by John Solomon
In the hotel where Abraham Lincoln kicked off his Civil War presidency, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. refined his most famous speech, dozens of organizations gathered this week with a common goal: to forge a historic coalition that would catapult conservatives to the forefront of early voting and election lawfare and expand their movement to Hispanics, Asians, union workers, and African-Americans fleeing the Democratic Party.
The meeting Wednesday at the Willard Intercontinental, organized by America First Works, a 501 c4 aligned with the America First Policy Institute and its founder, former Trump White House adviser Brooke Rollins, kicked off with a simple tool that decades ago united conservatives: a signed pledge.
The original Reagan-era pledge, crafted by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, committed candidates starting in 1986 to never raising taxes. The new “United We Win” pledge committes groups with diverse interests to coalesce around a common goal to “reclaim our nation’s narrative” and “win the argument” heading into November, “leaving no stone unturned” and “saving America.”
The 402-word pledge, obtained by Just the News, was signed on its first day by dozens of prominent conservatives, including:
- Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed, whose legendary evangelical-voter outreach dates to President Ronald Reagan;
- Job Creators Network President Alfredo Ortiz, who helped lead the blitz for the 2017 Trump tax cuts;
- Marc Little, a black pastor, the son of one of the NFL’s most famous running backs, and the head of CURE America Action;
- Rebecca Weber, the CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), is America’s most prominent conservative senior citizen organization;
- Official from Turning Point Action, a group founded by activist Charlie Kirk.
- Moms for America’s Kimberly Fletcher, one of the most influential parents’ rights groups in the nation;
- Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots Action, one of the largest grassroots organizing groups from the Tea Party Movement;
- Kevin McGary and Troy Rollings of the Frederick Douglass Foundation;
- Several Hispanic outreach leaders, including Bob Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods and chairman of AFPI’s Hispanic Leadership Coalition; Bienvenido USA’s Abraham Enrique; Hispanic Impact Panel’s Mario Bramnick; and Jesus Marquez of the American Christian Caucus;
- Former Michigan GOP gubernatorial nominee and TV host Tudor Dixon, who now runs a group called America Back to Basics Action.
The signatories and their organizations pledged to “work together as never before” and “harness our collective resources, wisdom, and energy to educate like never before, to grow our coalition with unwavering dedication, and to advance conservative solutions that will steer our country back toward prosperity, security, and freedom.”
“Our mission is clear: reclaim our nation’s narrative, win the argument, hold our elected officials accountable, and begin the work of healing and rebuilding. … Each member organization promises to contribute fully towards our shared goal. We will combine our energies, budgets, and abilities, leaving no stone unturned, no resource untapped, and no citizen unengaged,” the pledge states.
The pledge also highlights the critical moment the 2024 election represents due to policies in the Biden administration that have led to persistent inflation, border insecurity, rising crime rates and global instability.
“We stand at a crossroads, witnessing the erosion of the American dream at the hands of radical left policies that have led to an affordability crisis with prices up 18.6 percent in just three years, a border crisis jeopardizing our communities, and a government that seems disconnected from its people’s hardships,” the pledge also reads. “The statistics are alarming – rising costs of living, skyrocketing debt, and the endangerment of American lives have brought us to a crucial point. This is a crisis of faith in the American promise.”
Former GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, who serves as the chairman of AFPI’s Pathway to 2025 and as a board member for AFW, said: “With the stakes as high as they are in 2024, conservatives must rally an unprecedented coalition of unity, effort, and collaboration. The America First movement is committed like never before to demonstrate historic strength to meet this moment and save our country.”
Rollins, the president and CEO of AFPI, also said: “Upon leaving the White House in January 2021, many told me the America First movement was done. But I knew we had only just begun. Today’s unprecedented day-long meeting and strategy session with more than 50 of the top conservative organizations committed to saving America was one of the most inspiring things I have ever participated in.”
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John Solomon is an award-winning investigative journalist, author and digital media entrepreneur who serves as Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief of Just the News.
Photo “Election Day” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
