This is what democracy looks like

How do we change the world? Well, a big part of it is what I and other legislators do — fighting on the "inside" to pass legislation, conduct oversight, and move the levers of power in the government.

But that's not enough. It's also about working "outside", with you, to build a movement to support change. After all, democracy is a team sport. We all need to do our part.

So, as we enter an election year, I'd like to report to you on what we did together in 2019. In politics, they call it an "off year"—but we certainly didn't take it off.

For starters, we made ourselves heard. In 2019 alone, over 400,000 people signed at least one of our petitions calling for change (just over 700,000 times!) Why do these petitions matter? Because they help me make the case in the halls of power. They are a clear demonstration that I'm not alone in calling for reforms, for accountability, for action.

And we started to set the stage for taking back the Senate in 2020. As a community, we made critical investments to defend vulnerable Senators Gary Peters, Tina Smith, and Doug Jones—and we helped kick off the campaigns for 2020 Blue Wave champions Sara Gideon, Mark Kelly, and Theresa Greenfield.

And perhaps most gratifying of all, to celebrate my birthday, members of our movement sent thousands of dollars to a dozen charitable organizations fighting for the children whom our president has caged near our southern border. Thank you. Like you, I am heartbroken every day about what is being done in our names to these children.

As we look ahead to 2020, I know that I'm going to ask a lot of you. The fights ahead are critical, and the outcome is anything but certain. I'm running for re-election, we're fighting to take back the Senate, and—of course—elect a new president!

Thank you for your partnership. Thank you for your dedication. And thank you for taking action, again and again and again.

Onward!

Jeff Merkley