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  • From the Desk of Al Franken

We can’t eat road salt

A few days ago I promised to tell you about some of the debate moments I’ve been watching. This was a good week to keep that promise.

Let’s start in Maine. Susan Collins was asked what she’s done about Trump’s tariffs, which are crushing Mainers. Her answer: she got concrete, pulp, and road salt taken off the tariff list.

Her opponent, Troy Jackson, responded: “What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt.”

Then Collins tried to show she understands what it’s like to struggle with health care costs. She said she couldn’t afford health insurance for a year back in 1994. That was the year she decided to run for governor. Most people who can’t afford health insurance don’t respond by launching a statewide campaign.

In South Carolina, Senator Darline Graham told voters she has a job representing the people of Washington before correcting herself to “South Carolina”. Freudian slip? This is the same Graham who said in her primary debate that “national security is not my thing.” Hard to argue with her on that one.

Here’s why these moments matter: they’re happening in races that are close. Collins and Jackson went into their debate just about tied. South Carolina, a state Trump won easily, is suddenly competitive. And Republicans know it, adding millions in TV ad reservations. 

We can’t match that dollar for dollar. But right now MVP is  investing in organizations with boots on the ground that do the work of persuasion and getting people to the polls. It’s organizing that wins elections, not air wars and that’s where we’re putting our dollars right now.. Contribute now before the election!

Al

P.S. In fairness to Senator Collins, road salt has never once let Mainers down. Can’t say the same for her.

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Somehow, it’s been 20 years since I started Midwest Values PAC to help Democrats win elections — from progressive organizations to state legislatures to Congress to the White House — who share the values I grew up with in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Since 2006, Midwest Values PAC has invested more than $4 million in 341 candidates and organizations — and counting. 

Of course, none of this happens without you (or supporters like you) who care enough to pitch in.

As we mark our 20th anniversary, the work is more urgent than ever. This year, we have a big job: flip the House, take the Senate, and win up and down the ballot at the state and local level.

To mark our 20th year, we’ve set an ambitious goal: 26,000 contributions by Election Day 2026.

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Thanks for being part of this fight, and for sticking with us for 20 years (or for just joining — welcome!).

Al

P.S. Over the years, okay, decades, we’ve helped Democrats win tough races all across the country by investing early, intelligently, and strategically. That’s how you flip seats. That’s how you protect democracy. And that’s how you stop the worst impulses of a president who never should have been president in the first place.

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