John: That's my old union ID from when I played for the NFL and was a member of the NFL Players Association, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

Like millions of workers across America, my teammates and I collectively bargained with the team management about things like our health care, working conditions and our retirement – benefits that are critically important to professional athletes and workers everywhere in case the unthinkable happens and you get injured or sick on the job.

So even though that ID is over a decade old, I still hang on to it for a very important reason: my union had my back when the unthinkable happened to me.

While I was a linebacker in the NFL, I got seriously injured during a game.

For so many Americans, an illness or injury like that can keep you out of work and cost you everything you have.

When I got hurt, my union was there – and they took care of me every step of the way. They put me first, not a corporation or profit margins.

But Texas has some of the fewest union members in the country and workers' rights are under attack. In fact, Texas just eliminated mandatory water breaks for construction workers – even with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees.

And don't get me started on Ted Cruz – when it comes to standing up for working people, his track record is unacceptable. Texas workers deserve so much better. That's just one reason I'm running for Senate.

So listen, experts from CNN analysts to FiveThirtyEight agree that I can win this race – but I need your help. Can you chip in $5 to help us meet our daily $35,000 fundraising goal by midnight tonight? We need to reach millions of Texas voters to send Ted Cruz packing →

Your support is so critical to defeat Ted Cruz and win for Texas' workers – and I'm so grateful you're a part of this team.

Thank you,

Colin Allred