Topline messages—when you just have a few seconds

Option 1:

Fighting for You

We want someone in the White House who cares about us. Every single day, when Kamala Harris wakes up, she’s thinking about you, what she can do to help Americans, move this country forward, and protect our freedoms. Donald Trump is running to stay out of jail, give himself and his rich friends another giant tax cut, and exact vengeance on his enemies. If he’s elected, there will be nobody in the White House fighting for you, your family, or our future.

Option 2:

It’s About the Future

This election is not a choice between two individuals, it’s a choice between worldviews, between futures. Do we want to continue down the path to multiethnic democracy and move this country forward, or do we want to impose a white patriarchal Christian autocracy where our rights and freedoms are under attack and we go backward?

Abortion

“I’m not sure about abortion.”

Becoming a parent is a lifetime commitment of health, emotion, time, and finances. The commitment impacts women and their relationships and families physically, emotionally and financially. Who has the right to make that decision? The person most directly impacted, or a politician? Republicans believe they should make the decision for all women. Democrats believe it is a woman’s right to make decisions about her health.

[INSERT CONTRAST MESSAGE, IF USING.]

Together we can stop Republicans and protect our right to personal autonomy. We can vote for leaders like Kamala Harris and Democrats who will guarantee women their right to make their own decisions about their body for the good of their health and their families’ well-being.

Optional Contrast message:

Kamala  Harris and Democrats are standing up for women's freedom to control their own decisions about their bodies and whether or when to have children, despite the MAGA Supreme Court majority’s decision on the Dobbs case that takes that freedom away. For example, the Biden/Harris administration signed executive orders to protect the privacy of women seeking abortions, made birth control pills available over the counter, and advocated for protections for contraception and IVF. Harris will sign federal abortion protections if Democrats win congress and pass a bill to do so.

On the other hand, convicted felon Donald Trump appointed three MAGA Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and took away women’s freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. Behind closed doors, he promised to sign a national abortion ban. In a second term, he’d take us back even further by making abortion medications illegal, tracking women’s pregnancies, and allowing extreme bans in many states that make abortion illegal, even if it would save a woman’s life, health and ability to have children in the future.

 Climate

  • “We deserve to live in a country where your children and all kids can breathe fresh air when they play outside.”

  • “We deserve to live in a country where you and your family can drink clean water.”

  • “I don’t think we are doing enough about climate control.”

  • “I’m worried about all these storms.”

  • “I’m worried about the future of the Earth.”

  • “There is a lot of air pollution in my neighborhood.”

  • “I’m not sure my water is safe to drink.”

We deserve to live in a country where we have clean air and water. The MAGA politicians think about money and power; the polluting companies think about profits. Politicians block legislation to control pollution, and polluters ignore clean energy efforts.

[INSERT CONTRAST MESSAGE, IF USING.]

Together, we can vote for CANDIDATE / leaders who demand that companies clean up their damage and conduct their business in ways that protect our health, our property, the future of the earth, and build green jobs for the future.

Optional Contrast Message:

On Day 1, Joe Biden signed America back into the Paris Climate Agreement, and then, the Biden/Harris administration passed the most significant climate legislation ever that lowers energy costs, increases cleaner production, and reduces carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. In fact, they’ve made renewable energy the #2 source of electricity! The Biden/Harris administration also signed several executive actions safeguarding clean water, conserving wildlands, and bolstering renewable energy. Harris and Democrats think about us, our health, and the future of the Earth for the next generations. 

On the other hand, convicted felon Donald Trump sat with oil billionaires and told them he’d roll back every single climate action or legislation the Biden/Harris administration put in place.

Crime/Gun Regulations

We all want our families to be safe.

“The streets aren’t safe.”

We want to feel that our kids are safe to walk to school or to a friend’s house. We want to be confident that they will come home. Unfortunately, some MAGA politicians care more about the NRA than our children. Communities need well-trained, fully staffed police force and justice system, after-school and summer programs for young people, or jobs training. But, MAGA politicians withhold funding for law enforcement that can make our streets safer.

[INSERT CONTRAST MESSAGE, IF USING.]

Together, we can vote for CANDIDATE who will support reasonable gun laws and who will fund training for the local police, the justice system, youth programs, and job training.

Optional Contrast Message:

In 2022, the Biden/Harris administration became the first one in over two decades to sign a new gun safety bill. The bipartisan bill expanded the background check process to more gun sellers and is contributing to a 20% reduction in urban gun murders.  And they banned chokeholds and no-knock entries by federal law enforcement, and restricted the transfer of military equipment to police departments. They’ve also taken over 20 executive actions to combat gun violence, including helping to close the gun show loophole.

On the other hand, a Trump presidency would take us backward. More guns in the hands of the wrong people, fewer background checks. More shootings and more deaths. Trump can reopen the gun show loophole on day one with the stroke of a pen. Trump’s Supreme Court nominees already struck down the ban on bump stocks.

Economic Well-being

Americans deserve more than a decent living; they deserve a decent life.

Tip: Try to always talk about “economic well-being” rather than “the economy.”

“The economy is terrible.”

Life is tough right now, and it’s frustrating to pay the high prices at the grocery store. We believe that people who work hard have a right to earn a living wage so they can afford to buy food, save a little, and even receive benefits and health care. Unfortunately, right now corporations and some MAGA politicians conspire to keep our wages low, but their prices high. The rich get richer while workers can’t afford the basics. It’s not the workers’ fault! Together, we can vote for Democrats who will fight for our right to earn a livable minimum wage, work to ban price-gouging for groceries, push for a $25,000 subsidy for eligible first-time home owners, and make billionaires and wealthy corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. We need to choose the party that cares about us and our struggle with high prices. We need to think about which party has a history of not just empty promises, but a history of action to lower prices.

“Living expenses are too high since Biden’s been in office” (with contrast)

Most of us believe people who work for a living ought to earn a living, and prices ARE high since the pandemic. What we have happening now is called greedflation. It’s when greedy corporations are exploiting us by keeping prices high, while getting rich off what we create.

[INSERT CONTRAST MESSAGE, IF USING.]

By coming together to elect Kamala Harris and make sure she has a Democratic congress, we put Democrats in a position to keep making progress and ensure corporations lower prices so that everybody can afford to provide for their families.  

Optional Contrast Message:

Using their experience and skill, the Biden/Harris administration passed bills making health care and prescription drugs more affordable, expanded overtime pay for working people, saved the pensions of over 1 million working people, and created good jobs, but there’s much more work to do. 

On the other hand, convicted felon Donald Trump would take us backward by repealing the Affordable Care Act, allowing Big Pharma to charge as much as they can for lifesaving drugs, and giving a $3 trillion tax cut to the wealthy and corporations that he will pay for in part by cutting Social Security and Medicare. And he would also have us all pay more for every single thing we buy that has any foreign-made parts (which is a lot of stuff!), hurting lower-income households the most. 

“I can’t afford a house.”

Everyone should have a safe, comfortable place to call home. But right now, there is not enough housing supply for the families who do save to buy a house, and houses that are available are not affordable. We know that home ownership will be an expensive life-time investment, but some politicians and developers make it even harder for us. They rig the rules and put up barriers, so the rich can afford a house, but the rest of us cannot. Together, we can vote for Kamala Harris and Democrats who will work for our right to buy a house in an affordable, safe, and environmentally clean neighborhood by enacting a $25,000 subsidy for eligible 1st time home buyers, and addressing housing supply, permitting and zoning laws, and federal financial incentives. 

“Gaza/Israel situation is disastrous”

Option 1:

The situation in Gaza is heartbreaking. Many of us are not happy with the Biden administration’s stance on this war. We are pushing for an end to funding the Israeli military, for a cease-fire, and permanent peace. But it’s hard to know what’s going on behind the scenes. Corrupt local leaders ambush each other and ordinary people. Netanyahu cannot be trusted. Trump does not care about Palestinians. Kamala Harris could be our best hope to progress toward a cease-fire and peace.

Option 2:

Everyone, no matter where we live or our religion or background, deserves a life of safety and freedom for ourselves and our families. But today, as people in Palestine and Israel mourn and seek safety, corrupt failed leaders are setting the region on fire and targeting ordinary people with war crimes. In order to claim and hold power, they are trying to convince us that safety for some must come at the expense of safety for others. We know that Netanyahu, like Trump, only cares about himself and wants to drive a wedge between Democrats to help elect Trump. While many of us are not happy with the administration’s stance on this war, our best long-term chance of ensuring a life of peace, freedom, safety, and belonging for every Palestinian and Israeli is continuing to push for ending funding of the Israeli military’s occupation and siege of the West Bank and Gaza.

 Immigration

For America to be the “land of the free and home of the brave,” we need to respect and embrace people with the courage and tenacity to move for a better life.

 “All these immigrants are coming here and taking our jobs.”

We all work hard to support our families and keep them safe, and immigrants’ place in our community is confusing. A few years ago, a seamstress helped me with my clothes. She was from El Salvador and I asked her why she came to America. She said that it was dangerous in her country. She was worried that her two little girls would be kidnapped. Her father had been randomly kidnapped off the street and held for months until the family could scrape together ransom. Many politicians do not care about human suffering. They care about money and power. MAGA politics, not immigrants, hold us back. Our country needs workers. My seamstress friend wanted to work and give back.

[INSERT CONTRAST MESSAGE, IF USING.]

We need to join together to elect Kamala Harris and Democrats, who care about safety and families, and who will fight for fair immigration policies that will create inclusion, safety, and opportunity for ALL our families.

Optional Contrast Message:

The Biden/Harris administration pushed Congress to pass a bi-partisan border security measure that would have passed had it not been for Trump telling Republicans in Congress not to let it through so that they could run on chaos at the border. How cynical is that? So the Biden/Harris administration took executive action to try to control the situation, and also executive action to make a path to citizenship for spouses of American citizens who have been here a long time. Biden/Harris are trying to keep families together, improve the situation at the border, and improve immigration efforts.

Whereas convicted felon Trump wants to rip families apart, including taking children away from their parents. Where are family values in that? He’s already said that if elected, he would order the US military to conduct massive raids in every city, conduct mass deportations, and erect giant camps.

“Biden is paying rent for illegals.”

In this country, we believe in all people paying their fair share and it really burns us up when we think the government is giving a “free-loader” a break. This story is an example of MAGA and right-wing media deceiving us with misinformation. The truth is, no president pays rent for “illegals.” A few states have programs that pay rent directly to a landlord for a person who is in the USA for a specific legal reason. We need to expose misinformation that creates confusion and distrust. Let’s elect Harris and Democrats who will advocate for clear, honest news that explains the immigration situation.

“Biden promised student loan forgiveness.”

Student Loans are a complex issue. The only thing most Americans agree on is that many students are burdened with debt for college degrees that are enormously expensive. The cost of achieving a degree has grown way faster than other things in our economy. When they were running for president/VP, Biden and Harris promised to help by forgiving a portion of student loans. They realized that debt prevents a large group of young people from moving forward, and true to their word, Biden/Harris used executive action to propose several programs for student forgiveness. The Trump Supreme Court blocked this executive action, but through the public loan forgiveness program and other actions, the Biden/Harris administration found a way to help 4.76 million people with debt relief. These individuals received an average of $35,000 in debt cancellation. Biden/Harris continues to look for ways to help more people burdened by student loans.  

On the other hand, convicted felon Trump would reverse Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and crack down on loan enforcement, hurting individuals and the economy as a whole.

“It doesn’t matter who wins—they’re all corrupt and my life doesn’t really change, no matter who’s in office.”

Message 1:

You’re right that many politicians are corrupt. A perfect example is the revolving door between Congress and lobbyists, a situation that Democrats tried to stop but Republicans wouldn’t go along with it.

The president we elect will affect the makeup of the Supreme Court, and this definitely impacts our lives. We all suspect that some of the justices are crooked and not held accountable in any way. I am a teacher [any job], and I am held to a much higher standard of accountability than these justices are! The Trump MAGA Supreme Court is making decisions that help them and their rich friends, and hurting regular people. For example, they voted against collective bargaining, made voting harder, allowed bump stocks, which turn regular guns into machine guns, and overturned a woman’s right to an abortion. Perhaps worst of all, their last decision of this term is giving Trump immunity, basically turning him into a king.

Message 2:

We talk about this like it’s a regular election, but it really isn’t. One of the candidates is a convicted felon who tried to overturn the last election and incited a violent insurrection in the nation’s capital. Here’s another example that is having a huge impact on some people: Trump’s rhetoric about elections has caused more than a third of election administrators to face harassment or abuse. Some workers, just like us, had to move from their homes and hire protection because they were wrongly accused of fraud by Trump and his goons.

Message 3:

Repeating topline message:

This election is not a choice between two individuals, it’s a choice between worldviews, between futures. Do we want to continue down the path to multiethnic democracy or do we want to impose a white patriarchal Christian autocracy?

Message 4:

You’re also right that we need leaders who will care about US. We need leaders who care about our whole lives—from supporting good jobs so we can put food on the table, to seeing our kids grow up happy and healthy, to having clean air to breathe, and a safe place to live. While no political party is perfect, taking the long view shows that by and large, Democrats are the only party that cares about US. If we elect Democrats, we can stand up to MAGA Republicans and their billionaire backers, make corporations pay what they owe, and ensure Americans of all races and places can earn a good living and have a good life—with the education and healthcare, housing, and jobs that every family needs.

Short List of Most Important Biden administration’s accomplishments (work into a conversation when able):

  • Expanded health care to millions of families.

  • Lowered the price of insulin to $35 for seniors.

  • Created more jobs than any president in history.

  • Vaccinated the country and reopened our schools.

  • Took the largest climate action in the history of the world.

  • Canceled student loans for nearly 5 million people.

  • Rallied the world in support of Ukraine, and expanded NATO while doing it.

  • Passed the largest national funding for passenger rail since the founding of Amtrak.

  • Banned chokeholds and no-knock entries by federal law enforcement, and restricted the transfer of military equipment to police departments.

  • Passed the largest investment in bridges and roads in our history.

  • Pardoned thousands of Americans federally convicted of marijuana possession.

  • Expanded benefits to veterans who have been exposed to toxic chemicals.

  • Officially protected same-sex marriage federally.

  • Passed the first gun violence prevention bill in 30 years.

  • Saved the pensions of more than 1 million union workers.

  • Averted the 2023 banking crisis.

  • Expanded paid overtime to working families.

  • Made birth control pills available over the counter.

  • Made renewable energy the #2 source of electricity in America.

  • Moved to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, emphasizing its currently accepted medical use.

  • Shifted the microchip supply chain back to the United States.

  • Put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Someone considering voting for a third party candidate:

I understand being discouraged by the two-party system. A good thing about America is that you’re able to vote for a third party. With all that’s at stake this year, though, I hope you will think about candidates as buses, not cars, for a minute. Sounds weird, but stay with me on this. No candidate is ever going to align perfectly with all of your views, and you certainly won’t like every candidate Democrats (or Republicans) run. 

No candidate can immediately get us to where we want to be, like a car can do. But some candidates will get us pretty close, like a bus. With a bus, we still have a bit of work to do when we get dropped off, but we’ll be close. 

The GOP supermajority poses a threat to everyone we love who thinks, votes, loves, prays, and lives differently than a MAGA Republican. In a year like this, I urge you to consider voting for the major party candidate who will get you closest to where you’d like to be. I understand your desire to vote for a third-party candidate, so please take this in the spirit in which it was intended. We need your help!

“I keep hearing about Project 2025—what is it?”

Project 2025 is a plan to take away our American rights and replace them with a Christian Nationalist government led by convicted felon Donald Trump and a few of his wealthy cronies.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Project 2025 is an all-out attack on our democracy. Here are a few of the proposals:

  • Ban medication abortion, effectively ending reproductive freedom.

  • Completely defund all reproductive rights funding, including IVF, birth control, and STD testing—and track abortion patients and providers.

  • End the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

  • Restrict contraception and IVF access.

  • Slash essential services we rely on, like Social Security, Medicare and nutrition assistance.

  • Hurt working families while giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy.

  • Restrict the right for workers to organize.

  • Require that the government only recognize and support marriage as between a man and a woman.

  • Remove federal protections for all LGBTQ+ people, allowing them to be fired for their sexual or gender identity.

  • Allow guns in classrooms.

  • Roll back all of the Biden/Harris admin’s progress on climate.

  • Eliminate the Department of Education and other agencies entirely.

  • Pardon January 6 insurrectionists.

  • Gut checks and balances by consolidating power under the president, like authoritarian governments do.

  • Replace civil servants with MAGA loyalists.

  • Impose penalties on businesses that stay open on Sundays, the Christian sabbath.

All of these policies are designed to happen without any oversight or input from Congress. 

(Visit 25and.me to learn more about how Project 2025 will impact issues that matter to you.)