Thread by @EmmyA2

You probably didn't know this from my tweets, but I am working to elect @SenGillibrand as our next president. I'd like to tell you why.

If I convince you she deserves a spot on the debate stage, please chip in $1 to make sure she can get there: secure.actblue.com/donate/teamkgc…

If you asked me to tell you in one tweet why @SenGillibrand is my #1 of many great candidates, it's this:

Nobody has fought harder for women, specifically and against all odds, than she has. For years. She will always, always have our back. And we desperately need someone to.

She single-handedly led the fight against sexual assault and harassment *years* before #MeToo caught fire. Anyone who calls her "opportunistic" should look into how many careers have advanced—much less survived—after championing survivors against powerful institutions. Good luck.

She introduced a national paid leave bill for the first time in 2013, before anyone was even really discussing paid leave at the national level. Before Hillary championed it as a presidential candidate, before Democrats took it up, before Republicans realized how popular it is.

She was the first candidate of the 2020 field to respond to the state abortion bans with a pledge to only appoint judges who'd uphold Roe. She was the first to release a policy agenda—not just a tweet—to protect reproductive rights. She takes the threat seriously. We need that.

A lot of Democrats have great or perfect voting records on reproductive health care. But the level of danger our rights and lives are in requires more than dependability—we need a fighter who's willing to stick her neck out. As the last few weeks have shown, that's Kirsten.

She doesn't see "women's issues"—like the costs of raising kids, balancing work and family, and education—as distinct from economic issues, because they're not. Her economic policy platform, the Family Bill of Rights, is about supporting families, kids, and yep, women. Imagine.

She was one of the first to support the #GreenNewDeal. An early champion for #MedicareForAll. She's a leader on transparency. She is visibly passionate about gun safety. She fights fiercely for immigrants. She creates policies to fight racism. She goes to bat for LGBTQ people.

Last thing: She is *cool as hell*. She hugs you when you meet her. She drinks scotch. She rocks out to Lizzo. She's fit af. She's FUN af. She overflows with empathy. She cries when she talks about kids getting hurt. She's probably the smartest, toughest person I've ever met.

If you ask me who the antidote to Trump is, to me, it's a badass, brilliant, compassionate woman who doesn't just respect women, but fights like hell for us. Someone with real moral character and integrity, who does the right thing even when it risks everything. Bravery.

It's May 2019, and we have no idea who'll win. You don't have to choose yet. You don't even have to care that we've had 45 male presidents. But Kirsten is qualified, she has a vision, and she deserves to share it from the debate stage. We need her voice. secure.actblue.com/donate/teamkgc…