Thread by @BigElad

What an event in Columbia last night!

We promised something different: This election cannot be about getting one person elected. It must be about building the community that can make our state work for us, not just for those with power.

I'm not just saying that. We're doing it.

Tammy Harty, who's running for Missouri Senate District 33, was ready to throw a party. She had the wonderfully talented Eddie Boster, Big Medicine, and Keith Fletcher crew ready to go. She had the location - @ShakesPizza.

So we said let's throw a party. A big one.

We invited all of the area's candidates to come out. We bought pizza. We set up the event. We invited folks to register voters and collect Medicaid expansion signatures. And then we put it out to the world.

The world was ready! We were over capacity and out the door of the room!

Here were our wonderful candidates so you can follow them all:
Dr. Jacque Sample, candidate for the 44th District, spoke about the need to fully fund the state’s education system;
facebook.com/Sample4MO/

.@AdrianPlank47 , candidate for the 47th, talked about his deep ties to the district and protecting Missouri families;
adrianplank47.com

Dr. @ChesneyForMO , candidate for the 50th, described education and health care as two of her major priorities;
karichesney.com

.@Yvonne4Us122nd, candidate for the 122nd, demanded citizen involvement – including from everyone in attendance – to make Missouri a more just home;
facebook.com/Yvonne4Us/

.@ForOglesby, candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, is fighting the overwhelming influence of big money and dark money in politics;
oglesbyforcongress.com

.@ericharvidson, candidate for the 4th District, who recently lost family members because of lack of access to affordable health care, discussed much needed reform in that area;
ericharvidson.com

@LynzforCongress, candidate for the 4th District, described her experience as a military spouse and the need for elected officials who are actually responsive to their constituents.
lindseysimmons.com

At the end of the event, folks were fired up. They were excited to be able to meet so many people working to serve them. This is what community should be.

Several folks came up to me after. One woman was invited by her daughter. Mom lives in Macon County.

She was so frustrated with politics. She told me she used to vote Republican. She doesn't feel like she belongs to that party anymore. She's not sure where she belongs. We talked for a while about that.

She hated how hidden everything seems to be in politics, how hard it is to tell the good from the bad. She said she had a set amount of money she could donate, and she really wanted to, but she didn't know how to figure out who to donate to, where her donation could do the most.

I agreed with her, and I told her about how we've been pushing for much more transparency in the process, that we actually put out where we spend our money every week. I talked to her about different candidates and @ItStartsTodayMO.

A while later, she came up to me again. She had one of my donation envelopes in her hand and she gave it to me, with a smile on her face and without a word.

Despite coming in not knowing where she belonged, she found a home with us. She found people she can trust. And goodness knows there's nothing I take more seriously than that.

We have an amazing opportunity in Missouri. We can fix so much of what's broken. We can believe in our state. We can believe in each other.

That's what keeps me going. And you can help do that too.

If you stand with our vision for a Missouri that works for all of us, that leaves no one behind, stand with us today. Donate to any of these wonderful candidates and sign up to volunteer.

You can do that with us. Donate and volunteer at EladGross.org.