longer.blue

Honorable Senator Walker As a former resident of Hammond, Indiana, I want to sincerely thank you for having the courage to stand up not only to the opposing party, but to members of your own. In a time when silence is often rewarded and truth is treated as inconvenient, your willingness to call out a pressure campaign and tell Republicans to stop sabotaging democracy meant more than you may realize. Your speech genuinely stunned me, especially when you spoke about holding a six-month-old baby the night before and realizing that her future could be shaped by whether intimidation and political manipulation are allowed to become “normal.” That moment resonated deeply with us. As grandparents, we have felt that same quiet fear while looking at our grandchildren and wondering what kind of country they will inherit if elected officials abandon their responsibility to the people. When you reminded lawmakers to remember their oath, to remember the public, and to remember why they were elected in the first place, it felt like a necessary wake-up call. Those words cut through the noise and spoke directly to the moral core of public service. Your warning that shutting the public out of the redistricting process is an insult to the Constitution itself was especially powerful. Democracy does not belong to politicians, it belongs to the people. Any attempt to redraw the rules in secret, or to rig the maps to predetermine outcomes, undermines the very foundation of representative government. And when you said plainly that Donald Trump’s plan to manipulate district maps and steal the 2026 elections is wrong, we felt something that has been in short supply lately: relief. Relief that someone inside the system is willing to speak the truth out loud, even when it comes at personal or political cost. Thank you for your integrity, your courage, and your willingness to put democracy ahead of party loyalty. Please know that your words reached far beyond the chamber and gave hope to ordinary citizens who still believe this country is worth fighting for. With gratitude and respect, Two grateful grandparents David and Joan Piekarczyk