August 21, 2020

We lost the August 18th, 2020 Democratic primary for Florida’s 6th congressional district by 3%. We are very sad, but this was a strong showing for a first-time candidate. We are proud of the 28,615 votes we received and your support! We will be continuing our work toward Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal basic income, and making Donald Trump a one-term president. Thank you all for taking a chance on a complete political newcomer and reformed Republican.

Like many campaigns, I financed some of our operations with personal loans. Please feel free to continue to donate or to leave your recurring monthly contribution in place if you would like to help. We are very proud of the movement we built as political newcomers on a shoestring budget.

During the campaign, we established a campaign website at ThrippForCongress.com and redirected Thripp.com there. I have now restored access to the home page of Thripp.com and will continue writing materials, endorsements, and more here. We also suppressed Thripp.com’s placement in Google Search results in order to avoid cannibalizing our traffic. I will be undoing this shortly. I do want to preserve the campaign website as well. Great thanks to Emily Humphrey for designing our website, campaign literature, and so many other phenomenal materials, my wife Kristy, well over 150 donors, and our many volunteers (please let me know if I forgot you):

Abbey, Adrienne, Alyssa, Amber, Andrew, Anita, Anne, Ashlynn, Augustina, Barbara E., Barbara M., Becca, Bernard, Bill, Britney, Bud, Cait, Cam, Carolyn, Cat, Charlie, Chelsea P., Cheyenne, Chris G., Chrissy H., Christina C., Christina R., Christine P., Clara, Clayton, Corinne D. C., Corinne H., Cory T., Courtney, Cristina, Danny F., Danny M., David A., David B., Dawn, Deanna, Denise, Denzel, Devon, Diana, Elena, Elliott, Eliza K., Elizabeth A. H., Elizabeth L., Elizabeth M., Emily G., Eric, Erik, Evans, Frank, Freddie, Gelasia, Grace, Greg, Henry, Hope, Hugh, Jack, Jackie, James, Janis, Jenne P., Jennifer A., Jennifer B., Jen K., Jennifer M., Jessica, Jill, Joe, John N., Jonathan D., Jon H., Joseph, Joshua Ke. Josh Kr., Joshua F., Kairo, Kasper, Kat P., Katlyn S., Keith, Kim H., Kim N., Kim O., Klaus, Kristina, Kyra, Lilian, Lindsay, Liz, Lynn, Mark S., Mark W., Marty, Mary B., Mary T., Maryrose, Matthew, Max, Melissa, Mike C., Michael K., Michelle P., Michelle R., Mitchell, Molly, Montana, Moriah, Nancy H., Nikki, Nina, Pamela, Patrick, Paul G., Paul M., Peter, Pranav, Quinton, Rebecca, Reka, Richard W., Richelle, Robert A., Rob F., Rob M., Rob S., Rose, Ryan, Sam, Sandra, Scott, Seth, Sierra, Sue, Susan, Thomas D., Thomas M., Tim, Tracy, Travis, Tricia, Troy, Valerie, Victoria, Wendy, William B., and William S.

Thank you so much to Dr. Tim Wilson, Dr. Wendy Anderson, Dr. Gary Mottola, Volusia for Justice, Our Revolution: Volusia, New Blue Florida, St. Johns for Bernie, Flagler for Bernie, The Hill of Roses, Florida for Bernie, the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, Progressives for Democracy in America: Central Florida Chapter, the National Solidarity Movement, Our Revolution: Florida, and the Make Room PAC for endorsing me. Thank you to Moms Demand Action and 90 for 90 for listing me as a Gun Sense Candidate and supporter of voting rights.

Thanks to Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, former congressman Alan Grayson, Volusia DEC Chair Jewel Dickson, Flagler DEC Chair Michael Cocchiola, St. Johns DEC Chair Nell Seymour Toensmann, and Lake County DEC Candidate Committee Chair Jane Hepting for encouragement, support, and advice.

Mr. Clint Curtis and I are scheduled to meet on Sunday, August 23, 2020 to discuss what we could do to support him as the Democratic nominee, including transferring our NGP VAN DNC VoteBuilder Florida license to his campaign. The 6th district heavily favors Republicans. We would like to see him run a strong campaign so that Rep. Waltz, a total Trump shill and partisan hack who doesn’t live in or know his district, has to expend resources defending his seat.

Sincerely,
Dr. Richard Thripp

Social Security is under siege. You worked hard all your life to pay into Social Security. Now, Donald Trump is saying “that’s actually the easiest of all things” to cut because “it’s such a big percentage” of the federal budget.

Sadly, our congressman, Michael Waltz, agrees 100%. In August 2018, he had this to say about Social Security:

“Our debt is our biggest, I think, one of our biggest national security issues. It is a burden on our future generation, our kids and our grandkids, and we have to get a hold of it. The way to get a hold of it, and, and, this is what we’re gonna have to do, we’re gonna have to go after the non-discretionary portion: The entitlement reform portion. We’re nibbling around the edges with all of these other cuts. That’s the part that we have to go over. We need politicians that get up there and have the guts to go after it.”

This rhetoric about your kids and grandkids isn’t even true. Top earners only pay Social Security tax on their first $137,700 of wages. By adjusting this cap, we can fully fund Social Security through the year 2100 and beyond. Social Security does not add to our national debt. Anyone who tells you it does is lying to you.

Florida’s 6th district deserves a congressman who protects Social Security. That’s why we need to send Richard Thripp to Congress—a local, born in Daytona Beach who has lived in Volusia County his entire life. Richard will fight to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Richard knows how important Social Security is to our senior citizens and to our local economy. Please contribute today to help elect Richard to Congress to represent Florida’s 6th district!