John, it's Brandon Presley, the Democratic candidate for governor here in Mississippi. I've got good and bad news about our race – I'll start with the good news:

Recent polling shows that I'm only three points behind Tate Reeves – well within the margin of error. With a strong grassroots team behind us, I know that we’ve got what it takes to defeat Reeves this November.

But like I said, there's bad news too: Reeves just announced a HUGE investment of more than a million dollars to run TV ads boosting his campaign. He's built a huge war chest with his lobbyist donors, and he's already spending it to try and hurt our momentum.

We cannot afford to lose this race just because Reeves can write massive checks. That's why I'm personally asking you to chip in $3 or more to help the Democratic Governors Association and me hit our mid-month goals – please will you split a donation right now? We'll only win here and across the country with your grassroots support.

I know that this race is winnable because I know Mississippi. I love this state. And I would do anything to fight for families here. That's why I became mayor of my hometown: to fight for the families who've been left behind. During my time in office, I balanced our budget, advocated for working families, and helped bring in new jobs – all while cutting taxes twice.

But while I was giving back to my community, Tate Reeves was building his career by ripping off the families he swore to serve. Instead of helping to expand health care access in rural communities or keep the lights on in our underfunded hospitals, he allegedly funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to his personal trainer and celebrity friends.

I've lived by our Mississippi values of love for our neighbors and service to our communities my entire life. Tate Reeves wouldn't know Mississippi values if they smacked him straight across the face.

But the sad truth about campaigning today is that this thing will come down to whether we have the grassroots resources to compete with Reeves' massive war chest. That's why hitting this mid-month goal is so important. So please, if you've got anything extra to spare – even $3 helps – will you split a donation between my campaign and the DGA so that we can win in Mississippi and across the country?

Thank you so much for having my back and believing in a better future for Mississippi.

With gratitude,

Brandon Presley