Our Origin Story: The Loyal Opposition was founded in 2016 by Matt Scharfstein as a non-partisan anti-Trump organization to fight disinformation, to act as a bulwark against polarization, and to protect the vulnerable. LO was modeled on the Indivisible Guide, and relied on dedicated volunteers to resist authoritarian attacks on democracy. For almost a year and a half, LO put out daily calls to action – usually calls to elected officials on key resistance issues.
By early 2018, it had become clear that Republicans would never hold Trump accountable in any way, and LO became explicitly Democratic to support the election of Democrats at every level in order to bring accountability to the Trump administration. While we didn’t succeed in taking the Senate, the Democratic victory in taking back the House was huge, giving us true institutional power to fight authoritarianism and not just become “resistance”, but to be leaders and defenders of democracy.
Looking Ahead: After midterms, we took a look at the landscape, and established our priorities going forward. There’s still a lot of work to do. We are committed to defending free and fair elections, confronting propaganda and disinformation efforts, protecting vulnerable populations, and working within the grassroots community to develop effective approaches to fight against ongoing attacks on the rule of law and our constitutional democracy.
Over the last few years, LO has built alliances with other Resistance groups and leaders, including both grassroots groups and well-known organizations. These relationships are invaluable, and we are both proud and honored to be fighting alongside fellow dedicated patriots to ensure we preserve a healthy and functional democracy.
A few months ago, Matt retired, and Adrienne Kirschner stepped in as Executive Director. The fight goes on. It is our hope that, as Trump and complicit members of the GOP are fully exposed and held accountable, America will become less polarized, and we will all come together to support our core American values. There are no quick fixes. This will be a long and, at times, bumpy road. Ultimately, we aim to get to a place where all Americans recognize that we all have a voice, that an engaged citizenry is essential to a functioning democracy, that we can’t do this without relying on truth over propaganda, and that supporting democratic norms and institutions ensure a diverse and fair America. We’re in this together.
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