has real teeth and courage to take on anti-competitive big corporations. But over the past 11 months, President Biden has driven me away from the Democratic party. On my fridge is a crayon picture of butterflies and flowers drawn by two little girls who visited us over Thanksgiving, who had just lost family members in Gaza. How am I supposed to support a party that censured its own member for speaking out against the atrocities? I want to be clear. My vote is winnable. I so badly want to vote for you. You were my favorite for the 2020 nomination. I see your strength. I see your tenacity. I see your courage. But I have too strong a conscience to vote for sending my tax dollars to kill the family of friends who have eaten and slept in my home. I know that your opponent would be even worse than what is happening now. The Republican party cheers on the carnage. But I refuse to let the future of those little girls be held hostage. I refuse to be forced into a choice of carnage or slightly less carnage. To win not just my vote but my volunteer effort, I ask for two things. 1. Treat the Muslim women who have a right to protest with decency and respect. 2. Publicly commit to a ceasefire. Please. I know you have the calculus of the election and competing factions to contend with. I'm not asking for what I think is just or morally right. I'm asking for what I can accept as a bare minimum. I hope you win. I want to vote for you. Please make that possible. Thank you for running