America, Unfinished

A Fourth of July reflection on the country we love and the work ahead

Friends,

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, and I hope you get a chance to relax and spend some time with the people you love.

It has been a chaotic, stressful, and heavy time in this country. So I hope you are somewhere where you can breathe and enjoy yourself for a few moments.

If you’re in Michigan (the best place in the world to spend the Fourth), maybe you’re enjoying a coney dog and a pop and watching the Tigers game. Or maybe you’re hiking the U.P., or floating down the Huron with a cooler tied to a tube. Maybe you’re headed to the Cherry Festival in Traverse City, or you’re planning to watch fireworks light up the lake tomorrow night.

Whatever your day looks like, my wish for you is that you are really there for it, friend. Because those are the sort of Michigan moments I hold close – they’re the moments that remind me why I’m in this race, and why I love this state and this country so much.

And I do love it. More than I know how to say.

Tomorrow, America turns 250 years old.

There’s a version of patriotism that says America has always been perfect, the work is finished, and we should stop asking hard questions. I don’t believe in that version.

I believe in the America that keeps trying to live up to its own promise. The promise that every one of us is equal. That every one of us deserves a real shot. That the people in charge answer to you, the voters, not the other way around.

That promise has been true for some Americans a lot longer than it has been for others. And every bit of progress we have made has been won because somebody somewhere refused to accept things as they were.

Nobody handed us the vote. Nobody handed working people the 40-hour work week. Nobody handed us Social Security, civil rights, or the protections that let working families build a decent life.

People organized. They marched. They voted. They fought. They kept showing up. They had grit. Doggedness. They were relentless.

That is the part of America I believe in most. And that’s what I see in the eyes of my fellow Americans when I travel through this great state. I see fight. There is so much good work ahead, and our country needs people who are ready.

We have to fight for the family sitting at the kitchen table, working longer hours than their parents did and still wondering why they are falling further behind.

We have to fight for the woman who cannot get the health care she needs.

We have to fight for the student graduating into an economy that ought to offer a real path to a good job and a decent life, not a lifetime of debt and uncertainty.

I know that sounds like a lot, and it is. But America’s 250th is a celebration, and to me, it’s a reminder that the work is not finished.

Here is the thing I know about Michigan: We’re people who know how to fix things.

When the auto industry was on its knees, Michigan didn’t fold. We fought to bring it back. I was proud to serve on President Obama’s auto rescue and help save 200,000 Michigan jobs. That is not just some stat to me – it means Michigan families got to stay in their homes, workers got to keep doing what they do best, and communities had a reason to believe in their future.

That is what Michigan does when things get hard. We get stubborn. We get to work.

And that is exactly what we have to do now. That’s why I’m working so hard to keep Michigan blue and flip the Senate. Because I believe in America, and especially in Michigan.

This election will still come down to the people of Michigan – what we believe in, what we are willing to fight for, and whether we are going to let Trump and his MAGA allies define the American story or if we’re going to put a real check on their chaos agenda.

Keeping Michigan blue means protecting reproductive freedom. It means making gas, groceries, child care, and doctor’s visits affordable. It means having a senator who fights for working people instead of doing favors for MAGA billionaires.

That is the work in front of us.

So tomorrow, somewhere between the parade and the fireworks, I will be thinking about how lucky I am to be in this fight with all of you. I will be thinking about the people who came before us and made progress possible. And I will be thinking about the responsibility we have to leave this country fairer, freer, and stronger for whoever comes next.

That’s our work. Good thing Michigan has never been afraid of hard work. Let’s keep going.

Happy Fourth of July, friends.

More soon.

With grit and gratitude,
Haley

A personal note from Haley 👋

I’m a lifelong Michigander and the daughter of small-business owners. I’ve spent my career fighting for Michigan’s working families – and now I’m running for the U.S. Senate to keep standing up for the people I love.

But here’s the truth: Senate control could come down to Michigan. And Trump and his megadonors know it. That’s why they’re gearing up to spend tens of millions to defeat me and hand this seat to a MAGA Republican.

I need your help to fight back. This race will be one of the most competitive – and expensive – in the country, and I’m counting on grassroots support to win. 

If you’re with me, will you chip in today?