On Wednesday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus voted to endorse Erica Smith. She's running in an open seat and her opponent is a virulently anti-Choice DINO. The primary is May 17 and Erica can use some help with her GOTV ground game between now and then. Please read her guest post below and consider contributing to her campaign here.
Ro Khanna told me last night that "On Wednesday my colleagues at the CPC and I voted to endorse Erica Smith for an open congressional seat in North Carolina. Congress needs more full-fledged, lived-experience progressives like her, people who won't have to be cajoled into or begged to do the right thing across the whole range of progressive issues. Coming into Congress as an effective leader in the North Carolina state Senate means she won't have a learning curve before she's down in the ring fighting for the people who need champions in Washington most, rather than lobbyists and CEOs."
Our Lives And Our Freedom Depend On Us Rising Up And Meeting This Moment With BOLD Action
-by Erica Smith
I’m-- a pro-choice pastor, educator, and former state senator running to protect a wide-open, swing seat in NC-01. And I’m facing the most anti-choice Democrat in North Carolina in a primary election on May 17th.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade now appears imminent, and the stakes in this race just got higher. Abortion is healthcare and healthcare is a human right. It’s never been more urgent to elect pro-choice Democrats to Congress who will legislate boldly to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, abolish the filibuster, and expand the Supreme Court.
In the North Carolina state Senate, I worked closely with Governor Cooper to protect reproductive rights. Leading the floor fights to sustain vetoes over dangerous legislation that sought to put the government in control of intimate healthcare decisions. On the other hand, my opponent voted with Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood, criminalize doctors providing abortion services, and restrict access to reproductive healthcare.
This fight is deeply personal for me.
I had my youngest son, Elias, at 22 weeks. He was very premature as a result of preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
At 16 weeks, my doctors told me that if I continued my pregnancy I would be risking my own death. This meant I faced an incredibly difficult decision. Before Elias’ delivery, I had to decide on priority of life. "If it comes down to it," my care team asked, "Do you want us to save you or your unborn child?"
Despite my infinite love for my children and family, I made the decision for doctors to save my baby if they could not save us both. I had to look my children in the eyes, and tell them that when I went to the hospital, there would be a chance that I wouldn’t be coming home.
That was a heartbreaking and impossible choice. One that only I could make.
That wasn’t a choice that could be made by a state legislator, by a president, or by a Supreme Court.
That was MY CHOICE.
Intimate healthcare decisions should be made between a patient, their doctor, and their God.
But this illegitimate court is now threatening our fundamental freedoms and rights.
Our lives and our freedom depend on us rising up and meeting this moment with BOLD action.
We will not attain freedom using the same tools that are being used to-- and were constructed to-- oppress us.
This court will not save us. These gerrymandered state legislators will not save us. A U.S. Senate that is being held hostage by an archaic Jim Crow rule will not save us.
We are going to have to save ourselves. We are going to have to rise up just like we’re doing today over and over again until they cannot deny our demands.
• Until we end the filibuster, codify Roe V. Wade, and put an end to gerrymandering.
• Until we expand the Supreme Court, and it’s not packing the court, it’s unstacking it.
• And until we get these bans off our bodies.
We are the cavalry.
Dark money is pouring into this race to stop our movement. To double the number of anti-choice Dems in Congress.
I believe that our dreams are more powerful than their dark money.
I believe that our freedom is worth fighting for.
That our future is worth fighting for.
If you do too, join me, and let’s win this race.
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