John,

After the polls closed in my 2022 campaign against Ken Calvert, we were feeling pretty excited about our chances. The first few batches of votes released by the registrar showed us with a promising lead, and while the race hadn’t been called, things were good enough to get an invitation to attend new member orientation in Washington.

Day one of new member orientation last Fall. Credit: POLITICO.

It was awe-inspiring being inside the Capitol as a prospective member and learning about the job I’d spent a year running for and hoped to have. I also enjoyed getting to know some (we had hoped) soon-to-be colleagues.

Then, literally as I was standing on the House floor, I got the alert on my phone; a new batch of votes finally put Ken Calvert’s vote share out of reach. The Associated Press called the race, and I officially lost.

So my partner Paolo and I did what a lot of couples might do: we went to the hotel bar.

As we were sitting there, news broke on TV that Donald Trump had just announced his campaign for president.

And I knew in that moment that our fight wasn’t over yet — that our democracy remains fragile, and it’s on each of us to do what’s in our power to better our communities and our country.

John, running for Congress a second time was not a decision I came to lightly, but I'm back in it because I know exactly what is at stake. It’s not the time to give up, and I’ve been so humbled that so many across Riverside County who supported our campaign in 2022 haven’t given up either.

We came closer than anyone expected in 2022 to flipping this seat, and I wouldn’t be in this if I wasn’t confident we could win. But I can’t do this alone:

The end of this month marks our first public FEC fundraising deadline of my campaign. I’m counting on you to be a part of this effort, John. Please split $10 between the Voter Protection Project and our campaign, or whatever you can afford, to help us flip CA-41 and finish the job against Ken Calvert.

As always, thanks for your support.

Will