Dear John,

As we close out 2025, I have been reflecting on my first year as the Executive Director at Sister District.

Like many of you, I have felt the weight of this moment as we have seen families face real harm, unlawful detentions, layoffs, rising cost of living, and continued attacks on our rights from those in power.

Yet every day I find deep hope for our future when I see members of our Sister District volunteer network choosing to show up for others they may never know or meet, and when I see our Sister District alumni giving their all for the states they call home.

Whether you invited a few friends over to write postcards, traveled across the country to knock on doors in Virginia with us, joined one of our mobilization calls, shared our work on social media, or made a donation that matched your budget, you helped make this a historic year for state Democrats. 

This year, we made the decision to look beyond the traditional battleground map, endorsing in more states than in any previous odd year. 

Even with this ambitious goal, we won every single race we endorsed in, raised more money, and reached more voters than in any odd year in our history. Here’s how that collective effort reshaped the political landscape:

• We delivered a blue trifecta in Virginia
• We ended the GOP supermajority in the Iowa Senate and flipped a seat held by Republicans for 13 years
• We ended the Republican supermajority in the Mississippi Senate for the first time in more than a decade
• We held the line in Minnesota
• We elected 26 powerful Democrats across the country

Wins like these, driven by the hard work of Sister District staff and volunteers, do not happen overnight. Too often in politics, we seek out the quick solution or the splashy headline. But we know that it is the consistent investment of time and resources that builds infrastructure, develops leaders, and brings about real change. 

As we look ahead to the midterm elections, so much of the national focus will be on taking back Congress. And that is a critical priority. It’s key to blocking harmful federal action until we can take back the White House. 

But in 2026, the real progress our communities need to keep moving forward remains in our state houses. With wins in state legislatures, we can:

• Raise wages and expand worker protections
• Lower the cost of childcare and invest in public education
• Protect and expand abortion access
• Strengthen civil rights and LGBTQ+ protections
• Set the stage for fairer maps in the next redistricting cycle

I am profoundly grateful for everything this community has built, and for the work we will continue to do together. 

Winning in the states is not only possible — it is already happening because of you. 

With deep gratitude, 

Paid for by Sister District Project. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Donations to Sister District Project, a 527 organization, are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

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