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I’m pleased to share with you that Eric Holder, former attorney general of the United States and chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has endorsed my candidacy for Georgia State Senate District 40. Here’s what he said:

“I’m proud to support Sally Harrell for Georgia Senate District 40. She will be a champion for fair maps and will help ensure the citizens of Georgia are able to vote in fair elections for the next decade. If we are going to fix the Republican gerrymandering that has plagued our democracy, we need to ensure Democrats have a seat at the table when new maps are drawn in 2021. Sally will work on behalf of all Georgians to make sure their voice and their vote counts.”

–Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee
https://democraticredistricting.com/state/georgia/

If elected, I will work to undo years of voter suppression practices installed by Republicans like Fran Millar, not just related to gerrymandering: I will support voting on Sundays, extending voting hours, and make sure we provide enough resources to secure our voting systems.

These efforts are needed now, more than ever, as we have experts telling us our democracy in Georgia is at serious risk.

A federal lawsuit filed earlier this month against Georgia suggests that there are multiple issues with the electoral process in our state, from 16-year-old machines breaking down, to no paper trail, to people being directed to the wrong polling places, to potential voter fraud.

And who is in charge of making sure these issues are addressed — Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Governor. Kemp and his staff insist there is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, he put off changing the voting systems until 2020, well after the election he hopes to win.

These assaults on our democracy have to end. As we have seen, the Republican Party doesn’t care if Russia is hacking our state and national electoral systems. They don’t care if voters of color are denied their rights to vote. They aren’t concerned whether they actually represent you where you live – they only want to win and to stay in power.

It’s time we took back our democracy.

Georgia State Senate District 40 can be a force for fair elections in our state. We need your support. We need your investment in change, and it starts in the Georgia Senate. Give $100 and help me get to the table when redistricting begins.

Sally

For the last few months, I’ve been quietly praying that the US Supreme Court would rule partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional. But this week the court ducked the issue. And now it feels so much harder to make a positive difference. I’ve been sleepless at night pondering:

“How can we make our limited resources of time and money go further?” 

Answering this question requires strategy, sacrifice, and soul searching.

But doing even a small something is better than doing a whole lot of nothing.

One more progressive vote under the Gold Dome can stop a malicious bill from becoming a law. Electing a Democratic governor brings us a voice when district lines are next drawn for our state.

As individuals, we can’t quit our jobs and give all of our money away every time something tugs at our heartstrings. But one more donation to our campaign to take Senate 40 CAN keep the Georgia Senate Republicans from gaining the super-majority they need to push their far-right agenda. In just a few weeks, so many of you have donated that we have reached nearly 25% of our goal of having five-hundred people donate $100 each. Thank you!

During the next week, you’ll hear about why, as Georgia’s “most flippable State Senate district,” our campaign has the potential to send a powerful message across city, county, and state lines.

But most importantly, I’m hoping to convince you that what you are doing CAN and WILL make a difference.

I know you are ready to change the players and end this terrible game the far-right is playing with our country.

If you haven’t given yet, please consider donating $100 to help initiate that change now.  Give more or less as you are able, but please give.

And consider sharing this email with at least five friends you know can help.

As the saying goes, “the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.”

Make your contribution today, and let’s get one step closer to flipping Georgia State Senate 40.

Sally

There is a very generous donor who sends a contribution every time I send an email. I started to worry about whether that person could afford it — whether all that generosity is worth it.

But one of my volunteers said something that completely changed my perspective: “Sally, we are giving to your campaign because it’s ours. We are invested in this fight.”

When we see immigrant families ripped apart in Texas and feel ashamed about our country, we choose to invest in change.

When we have to look our children in the eye and tell them we don’t know if we can keep them safe at school, we choose to invest in change.

When we see racist policies preventing people of color from voting, and entire communities under constant threat of disproportionate prosecution from our justice system, we choose to invest in change.

Our campaign doesn’t have big interests like corporate PACs backing us. It’s going to be a tough fight to win against the thousands of dollars the GOP will spend to stay in power. But we have something just as powerful. We have you.

And the GOP machine underestimates how invested you are winning this fight. We have met 15% of our goal of having 500 donors contribute $100 each. Thank you for what you have done and let’s keep it up. Give more or less as you are able, but, one way or another, invest in the fight.

And if you can’t give financially, forward this email to a progressive friend who can. Or volunteer. But please, invest in change.

Sally

As the Democratic nominee for the most flippable State Senate district in Georgia, I know I’ve got a long climb ahead of me. And it’s a little scary. But the first thing they tell you in rock climbing applies to politics too – don’t look down, look up.

While I’m afraid of heights, I still enjoy rock climbing. Just look at this picture of me climbing an 80-foot cliff in the Ozarks! I’ve taken up rock climbing as a sport to push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s a bit like our race to the general election.

Since my last email a few days ago, we’re 5% closer to our end-of-the-month goal of having 500 people give $100 each. Thanks for all of you who have given! June 30th is a major Finance Report deadline and we have a winning plan. While Democratic Primary turnout doubled statewide since 2014, we tripled turnout in Senate 40 and Democratic ballots outnumbered Republican ballots for the first time, 59% to 41%.

This is our chance to be a voice for affordable healthcare, economic equality, debt-free college education that can be paid for with a minimum wage job, safe and affordable public schools in all communities, criminal justice reform, decriminalizing marijuana, and for a transportation plan that embraces sustainable, clean-energy initiatives.

Like the rock cliff in the Ozarks — I see a steep climb ahead. But, when we make it to the top, a more equitable future will be in sight.

I can’t do it alone. I need your help.

Please give outside your comfort zone.

Help us reach the top!

Will you donate $100 today?

Please click “Donate” at https://sallyharrell.org and make your $100 contribution today.

Sally

Are you ready to tell the Gold Dome that big change is coming?

I’m ready too.  I’ll tell you why.

Our community is diverse and thrives on embracing diversity. And yet, our legislators put forward legislation that threatens immigrants and makes it harder for minorities to vote.

Our community values the freedom to live our lives without discrimination. And yet, our State Senate voted to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ families who foster and adopt children in Georgia.

We cherish our children. And yet, our legislators have made it clear that they consider the murder of our children an acceptable sacrifice for their freedom to carry AR-15s — weapons of war — into schools, bars, churches, and businesses.

How has our leadership become so out-of-touch with humanity? Why do they ignore our voices when we say we want change?

Extreme partisan gerrymandering has pushed our democracy into dysfunction.

We need to take redistricting out of the hands of the legislature and into the hands of a non-partisan commission. We need to restore integrity to our elections by demanding a paper trail of our votes and making voting easier, not harder, for working people.

We must address our country’s wealth inequality by ensuring affordable housing and childcare, jobs that pay a living wage, and debt-free higher education that can be paid for with a minimum wage job.

Every single K – 12 school needs the resources to provide a safe, quality education no matter the neighborhood it serves.

We need to expand Medicaid to include more families, and create a public option buy-in that allows anyone to purchase government healthcare when the cost of their private policy jeopardizes their financial well-being.

We need to end the War on Drugs, decriminalize marijuana, and stop the gravy train for for-profit prisons by rolling back mass incarceration.

We need leaders who will call out systemic racism, and work to address inequalities.

We need leaders who will say that Black Lives Matter!

Mine is not the only candidacy seeking to repair the extraordinary damage that Sen. Fran Millar and other pro-Trump politicians are causing. Candidates all over the state have stepped up to win this fight.

Why? Because we refuse to let our leaders drag our laws back in time to the pre-civil rights era. We don’t all come from the same backgrounds or share the same challenges. We don’t all start life on the same playing field. If elected to represent you in the Georgia Senate, I promise you this:

I will work for you. I will ask hard questions to keep the promise of equality and progress that our people value. I will demand that your representatives treat you with respect, and address your fears.

Above all else, I will stand up and fight systemic oppression – including the lack of action in the face of the massacre of our schoolchildren. I will not stand for miscarriages of justice, where poor citizens are treated like the enemy. I will fight the denial of basic rights, like those of our citizens to vote. I will not accept the inattention and lack of compassion for the needs of women, children, and the elderly.

Together, we can achieve healthcare for all. We can raise the minimum wage. We can end the War on Drugs. We can provide affordable education. We can prevent school shootings.

We say “no more” to the far-right and to Fran Millar. We say it’s time for a change. We are ready to help Fran Millar box up his office at the Capitol.

We have some work ahead of us. If you can, make a donation and/or sign up to volunteer today to help us hit the ground running.

Sally

Our hard work has paid off. Results came in slowly last night, but by the early morning hours it became clear we had won — with 67% of the vote! And Democrat turnout shattered all expectations, pulling far ahead of Republicans in the district.

And we did it with a team of over 100 volunteers. Data analysts, communication specialists, fundraisers, canvassers, phone bankers, postcard writers, meet & greet hosts, and social media specialists, to name a few. And we had fun doing it!

Winning the primary is just the beginning. Now we will regroup and set our strategy to win in the most flippable State Senate district in Georgia.

Thank you to everyone who helped, including all who have donated money and/or time.

Sally

On May 23rd, Georgia’s 2018 primary will be over. And if you’re feeling like me (and you probably are), you’re ready to put this stage behind you.

Through the years, I’ve seen Democrats fight hard to avoid having primaries. For one, primaries cost money – money that could be used to fight far-right Republican agendas. We need to get ready for the upcoming BIG fight and you can help us start strong! Please make a donation today to help us refill the coffers: Click to Donate.

Secondly, primaries can get ugly, as I know we’re all painfully aware. While there’s no denying that in the short term, difficult primaries can be energy draining, in the long term, I believe that primaries can strengthen parties. Primaries make us think about what we value most. Primaries make us interact — and build something new together, even when we disagree. In the long term, I’d even say that primaries make us better public servants and a better community.

For the last three months, my husband Jay and I, along with dozens of volunteers, have been running a primary campaign. By the time it’s all over, we will have held 25 Meet & Greets and events in people’s homes throughout State Senate District 40. And I have personally spoken with hundreds of our most active community members. We’ve energized each other; we have learned from each other.

During this process, I learned that the values that I hold dear resonate even more now than they did when I entered the Georgia House for the first time in 1999.

There is a rising chorus of voices who believe now more than ever that there IS a positive role for a state government that puts people first; that state government protection IS critical for our those of our citizens who are threatened with racism, xenophobia, and homophobia.

We agree that laws don’t have to choose between self interest and selflessness. Our state laws should enable good opportunities for our community and DO good for our community.

I’ve learned that residents of State Senate District 40 really care about protecting public education, providing affordable healthcare to all, and coming together to deal with our traffic woes.

I’ve also added a few things to the list from our discussions: People in communities across Senate District 40 want to make sure affordable housing remains available. They want better schools and smaller prisons, and decriminalization of marijuana. They demand social justice for the incarcerated and improved public safety. They strongly believe in common sense gun reform. And they want our senior citizens and our citizens with disabilities to be cared for in a dignified, compassionate way.

They want to show the rest of the country and the world, who Georgians really are – kind, entrepreneurial, hard working, and welcoming.

No matter the outcome of the primary election, the benefits of these gatherings have made a lasting impact on me, and I hope the direction of our party.

Are you ready for May 22 and the important work we all have to do after?

I am. Let’s do this.

Sally

I’m Ready!

Monday, my campaign reached a milestone. I officially qualified to run for State Senate 40, Georgia’s most flippable Senate district! The primary will be May 22nd; the general, November 6th.

I’m ready for a very busy 2018!

I’ve missed being a part of public service in the legislature, and I’ve been preparing for this moment for a very long time. I’ve studied public policy, worked as a nonprofit executive, served three terms in the Georgia House, and lived and raised children in my local community.  For the past year, I’ve been building the grassroots infrastructure needed to launch a campaign to reinstate effective, compassionate, and inclusive governance in our state.

It felt a bit like a homecoming for me to return to the Georgia Capitol to once again run for office, but I also enjoyed seeing the process through the eyes of one of my campaign volunteers. Here’s what she had to say:

“I know that politics is a process of relationships, and I’ve been walking behind Sally for two to three hours. There are people on both sides of the aisle who are walking up to her with great affection and explaining how much they would like to see her back. She can step in and won’t need one minute of training. She’s ready. –Karen Langford, retired teacher

Yes, Karen, I’m ready!

Sally