Hi John,

Recently, we asked people how they were feeling heading into 2026, and we got a lot of great, thoughtful responses. Already so much has happened, some of it distressing, some of it encouraging, but we have to be honest – we think this is going to be a year of big change. 

And we're not alone! By far the biggest response we got was that people are feeling positive, with "hope" being the word most often used. 

That wasn't everyone; almost a quarter of respondents said they’re feeling "Very negative" heading into 2026, and we get that. Last year was a tough year for American democracy. 

But we keep thinking about hope. Because we also have hope. Hope that together, we can stem the tide of corruption and hold powerful politicians to account. Hope that we can put pressure on Congress to stand up to authoritarianism and be a check on power. Hope that the ideals at our nation’s founding 250 years ago (if never fully realized) really CAN become reality. 

Hope doesn't mean much without action, though. And that's why we have a robust strategy to put people power to work and make our voices heard. 

Will you join us?