Hi John.

Here’s a photo of my grandparents, Arnfred and Christine, on their wedding day in 1905. That was seven years before they picked out a flat piece of grassland just outside Big Sandy to build their homestead.

That patch of loamy, alkaline clay-soil is the same one where I grew up; and where Sharla and I raised our kids and still farm the land.

Things weren’t easy for Fred and Christine. They suffered devastating windstorms, bitter cold, shooting fire, poisonous snakes – pretty much everything but locusts. And in the late teens, the drought hit, wiping out the farm entirely. My grandparents were forced to leave.

But they were determined to return to their homestead. They saved up enough to start all over again on the same little piece of land. They had a couple hundred acres to their name, a newly-built barn, a windmill, their healthy son and daughters (including newborn Helen, my mom), strong muscles, and the powerful work ethic that built rural America.

I first ran for office to make sure our government was serving hardworking Americans like my grandparents a hundred years ago. Folks like our teachers, farmers, and construction workers deserve a government that works for them.

But too many Washington politicians are deep in the pockets of right-wing special interests. They promise one thing when the camera is rolling, then make secret backroom deals with their wealthy megadonors.

That’s not how I operate, and it’s why we’re running this campaign differently. I’m counting on grassroots folks like you chipping in what you can, when you can, to build a team strong enough to take on the outside groups and Republican attacks.

Can I count on you to split a contribution today between my campaign and Catherine's? Your donation (no matter the size) *sows the seeds* of our movement, ensuring we grow and build the resources we need to win.

Thanks for your support. Together, we can keep me in Washington fighting for the little guy.

Jon