Can We Do This? YES.

This is the longest held Republican district in the country. (Yes, the country). It has been red since 1867, when each party stood for very different things than they do now.

But this East Tennessee stronghold is winnable.

How?

If Republicans turn out like they usually do in midterms, but Democratic voters turn out like they usually do during a presidential election, we get pretty darn close to flipping TN-02.

Add in:

- People who usually vote red who are mad as hell at Tim

- Newly energized young voters

- Independents who want someone who will stand up to Trump's terrible economic policies

- Disenchanted East Tennesseans who used to think that their votes didn't matter

- Working class families struggling to live with rising costs of everyday essentials

- Constituents who want a rep who will actually show up to town halls and listen to them

- Voters alarmed by Republican's extreme immigration policies

And we've got a real shot at this.

What happens if we do all this work and we don't win?

I know that it is scary to cultivate tender hope, work like hell, and be disappointed again.

But this campaign won't measure success by one night in November.

Yes, we're going to work like the stakes couldn't be higher to flip this district - because they couldn't be.

But we're also going to run a campaign over the next 13 months focused on serving Tennesseans in our district.

We're going to make this campaign a vehicle for change that outlasts a single election. We're going to build coalitions, mobilize volunteers, and remind the people of East Tennessee that they have power.

We're going to create a movement for positive change in East Tennessee and beyond that stretches far beyond next November.

Let's do this - because we are the cavalry.