Hi John —

In just a moment, I’m going to ask you to split a donation between my campaign and the Voter Protection Project before our end-of-quarter deadline on Friday. But first, I hope you’ll give me the chance to explain why this deadline is so important.

In just a few days, our team will close the books on this quarter’s fundraising and start filing a report on our campaign finances for the Federal Election Commission. Shortly after that, those numbers will be made public for everyone to see.

With a recent poll showing this race statistically tied, there’s no doubt that Mitch McConnell, potential Republican opponents, and their wealthy allies will be watching our numbers closely. If Republicans think we look weak, you can bet they will throw the kitchen sink at us to flip this toss-up seat — and the Senate — red.

Unfortunately, our fundraising has slowed down quite a bit over the last few weeks and as of right now, we’re not on track to hit our target before the deadline. We can’t afford to fall short and send a weak fundraising report to the FEC, John, so I’m counting on this team to help us get back on track.

Can I count on you to split a donation between the Voter Protection Project and my campaign $10 to help us defend this battleground seat and our Senate majority? Thanks in advance for anything you can spare.