Doug Chapin for Congress
July 16, 2026 · Newsletter
The Problems Didn’t Go Away. Washington Just Changed the Subject.
Most people don’t wake up in the morning wondering what happened in the 2020 election.
They wake up wondering whether they can finally get ahead.
Whether this paycheck will stretch a little farther than the last one.
Whether groceries will ever feel normal again.
Whether their car will hold out long enough so they can save enough to get it fixed.
Whether they’ll ever be able to save for retirement, buy their first home, or simply stop worrying about the unexpected $500 expense waiting just around the corner ready to throw everything off.
Those aren’t Democratic problems.
They aren’t Republican problems.
They’re American problems.
This week, the Department of Labor released another snapshot of our economy. Wages continue to slowly grow, but for many workers they’re barely keeping pace with inflation rather than creating meaningful financial breathing room. Families are still feeling squeezed by the cost of groceries, housing, insurance, and the everyday expenses that never seem to stop climbing.
Those numbers tell a story.
Not of an economy in full blown crisis.
But of millions of people who are working just as hard as they see their taxes go up and their money buy less, always wondering why getting ahead feels more like the American Fantasy than the American Dream.
Yet as those conversations continued around kitchen tables across Minnesota’s Sixth District, much of the national political conversation shifted somewhere else entirely.
Back to 2020
This week, President Trump announced he intends to revisit Georgia’s 2020 Senate elections, arguing that Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock should never have taken office because of alleged election fraud. The announcement came alongside his endorsement of Mike Lindell for governor of Minnesota, who has spent years promoting similar claims about the 2020 election.
Congressman Tom Emmer, a tireless supporter of debunked and misleading fraud claims, can’t be too far behind in his endorsement of Lindell as well.
Whether those claims persuade anyone isn’t really the question that lingered this week.
The question is:
Why are we still here?!
Six years later, families are still trying to afford groceries.
They’re still worried about health insurance.
They’re still wondering whether their next raise will finally get them ahead.
And this is what’s on the agenda and minds of our public servants?
These problems aren’t going away, but an easy way to get it out of the news cycle is to reach back into the ol’ bag of tried tricks and trot out the election fraud noise.
Simply put, politics is ultimately about priorities.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to share this week’s Rig Roundup with someone you know who should be following along!
Where our elected officials spend their time tells us what they believe deserves our attention.
This campaign believes Minnesota’s Sixth District deserves representatives whose attention is focused on the challenges families are facing today, not the arguments we’ve already spent too much wasted time on.
This Is What a Campaign Looks Like
Last weekend, more than 75 volunteers joined Team Chapin in Andover and Monticello for community parades.
It was hot.
People were tired.
Feet were sore.
But thousands of conversations happened anyway.
Because that’s how campaigns are supposed to work.
One handshake.
One wave.
One friendly chat at a time.
Then, on Sunday, something pretty special happened.
More than 100 supporters packed our brand-new campaign headquarters in Monticello for an open house that felt less like a campaign event and more like a community gathering!
Families stopped by.
Volunteers met neighbors they’d only known online.
DFL Vice Chair Marge Hoffa and Lieutenant Governor nominee Ben Schierer joined us to celebrate a space that will serve not just as campaign headquarters, but as a gathering place for volunteers, community organizations, and Sixth District neighbors working toward something better.
There was ice cream.
Lots of laughter.
And before the event had even wrapped up, volunteers from Senate District 31 were already assembling literature for that evening’s door knock.
No television cameras.
No national headlines.
Just people showing up because they believe Minnesota deserves better.
Doug captured the weekend perfectly:
“My back hurts. My feet are sore. I’m a little hoarse. But my heart is FULL.”
You can’t help but to smile when reading that. It truly captures what this campaign has become.
It’s not fueled by outrage.
It’s fueled by neighbors who believe showing up still matters.
A Job You Do
Doug shared another message this week that has stuck with me.
“The U.S. is still at war.
Groceries and gas prices are still too high.
Health insurance still costs too much and covers too little.
Families are still working too hard, earning too little and are struggling to save for their own piece of the American Dream.”
Those aren’t just campaign talking points.
They’re the conversations we hear while knocking doors.
They’re the conversations Doug hears after town halls.
They’re the conversations people have while standing along parade routes.
No one has asked us to spend another four years arguing about the last election.
They’re asking if someone is finally going to spend the next four years fighting for the next generation.
Doug ended with something that perfectly sums up this campaign:
“I think the Sixth District deserves someone who thinks ‘Member of Congress’ is a job you DO, not a title you ENJOY.”
That’s exactly what this campaign feels like.
Not a campaign built around cable news appearances.
A campaign built around showing up.
⚽ Join Doug This Sunday!
Politics doesn’t always happen at a podium.
Sometimes it happens over pizza, while cheering for the same team and getting to know your neighbors.
Join Doug and Team Chapin for our:
World Cup Final Watch Party!
📅 Sunday, July 19
🕜 1:30 PM
📍 The Ball Park Twin Cities
10650 Baltimore St. NE, Suite 100
Blaine, MN 55449
Come for the match.
Stay for the conversation!
Ready to Help Flip the Sixth?
There are only 110 days until Election Day.
Every phone call.
Every parade.
Every conversation.
Every door knocked.
Every volunteer.
They all matter.
If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, we’d love to have you on the team.
Looking to make your mark?
Every successful parade is powered by volunteers, and we’re always looking for a few extra leaders to help our team shine.
We’re currently looking for:
🥁Parade Captains to help welcome volunteers and keep everyone organized.
👀 Site Spotters to confirm our lineup location before parade day.
🪧Doug Sign Carriers to help Doug stand out as he greets voters.
🇺🇸Flag Carriers to lead our team with pride.
📸 Photographers & Videographers to capture the excitement and help tell our story.
If one of those roles sounds like fun, let us know. We’d love to have your help!
Help Tell Our Story
If you’re snapping photos or taking video, focus on the moments that make this campaign special:
Doug greeting neighbors and shaking hands
Families, veterans, and community members
Volunteers having fun together
The Rescue Rig rolling through town
Flags, signs, smiles, and crowd reactions
Those fun, unexpected moments that make every parade unique
If you can upload your photos and videos within a few hours after the parade, even better! It helps our social media team share the excitement while it’s still fresh.
110 Days
Every week, we try to end this newsletter on a hopeful note.
Not because everything is fine.
It isn’t.
Families across Minnesota are facing real challenges.
But hope doesn’t come from pretending those challenges don’t exist.
Hope comes from seeing people who refuse to accept that nothing can change.
That’s what we saw this weekend.
Seventy-five volunteers walking parade routes.
More than one hundred people filling a brand-new headquarters.
Neighbors introducing neighbors.
Conversations replacing talking points.
That’s what Ready For Better really looks like.
Not waiting for someone else to fix things.
Showing up.
Listening.
Getting to work.
Because at the end of the day, being a Member of Congress isn’t a title you enjoy.
It’s a job you do.
We’ll see you out there!!
110 days until Election Day! Let’s make every one count!
#Flipthe6th #LFG #ReadyforBetter.
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