Jason,
I went to a gun show the other day. As soon as I walk in, a guy says, "Hey are you Beto? I'm a fan." That was the last thing I expected to hear at a gun show.
He invited us to see his booth, where he was selling AR-15s. Before we walked over I said, "I'll be honest with you, part of the reason I'm here is because I'm concerned about gun violence, that we lose 40,000 people a year. I want to listen to everyone on this. So I came here to listen to you. Tell me what you think. How do we fix this?"
I kid you not, the next words out of his mouth shocked me. He said he should not be allowed to sell weapons because he is not required to conduct a background check at gun shows. But he goes on to tell me that if you're 18-years-old, can prove it, and have a pulse, he'll sell you a gun. And then he says he doesn't think that's right. Even though he's profiting from this current system, he knows the current system is broken.
Another guy, a Trump voter, tells me he has an assault weapon, and says he doesn't know if it will do any good, but he would be willing to turn that weapon in if it's better for this country. I was floored. Here are two guys literally at a show telling me we should close the gun show loophole, have universal background checks, and do something about assault weapons.
One of the things we learned from the Senate race in Texas was how important it is to not write anyone off. No matter where they live, who they voted for in the last election, how red or blue their county is. Never write anyone off.
That's why we just traveled to some of the forgotten states in the Democratic primary: Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. We're going to run everywhere. We're not ceding an inch to Donald Trump.
I believe that if we do that, we will not only win the presidency in 2020, we will win it in a landslide. Democrats can take on Republicans, and win, in places we didn't even think we could compete. And in doing so, we can bring this country back together again. But we have to build a campaign big enough to reach all these places and people, and to do that I need your help.
I'll close with this… last February, we're walking through Archer City on our way to a town hall at Murn's Cafe. This is a county that voted 89% for Donald Trump. A man walks up to me on the street and says, "Hey Beto, I want to show you this."
And then out of a manilla envelope, he pulls a picture of his dad with Lyndon B. Johnson. It was shot in Archer City in 1948. LBJ had landed in a helicopter in front of the courthouse, and attended a reception at the American Legion Hall down the street. His dad's the skinny guy, fifth from the left in the photo
As far as he knew, 1948 was the last time a Senate candidate had ever stepped foot in Archer City. Until we came along.
We are so quick to write off the "red counties" as too red, or to take so-called "blue counties" for granted. In Texas, we showed up everywhere and earned more votes than any Democrat in Texas history. We won Independents for the first time in years. Nearly half a million Republicans voted for a Republican governor on one part of the ballot, and us on the other part. And we never had to trim our sails or say anything other than what we really believed. That's how we finally won places that had long voted Republican — like Tarrant County where Trump won by nine but, two years later, we won. Or in Williamson County where Trump won by 10 but we won by three, swinging it 13 points!
Imagine if we did the same across America. It would transform the political map, and transform our country.
I truly believe that in 2020 there will be states in play that we could not have imagined before. I know for a fact Texas will be in play, and we're going to win it. But the only way we can build a campaign that's big enough, inclusive enough, and ambitious enough is with your help.
I want to keep doing this the right way — not with PACs, corporations, or lobbyists. Just meeting the people that I want to represent and serve. Whether we're in Mississippi or Arkansas, New York or Austin, I am going to keep showing up if you'll keep giving me the chance to do it.
This is how we win.
Sincerely,
Beto
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