My view at the time was pretty simple and something I didn’t really stop and do a lot of calculating about: This was stuff I’m pretty good at. The prospect of Donald Trump as president was unacceptable in every imaginable sense. It would be better for everyone to stop him sooner rather than later. And I’d like to be a part of that effort. So it began.

In the intervening 1,712 days, nothing outside of my family consumed my thoughts more than defeating Donald Trump and helping to save the country I love. Maybe you felt something similar. I hope not. Having so much Trump on the brain hasn’t been pleasant.

But lots—and lots—of folks did. Because Trump represented something new in American politics. His sociopathic malice was all-consuming, his pathological need for attention was exhausting, and what his rise said about our country, our friends, our families has been wrenching.

It was a car crash you can’t avoid rubbernecking, no matter how hard you tried.