After a grueling 15 months of campaigning, Team Benac came up short for the Democratic nomination for the 6th Congressional District. I support our nominee, Dr. Matt Longjohn, and I hope my supporters will as well. Our primary was a win for voters because we forced discussion on the issues that mattered.

We asked voters across the district about their concerns. They most frequently mentioned health care, education, infrastructure, corruption, and the environment.

I responded with real solutions, such as Medicare for All, sustainable and diverse agriculture, tuition-free public education, and an investment in infrastructure to guarantee clean water, create jobs, and achieve a renewable energy economy. In forum after forum, my concrete policies forced the discussion and now there are thousands of people in the district inspired by progressive ideas.

I use Sen. Sanders’ words as my title, because I picked up where he left off. I campaigned on a people-first agenda, recruited more than 400 volunteers, and asked them to help me knock on tens of thousands of doors, attend events every day, and show up across the entire district.

These volunteers came from all demographics and many had never before joined a campaign. This movement spread the message and won more than 10,000 votes. Many of these were first time voters and some were first-time Democratic voters. This is crucial.

The movement endures. Candidates who boldly campaign directly to the people and speak to their needs with real solutions will harness the momentum.

David Benac

Kalamazoo