<![CDATA[WelcomeStack: The Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/s/the-promise-to-americahttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zulT!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61e0f679-4bf3-4da9-95a9-dcf8c136ba92_490x490.pngWelcomeStack: The Promise to Americahttps://www.welcomestack.org/s/the-promise-to-americaSubstackSun, 25 Oct 2026 09:05:43 GMT<![CDATA[Sen. Thomas Chittenden on the Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/sen-thomas-chittenden-on-the-promisehttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/sen-thomas-chittenden-on-the-promiseThu, 22 Oct 2026 23:13:44 GMTVermont is the most liberal state in the Union.

The last time it voted for a Republican for federal office was 26 years ago, it’s represented by Bernie Sanders in the Senate, and it voted for Kamala Harris by 32 points. And yet, it has a Republican Governor, who is also concurrently the most popular Governor, and probably Republican, in America. Phil Scott is an electoral giant precisely because of his moderation and good governance.

Some Vermont Democrats have learned this lesson as well, and none better than State Senator Thomas Chittenden, who represents the Chittenden- Southeast district in the Vermont Senate.1

Sen. Chittenden doesn’t care much for the party line - he consistently does what he feels is in his district and state’s best interest. In a heavily regulated state that isn’t known for being welcoming to economic development, he’s championed cutting through redundant regulations and zoning laws to move Vermont forward. Even in a Democratic supermajority with a Republican governor, he was known for not overruling his popular governor’s veto. And evident from his family’s history, few understand the state better than he does.

In other news…

  • Join us November 10th in Washington, DC for our Promise to America celebration.

  • Listen to Promise to America Signer Rep. Tom Suozzi use the Promise in his debate to defend against Republican accusations he’s a socialist. One of many examples of candidates using the Promise to win the trust of voters.

  • No Going Back PAC, Trump’s Super PAC for this cycle, is pulling its ads from Promise Signer Jamie Ager’s North Carolina district in a sign of confidence for Jamie. This is the only district this cycle that has gone from Safe Republican → Toss-up → Republican Triage, and it’s exactly because of Jamie’s values.

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1

For those of you who noticed, no, it is not a coincidence the Senator shares a last name with the district he represents. Senator Chittenden is the descendant of the brother of Governor Thomas Chittenden, the first Governor of the Vermont Republic and the first governor of the Green Mountain State when it was admitted to the Union.

]]><![CDATA[Ethan Wolf on the Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/ethan-wolf-on-the-promise-to-americahttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/ethan-wolf-on-the-promise-to-americaThu, 15 Oct 2026 18:06:09 GMTEthan Wolf is the Founder of Democratic Wins Media, former Communications Director for our very own Promise to America signer Rep. Tom Suozzi, and a political Appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration. He’s worked for common-sense Democrats across the country, and that’s exactly why the Promise to America is so important to him.

Get involved! Join Ethan at the Promise to America celebration on November 10th, from 5-7 pm at the National Union Building. You can RSVP here.

In other news, eight new signers announced on Wednesday that they have signed the Promise to America:

  • Taylor Rehmet, State Senator, Fort Worth, Texas

  • Thomas Chittenden, State Senator, South Burlington, Vermont

  • Naquetta Ricks, State Representative, Aurora, Colorado

  • Alex Burton, State Representative, Evansville, Indiana

  • Anne Graham, State Representative, North Yarmouth, Maine

  • Paul Berch, State Representative, Westmoreland, New Hampshire

  • Nelson Esparza President, Fresno City Council, Candidate for California Board of Equalization

  • Aidee Hernandez, Candidate for Nueces County Judge, Nueces County, Texas

Check them out! These are the leaders the Democratic Party and the country need to win and govern responsibly.

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]]><![CDATA[State Rep. Naquetta Ricks on the Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/state-rep-naquetta-ricks-on-the-promisehttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/state-rep-naquetta-ricks-on-the-promiseSun, 11 Oct 2026 00:54:21 GMTColorado State Rep. Naquetta Ricks is a living embodiment of the Promise to America Values. Born in Liberia, she moved to Colorado and graduated from Aurora High School. Ricks later became a United States citizen through the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which was the last time we had bipartisan immigration legislation signed by the President!

Today, Rep. Ricks is a successful small business owner, founder and CEO of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado, and chairs the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Listen to her and Promise to America founder Felix Frisch discuss why she signed the Promise and how she works to reflect its values in her work.

In pre-election news, check out this insane graph...

While the generic ballot has moved from an R+ 2-3 point advantage in 2024 to a D+ 8-9 advantage in polling today, these effects haven’t been felt equally in every district. Yes, the President is deeply unpopular, with an approval rating in the low to mid 30s. But at the same time, the Democratic Party is also historically unpopular. So as always in our modern era of politics, the voters who will decide the midterms are distrustful of both Trump and the Democratic Party. Candidates must embrace mainstream values to win over these voters and secure victory in the midterms. And the Promise to America is exactly that - a set of six principles popular with Democrats and Republicans alike that can differentiate Democratic candidates who want to be seen as mainstream. Promise candidates are pushing beyond the national environment to put Republican districts in play.

More proof beyond the polling?

There are only two Districts rated by the Cook Political Report that started in their “Safe Republican” category but have been moved to “Tossup”. Jamie Ager in NC-11 and Bobby Pulido in TX-15 are those two candidates, and both proudly signed the Promise to America.

In other news...

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]]><![CDATA[State Rep. Paul Berch on The Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/state-rep-paul-berch-on-the-promisehttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/state-rep-paul-berch-on-the-promiseThu, 24 Sep 2026 20:05:47 GMTThe New Hampshire State House of Representatives is the world’s third-largest legislative body in the English-speaking world. Each Representative’s district contains about 3,500 people - if this same ratio were applied to the United States Congress, it would result in ~100,000 Members of Congress!

Our guest this week, State Rep. Paul Berch, knows the pros and cons of this unique setup better than most, drawing on his six terms in the State House and his role as Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Berch is a former public defender and co-chair of the Vermont ACLU Legal Panel.

Listen to my conversation with him for takes on:

  • Why New Hampshire, a state won by Kamala Harris, is facing a competitive Senate election in a (hopefully) blue midterm.

  • What he brings to the legislature as a former Public Defender.

  • Why the Promise to America is important to his community.

  • What he looks for in a 2028 Presidential Democratic Nominee as a voter in an early primary state.

In other news...

Have a friend who wants more content like this? Have them sign the Promise here to receive more updates.

]]><![CDATA[Congressman Tom Suozzi on signing the Promise to America]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/congressman-tom-suozzi-on-signinghttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/congressman-tom-suozzi-on-signingThu, 17 Sep 2026 20:26:52 GMTSign the Promise here to receive more updates.

Happy Constitution Day! 239 years ago, delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution of the United States in Philadelphia.

We’re not going to pretend to top that, but please join the Promise to America’s November 10th post-election celebration, taking place at the National Union Building in DC from 5-7 pm. RSVP here!

This week, we are thrilled to be joined by Congressman Tom Suozzi, founding signer of the Promise to America. Alongside co-signer Congressman Adam Gray, he is one of only two Democrats to flip a district also won by Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle. We discuss his efforts to work across the aisle in Congress and tackle affordability, and why he’s recently been endorsed by mayors in his district from across the political spectrum.

In other news…

  • Check out this feature in The New York Times, with Rep. Don Davis!

  • In honor of the signing of the Constitution, check out Tom Suozzi and Adam Gray signing the Promise to America at WelcomeFest in June, and hear them reflect on signing the Promise on the NewDEAL Podcast from last week.

  • ICYMI, Massachusetts State Sen. John Velis joined us last week to discuss being the only Democrat in Massachusetts who’s flipped seats in both chambers of the Massachusetts Legislature.

  • Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved two signer districts toward Democrats!

    • CO-05 (Jessica Killin): Likely Republican → Leans Republican.

    • NY-21 (Blake Gendebien): Safe Republican → Likely Republican.

Who do you want to see on our SubstackLives in the coming weeks? Have a friend who wants more content like this? Have them sign the Promise here to receive more updates.

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]]><![CDATA[Promise to America with Sen. John Velis]]>https://www.welcomestack.org/p/promise-to-america-with-sen-johnhttps://www.welcomestack.org/p/promise-to-america-with-sen-johnFri, 11 Sep 2026 18:46:58 GMTA Great Week For Promise To America

There’s only one member of the Massachusetts legislature who has flipped both a State House and State Senate district from red to blue. He’s the first Democrat to represent his hometown in the state legislature since the 1970s, and the first Democrat to represent his state Senate district in a quarter-century. It's hard to believe there are still red places to turn Democratic in a state like Massachusetts, but Sen. John Velis is living and breathing proof.

Senator Velis is a major in the Massachusetts Army National Guard and chairs the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery and the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. After being deployed to the southern border during his service, he made a video sharing his experience and critiquing the DSA’s open-border policy. And like clockwork, the local DSA chapter attacked him for “doing Trump’s bidding” at the border and “ignoring his constituents.”

Sen. Velis reached out to us looking for a community of like-minded Democrats. And he found one. We couldn’t be prouder to have him as a signer of the Promise to America. Listen in to my conversation with him for some fantastic moments like:

  • Not politicizing military service

  • Making “compromise cool again”

  • Recognizing that good ideas can come from across the political spectrum.

Who else should we host for our next Substack live?

In other news…

  • Congressmen Adam Gray and Tom Suozzi, our first two signers, joined the NewDeal Leaders podcast to discuss the Promise.

  • Promise to America signer Rep. Maggie Goodlander overwhelmingly won her primary on Tuesday by a 64-point margin. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out her post that could make anyone love New Hampshire.

  • For the first time in the district’s history, Republicans are spending big in Colorado’s fifth district against Promise to America signer Jessica Killin. She’s the real deal!

  • ICYMI, we announced seven new Congressional candidate signers last week:

    • Leela Gray, candidate for FL-13, DCCC Red to Blue

    • Dwayne Romero, candidate for CO-03, DCCC district in play

    • Blake Gendebien, candidate for NY-21, DCCC district in play

    • Katy Tyndell, candidate for KS-04

    • Shaun Finnie, candidate for TX-02

    • Caitlin Rourk, candidate for TX-10

    • Dan Barrios, candidate for TX-32

  • Check out this fantastic local news piece on Blake Gendebien here. He’s great!

Have a friend who wants more content like this? Have them sign the Promise here to receive more updates.

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