One message. Fifty states.
“Having doubts? You’re not alone.”
That’s the slogan we’re splashing across billboards all over America, along with the link to our website and the name of our organization — Leaving MAGA.
It’s simple. It’s efficient. And it’s effective.
Everywhere we’ve deployed this message, we’ve gotten responses. We’ve gotten media attention, viral photos on social platforms, and most importantly, we’ve recruited new members.
We’ve heard from people who weren’t ready to leave MAGA, until suddenly, they were.
MAGA supporters have been trapped in a years-long fear and outrage machine. To them, outsiders are the enemy. In my memoir, I refer to them as the “They.”
But here at Leaving MAGA, we aren’t outsiders. We’re insiders. We’re the insiders who finally got fed up, had enough, and walked away.
That means our approach is different from that of most organizations that want to “convert” MAGA supporters. We’re not approaching them with disdain, disgust, or hatred. We’re approaching them with empathy.
Our message gives people permission to doubt.
Our billboards are a public signal that others are questioning this ideology, just like they are. This reduces their shame and isolation, allowing them to take that first step away from MAGA.
Recently, I spoke with someone who told me, “I’m in MAGA, and I can’t admit that I’m wrong.”
That person is our persuasion target. That person is ready to walk away from MAGA, but doesn’t know how. Our community can reach them.
We’ve got a new donor-funded billboard going up, this time in Basin, a small town in deep red, rural Montana. This donor generously paid to keep the Basin billboard up for an entire year.
Basin is on Highway 15, between Butte and Helena, so who knows how many MAGA supporters will see our message in that time, and how many will connect with their doubts about Trump during the next year?
We also have a second new donor-funded board going up in Washington State.
So far, we’ve gone up in 18 states, and you know our goal: we want to make it to all 50.
Our next round of targets includes Las Vegas (NV), Salt Lake City (UT), Syracuse (NY), and Orange County (CA), and we need your help.
We’ve already made a tremendous difference with billboards in just 18 states — I can’t imagine the splash we’re going to make when we hit all 50 states before the midterm elections.
I know we can do this with you on our side!
Thanks for being with us on this odyssey,
Rich
