a big announcement

͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ [Photo of Al Franken and Josh Riley]( {NAME}, My friend and former Senate counsel Josh Riley just made a BIG announcement. Josh is running for Congress in New York’s 19th District — a key district to taking back the House in 2024. He ran for the seat last cycle in his first political race, nearly defeating a 30-year career politician and Republican Marcus Molinaro – losing 50.8% to 49.2% in a district where some Democrats at the top of the ticket lost by more than 6 points. Josh will win this time! And I will give you five reasons why 2024 promises to be better than 2022. [But first, let’s help Josh’s 2024 campaign get off to a great start. Will you join me right now by splitting a contribution of $5 or more between Josh Riley and Brady PAC right now? He’s not taking corporate PAC money and he’s counting on individual supporters like you and me, {NAME}.]( If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5]( [Donate $10]( [Donate $50]( [Donate Another Amount]( Here are five reasons why 2022 was a seriously hard year to win in New York as a Democrat, and why it’s so impressive Josh came as close to winning as he did: - Redistricting. Last cycle, the New York State Legislature drew a congressional map that the New York State Courts deemed too partisan — so they threw it out and redrew it themselves. Unfortunately, for five months Josh had been running in the wrong damn district! The only good part is that the working-class town Josh grew up in remained in the newly formed 19th District. But Josh had a whole bunch of new territory in which to make himself known. - Primaries. Josh had to win an expensive primary challenge in late August against a strong opponent. Still, Josh won the primary by a nearly two-to-one margin. By working his butt off, not that he had much of a butt to start with — have you seen this guy? Beanpole! - Marc Molinaro. Josh’s Republican opponent in the general election had already been a State Assembly Member, County Executive and GOP candidate for governor in 2018, losing to then-Governor Cuomo. Molinaro gained wide name recognition and had no challengers in his 2022 primary. But now he has a record to run on–and it’s not a good one. He’s voting 95% of the time with Marjorie Taylor Greene! - Crazy GOP Attack Ads. Republicans had momentum statewide, and they ran tons of deeply dishonest dark money ads that said crap like, “Josh Riley’s allies want to defund the police.” I don’t know who Josh’s “allies” are but Josh and I funded the police — getting crisis intervention training and bullet proof vests for local police departments across the country. It was completely false, and it was sickening. - Midterm vs. Presidential Years. 2024 will not be a midterm! Ultimately, too many New York Democrats didn’t show up in a number of races this past cycle. But this time, not only is the presidency on the line — so is the Supreme Court. You can bet Democrats will turn out! So now that you know how tough 2022 was — and how CLOSE Josh came to pulling it off — are you ready to join me in supporting Josh for 2024? [Split a contribution to support Brady PAC and Josh’s campaign — he’s going to win one of the most important races in America for 2024 and I want you to be a part of it >>]( If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5]( [Donate $10]( [Donate $50]( [Donate Another Amount]( Thanks, Al P.S. I like the P.S. because it’s one more opportunity to ask for a donation. [So donate now!]( We can't wait any longer for action on gun safety. We're fighting for lifesaving legislation like universal background checks and an assault weapons ban, but we need your support. Chip in now to help us end gun violence in America → [DONATE]( [DONATE MONTHLY]( If you prefer to donate by mail, please make checks payable to: Brady PAC, c/o Digital 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, #15180, Washington, D.C. 20003 Paid for by Brady Pac (bradypac.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee ​ [You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.](