Hello fellow Democrats,

I was elected to serve as Chair for the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party in May of 2026. Here’s my message for you as we head into the November 2026 midterms.

These are extraordinary times. Every day, it feels like there’s another attack on our communities, our democracy, our workers, and our future. This chaos is intentional. They want people overwhelmed. They want us to be cynical. They want us to believe that organizing doesn’t matter and that ordinary people can’t win. 

We must educate, agitate, and organize. 

• Educate people about the issues

• Agitate against injustice and complacency

• Organize collective action to win change

We are building a Democratic Party that is younger, louder, more organized, and unafraid to take on the fights ahead.

That means standing up for workers and unions. It means defending immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women, Black, brown, Indigenous, and marginalized communities under attack. It means tackling the climate crisis with urgency. And it means organizing block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, to win locally and build power that lasts.

Progress doesn’t happen because we wait for someone else to save us. It happens because people come together, organize together, and fight together.

The Santa Cruz County Democratic Party is focused on action: organizing our communities, supporting candidates who reflect our values, holding power accountable, and building a local movement that can deliver change.

But none of this happens alone.

Sign up for our newsletter, come to meetings, volunteer, knock doors, make calls, bring your ideas, and bring your energy. If you’ve been frustrated, angry, or looking for a place to channel that energy. We are looking for you. 

We are not giving up.
We are organizing.
And we are going to win.

In solidarity, 

Joe Thompson

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