I’m trying not to let this ugly event in our race for Congress bring my Juneteenth spirits down

Today marks only the fourth time we have celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday in America [Pamela Pugh for Congress]( {NAME}, Happy Juneteenth! Today marks only the fourth time we have celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday in America, but Black folks have been celebrating Juneteenth for centuries in some way, shape, or form all the way back to the emancipation of slaves in America. So this weekend, I had the great pleasure of participating in Saginaw’s Juneteenth Parade with some of our campaign team members: Now, if you saw the subject line of this email, you may be wondering… Dr. Pugh, what could be bringing your spirits down on a celebratory day during your campaign to elect the first Black woman to Congress from Mid-Michigan? Well, {NAME}, you can never count on Republicans in 2024 to… let’s just say “use their critical thinking skills” when it comes to the topic of race in American politics: There is so much that is problematic, wrong, disrespectful, racist, and just plain awful about this AI deepfake “Martin Luther King Jr. Endorsement Video” from one of my Republican opponents that I don’t even know where to start. Even worse, when he was called on to apologize, he blamed a campaign staffer, but then back-tracked and doubled down on his cringeworthy video, stating: “If MLK were alive today – I do believe he would endorse me and my vision for a better Michigan.” Let me just state the obvious: If MLK were alive today, he certainly wouldn’t be endorsing my opponents in this race – or any lukewarm Democrats or Republican candidate in 2024. So instead of lashing out any further, I’ll attempt to turn this into something positive: [{NAME}]( can you donate $19 to help me make sure Michigan’s 8th District makes history and elects the first Black woman to serve our district in Congress, instead of electing a MAGA clown who thinks it’s appropriate to make AI-generated MLK endorsement video ahead of Juneteenth?]( Thanks for your help, and I hope you’re enjoying celebrating Juneteenth, Dr. Pamela Pugh --------------------------------------------------------------- I’m Dr. Pamela Pugh, and I’m a Saginaw native running for Congress in Michigan's 8th District. I've spent my career fighting to improve the lives of Michigan residents through public health initiatives, and as the Chief Public Health Advisor for Flint I played a pivotal role in standing alongside Flint residents during the water crisis. As a public servant, I currently serve as the President of the Michigan State Board of Education, a statewide elected position. I believe in standing up for the people and fighting for our democracy, our children, and our future. I've lived in Michigan's 8th District for my entire life and it will be the honor of a lifetime to represent my community in the House of Representatives. I'm relying on grassroots contributions to fuel my campaign to victory — [so please chip in what you can right now!]( Our email list is an important tool for us to reach Democrats and activists in Michigan and around the country. If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, please use [this link to unsubscribe.]( Pugh for Michigan 4580 State Street Saginaw, MI 48603 United States Unit 138 Paid for by Pugh for Michigan | Eric Welsby, Treasurer