It hurts. It hurts so bad.

We know you’re in shock. So are we. We know you’re exhausted and sad. So are we. It feels like 2016 all over again. Only worse. The country was fully warned this time and was offered a smart, joyful, country-saving alternative. Thank you, Kamala Harris.

But now you’re terrified — terrified that half of this country supports a climate-denying tyrant for President — again. Take whatever time you need to process that fear and sadness and pain. Take a long walk in the woods. Spend more time with your loved ones. Eat your favorite meal.

Then, as you get back up, let this message sink in: Half of America did not vote for Trump. Half of America is still progressive. And during Trump’s first term, as a reaction to his extreme policies, many states and counties and cities fought back BIG TIME. They elected more progressive candidates to more offices. They passed more progressive legislation affecting the environment, the criminal justice system, and women’s reproductive rights.

Simply put, we grew as a progressive movement despite Trump. In my region, on climate issues, we banned fracking in Maryland in 2017. And we stopped the Atlantic Coast Pipeline for fracked gas in Virginia in 2020. We passed extraordinary state laws, too, advancing offshore wind power and solar energy. We went forward as a region, not backward – and we were inspired by other states and local governments nationwide doing the same. Now we’ll do it again.

One way I know this will happen is how hard so many of you across the country worked on CCAN Action Fund electoral campaigns the past three months. We had 600-plus people RSVP for our phone banks and door knocking and street canvassing, especially to help in Pennsylvania. The unhappy election outcome yesterday does not in any way reflect on the quality and grit of your relentless volunteer efforts. You have inspired all of us here at CCAN Action Fund and we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you! Even if the outcome was not what we hoped for, the journey with you was amazingly gratifying and deeply meaningful.

The future, of course, will not be easy. Donald Trump will do horrible things at the national and international levels over the next four years. And we will all suffer. His tariffs will make inflation worse. His deportation scheme will be an international human rights tragedy. His backtracking on climate will slow the world’s inevitable transition of clean energy.

But again, just like during the first Trump term, we will grow stronger at the “sub-federal” level. On climate change, CCAN Action Fund and our allies will be pushing full clean-energy agendas in state general assemblies across the country. And we will be swarming county council offices and city halls to fight polluting data centers, irresponsible electric utilities, and gas companies.

So go ahead, take some time. Take all the time you need. Process the pain and shock. And then let gratitude back into your life. Personally, on this day, I’ve never been more grateful that I live in the progressive region of metro Washington, DC. And I’m grateful there are progressives like you across the country who are not going back.

We have a secret weapon: Each other. And we have a vision of a better world that no tyrant will ever take from us.

Volunteer today to fight climate change where you live.

On we go, 

Mike Tidwell
Executive Director, CCAN Action Fund