Alan,
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.
Tom’s candidacy is about improving the quality of life for working people, students, people of color, women, kids, seniors and those that 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.
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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