Update from the GAINiverse

Happy Friday all!

This is a test and getting out later than I wanted - this is our first GAIN Power newsletter coming from Substack rather than our Mailchimp, and I hope you like it. We’re not retiring Mailchimp altogether, but we’ve been on Substack for some time with Jobs That Are Left and RootsCamp, so we thought we’d try out our newsletter here - let us know what you think! We’re also slowly launching a few other newsletters here, so you can sign up for what you’re most interested in.

We are now a week into the celebration of our 250th anniversary as a country, and I know I’m not alone in saying it’s been a season of conflict. On the one hand, we love celebrating community and the best of what this country is and should be. On the other hand, we recognize that this anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is painful for many who know that the majority of those who signed were slave owners. Slavery wasn’t abolished till 89 years after that. It would be another 55 years after that till women got the right to vote. And despite that “progress”, we’re a long way from Independence and Freedom for so many who live here, so those conflicting feelings are still very real today, and that isn’t even touching the debacle which the President turned the holiday into.

Much is going on in our actual GAIN Power community — for everyone who works in democracy and elections.

I’ve largely avoided talking about [Graham] Platner, because I have strong feelings about him and how he was recruited. I have equally strong feelings about Janet Mills and how she was recruited. Both, I think, represent flaws in how our party operates — in distinct ways: one consultant-driven, the other institution/DC-driven. Neither really represents what states want or need. In this very limited window, my hope is that the voters of Maine — and more importantly, the activists of the party in Maine — end up with someone who genuinely represents the best of Maine. And I know there are some great options out there that all Mainers can be proud to vote for in November.

I really want to lift up Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something. Honestly, I almost always want to lift up everything she says — she represents a constituency, a voice, and a movement in this party that’s so needed. Her post today on consultants was especially spot-on, and it’s something I’ve been dwelling on from a different but parallel angle. I’ll share some of my own thinking on that next week - I have a lot of feelings on this topic.

A story that’s barely making news — I haven’t seen it in the top lines of the national papers — is that Trump fired all members of the FEC this week, in his attempt to take over and remake our national elections. While he’s making everyone worried about our electoral process and vote-by-mail, I’m just as worried that our elections could be tainted by their efforts to rig things in their favor. They don’t even hide it. All of us need to stay vigilant.

1. Career Fair — Another one is coming up in August. More details soon.

2. Powerful Idea Awards — We got a late start, but voting is now underway for our 2025 Powerful Idea Awards. We’ve decided to fold them into the 2026 Powerful Idea Awards, likely alongside Roots Camp — more on that soon. For now, voting is open, and it’s a great way to uplift the people who’ve been nominated. [Link to voting]

3. Website rebuild — We put out a survey yesterday, and I hope many of you will take a moment to respond. We’re rebuilding our entire website from the ground up — not a renovation, a full teardown and rebuild — and your feedback, ideas, critiques, and candor genuinely matter to us. We’re still a few weeks out from unveiling the new site, but we invite some of you in for an early, very much not-ready sneak peek.

Take Survey Today

That’s a lot — and there’s so much more happening, even beyond our own community.

A shout-out to soccer/football fans from all over the world, who’ve reminded so many of us what it feels like to be part of other countries and cultures. I think the way this president has demonized nearly every other nation makes it easy to forget we’re part of a global community.

I also want to acknowledge the horrific murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE amid their latest horrific crackdowns, and send our love and prayers and hope for peace and justice for Nolan Well’s family. I’m heartbroken over his death — and equally troubled that it hasn’t sparked the outrage and questioning it would have if the person missing or found dead had been a white.

It’s a conflicting time — a lot of sadness, but also a lot of joy. I suppose that’s just life.

None of the work happening in elections right now would be possible without all of you — through campaigns, independent groups, and consulting firms alike. Our community brings the democracy space together, and I’m deeply grateful for that, especially right now.

Thank you.

Amy Pritchard, ❌👑 & our GAIN Power Team!