Although I caucused for Hillary Clinton this year, in most presidential elections I have ended up where Bernie Sanders supporters are now: disappointed and convinced that the candidate I preferred would have been a better president as well as better positioned to beat the Republican nominee.

In a speech to his supporters last Thursday, Sanders did not explicitly concede the Democratic nomination. He vowed to do his part to “make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly” while leading “our grassroots efforts to create the America that we know we can become.”

Whether you accept the “inevitable” or still believe Sanders can become the Democratic nominee for president, whether you are willing to “hold your nose” and vote for Hillary or are firmly #BernieOrBust, I have one request for the Iowans who backed Sanders throughout this past year.

Please get involved in down-ballot races.

Despite happy talk from the likes of Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, the Republican establishment in Iowa, like many GOP power-brokers nationally, may soon write off Trump’s campaign as a lost cause. Big money will flow to protecting Republican candidates in Congressional and state-level races.

Sanders said it well last Thursday:

But the political revolution means much more than fighting for our ideals at the Democratic National Convention and defeating Donald Trump.

It means that, at every level, we continue the fight to make our society a nation of economic, social, racial and environmental justice. […]

Here is a cold, hard fact that must be addressed. Since 2009, some 900 legislative seats have been lost to Republicans in state after state throughout this country. In fact, the Republican Party now controls 31 state legislatures and controls both the governors’ mansions and statehouses in 23 states. That is unacceptable.

We need to start engaging at the local and state level in an unprecedented way. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped us make political history during the last year. These are people deeply concerned about the future of our country and their own communities. Now we need many of them to start running for school boards, city councils, county commissions, state legislatures and governorships. State and local governments make enormously important decisions and we cannot allow right-wing Republicans to increasingly control them.

I hope very much that many of you listening tonight are prepared to engage at that level. Please go to my website at berniesanders.com/win to learn more about how you can effectively run for office or get involved in politics at the local or state level. I have no doubt that with the energy and enthusiasm our campaign has shown that we can win significant numbers of local and state elections if people are prepared to become involved. I also hope people will give serious thought to running for statewide offices and the U.S. Congress.

It’s too late to file as a Democratic candidate for most Iowa offices, with the exception of a few state House and Senate seats where Republican incumbents are unopposed.

But every Iowa progressive lives within striking distance of some competitive race. If you don’t feel inspired to volunteer for U.S. Senate nominee Patty Judge or for Representative Dave Loebsack (IA-02) or for Congressional challengers Monica Vernon (IA-01), Jim Mowrer (IA-03), and Kim Weaver (IA-04), state legislative candidates all over Iowa need volunteers to make phone calls, stuff envelopes, knock on doors, and host house parties.

Thanks to Iowa’s non-partisan redistricting method, dozens of state legislative seats are up for grabs. And thanks to the relatively small size of Iowa’s legislative districts, candidates and their supporters can make direct contact with most people likely to cast a ballot in November. In the 2010 wave, Republicans picked up Iowa House and Senate districts that had been on no one’s radar. The reverse could happen this year, but Democrats will need feet on the ground to capitalize on a potential Trump meltdown.

Many of the policy goals Sanders championed–raising the minimum wage, making higher education more affordable, moving toward a more sustainable energy policy, improving water quality, protecting women’s reproductive rights and equality for LGBTQ citizens–depend greatly on which party will control the Iowa House and Senate next year.

Lots of my friends who caucused for Sanders have already started volunteering for Iowa House candidates in Polk County. I hope like-minded Democrats around the state will follow the example set by labor activist Tracy Leone, who recently told me, “There are so many great down ballot candidates that my own theme this cycle is ‘don’t look up.'”