Alan -
Real political change has got to occur at every level of government: federal, state and local. We need great progressive candidates running for Congress, for governor, for the state house, for city council and for school board. And we need those candidates in every state in the country.
One of those strong candidates is State Senator Vincent Fort who is waging a bold campaign to bring progressive government to the City of Atlanta - one of the largest metropolitan centers in the country. He is unapologetically standing up for middle-class and working class families, for blacks, whites and Latinos, for women and the gay community. And he can win the election on November 7, 2017.
I first met Vincent Fort during the presidential campaign. Early on, he joined our effort in Georgia and campaigned hard for me when it would have been more politically expedient to just sit it out. But that’s not the kind of person he is. And that’s one of the reasons I know he will be a mayor who is prepared to take on the powerful special interests on behalf of ordinary people.
Senator Fort is running on a platform which calls for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, improving public schools, decriminalizing marijuana, reforming the criminal justice system, increasing housing affordability, making two years of college tuition free, expanding public transportation, and fighting for equality for all communities.
Vincent Fort has a long history of standing up for the values we share. He has opposed school privatization, he has been a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, and he has been a fighter against income inequality. As Mayor of Atlanta he will have the courage to stand up to the monied interests and I look forward to campaigning for him in Atlanta in the next few months.
What is so exciting about this campaign is that it is a grassroots effort. Vincent Fort is a tireless campaigner who is working hard, neighborhood by neighborhood, to engage the people of Atlanta. His strong support for progressive values has resulted in his winning the endorsements of over two dozen local and regional union organizations. They know he is on the side of working people.
Recent polls show the race in Atlanta is extremely competitive and Vincent Fort is in a position to advance to the run-off election. Needless to say, he is being heavily outspent. One opponent has spent over $1 million already, but is still in a statistical tie with Senator Fort. That’s the power of Vincent Fort’s grassroots campaign and the bonds that he has built with the people of Atlanta.
Vincent Fort doesn’t need to spend the most money to win this election, but he will not be successful if he is outspent 10 to 1 or more. Our job is to close that financial gap and give him the resources to run a winning campaign.
His victory in Atlanta will not only be important for the people of that great city, but it will send a message across the country. It is a message that makes clear that we are building the diverse progressive movement that our country desperately needs in order to create governments at all levels that represent ordinary Americans and not just the one percent.
Thank you very much for supporting Senator Fort.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
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