Americans For Prosperity

To: Americans for Prosperity Staff and Activists
From: Emily Seidel, CEO, Americans for Prosperity; Senior Advisor, AFP Action
Re: An Opportunity to Make a Big Difference for the Future of the Country
Date: February 5, 2023
As we look ahead to the 2024 election cycle, I first wanted to thank you for your hard work and
dedication in helping AFP to become the largest, most data-driven and effective grassroots force in the
country.
At a time in our country when millions of Americans are struggling, we must always remember why
AFP is engaged in elections: to help elect candidates who will pass policies that empower people to
improve their lives.
AFP aspires to be the home for voters and policy makers, regardless of political party, who want to
change the trajectory of our country toward one guided by core American principles, principles like
freedom and empowerment and a strong constitutional system so that all people have the opportunity
to live their American Dream. Given all that’s at stake right now, we are redoubling our focus on this
vision and taking our strategy to do this to the next level.
Thanks to you, AFP and AFP Action engaged in a record-breaking 457 races last year, knocking on
more than 7 million highly targeted doors, delivering over 100 million pieces of mail, and reaching
millions more voters through phone and email.
What we’ve consistently heard from voters we talk to in these efforts is that they expect better from
Washington. They want new leadership. Better policies. And they want AFP to step up to help them
achieve it.
I could not be more proud that our team is there to elevate the voices of millions of Americans both in
the political campaign process and in the policy fights that are ahead of us in the new 118th Congress.
But while we’ve seen tremendous success in achieving big policy wins in the states, broken politics
today are producing a toxic situation in Washington, DC making it impossible to see the kind of
progress on public policy at the federal level that Americans need.
Here’s the hard truth as I see it:

• The Republican Party is nominating bad candidates who are advocating for things that go
against core American principles. And the American people are rejecting them.
• The Democratic Party increasingly sees this as a political opportunity. And they’re responding
with more and more extreme policies – policies that also go against our core American
principles.
This means the country is in a downward spiral, with both parties reinforcing the bad behavior of the
other.
And to make matters worse, very few voters participate in primaries – and that’s where these
candidates are chosen. This makes it impossible to get good things done in Washington. And things
are likely to get worse before they get better.
When you understand the landscape this way, it’s clear: Our country must move past the current
political situation – we’ve got to turn the page on the past several years.
We believe we have the opportunity to make a major difference for the future of our country.
Lots of people are frustrated. But very few people are in a position to do something about it. AFP is.
Now is the time to rise to the occasion.
So, here’s what we learned from 2022 and what we plan to do about it.
First – If we want to elect better people, we need better candidates. And if we want better
candidates, we’ve got to get involved in elections earlier and in more primaries.
Last year, AFP and AFP Action engaged in 22 primaries at the federal level and nearly 200 more in
the states. This was more than in any previous year. We won more than 80% of those races – and
when we engaged in the primary, our candidate was much more likely to win the general, than when
we didn’t.
This was a test for whether our grassroots and data capabilities can make a significant difference in
primaries. We learned that they can. So, in 2024, AFP and AFP Action will get engaged in more
primaries at every level of office.
The second lesson from 2022 is that the loudest voice in each political party sets the tone for the
entire election. In a presidential year, that’s the presidential candidate.
And to write a new chapter for our country, we need to turn the page on the past. So the best thing
for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter. The
American people have shown that they’re ready to move on, and so AFP will help them do that.
It looks like the Democrats have already chosen their path for the presidential – so there’s no
opportunity to have a positive impact there.
But AFP Action is prepared to support a candidate in the Republican presidential primary who
can lead our country forward, and who can win.
When we look back at the investments we’ve made over the last 20 years, this is a moment we’ve been
building towards. The states with some of our strongest and most effective state chapters are the same
ones that will play a crucial role in nominating the next Republican presidential candidate.
In fact, key presidential states, key Senate states, and states with strong AFP chapters line up nearly
one-to-one. No one is better positioned to engage and mobilize people across those states than we are.
And because our teams are already in those states right now, working to improve public policy, talking
to voters – we can get an early jump on this.
And finally, as long as only a narrow group of voters vote in the primaries, we can’t expect to see
the change the country needs.
So, turning out new voters in these early primary states will be critical. This is where our data
capability gives us an edge. We can target and bring new voters into the primaries – where even a
small change in the number of voters can make a big difference. Bringing more voters’ voices to bear
in these primaries will yield better candidates who can win and then pass better policy after they
do. This is what grassroots is all about and I know you’re up to the task!
Americans for Prosperity is the only organization that brings together:
• An unmatched and permanent grassroots army: millions of activists in all 50

states with bricks and mortar chapters in 36– and growing!
• The voices of thousands of veterans and military families who are trusted
advocates for core American principles through Concerned Veterans for America
• A data capability at i360 to help those grassroots activists reach the voters who
can make a difference and win!
• And the country’s leading Hispanic Outreach organization: LIBRE is in Hispanic
communities every single day, talking to the most significant group of new voters …
every single day!
These capabilities are extremely well-suited for the unique challenge of the moment.
I have no doubt that this will be a challenging task. I know that our critics will seek to mischaracterize
our efforts because they know they cannot compete with a capability that has been built and nurtured
for 20 years – a capability that is of the people and by the people in local communities all across
our country. But we will not let that distract us from our goal.
We are in this because we believe in a country where all people have the opportunity to live lives of
meaning and contribution.
With thousands of committed supporters across the country, AFP and AFPA are prepared to invest the
necessary resources to empower millions of citizen activists and voters to turn the page on the current
political era and help the American people to write a new chapter for our country.
As always, I am proud to stand with you as we take this critical action together to fix our broken
politics and drive the policy solutions necessary to put our country on the path to prosperity.
Let’s get this done.
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To: Americans for Prosperity Staff and Activists

Here’s the hard truth as I see it:

Americans for Prosperity is the only organization that brings together:

• An unmatched and permanent grassroots army: millions of activists in all 50

Let’s get this done.

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