Team, I want to take a moment to tell you the story of the little boy in the picture above—my story and why I’m running for Congress—and I hope you’ll let me. (If you’re ready to do the thing — flip NY-17 and retake our Democratic House majority — split a donation between my campaign and The Long Run here today.)

I say “policy is personal,” because, for me, it is.

I was born and raised in Spring Valley, New York, by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table. Even though she worked around the clock, we still needed Section 8 housing and food stamps to get by.

When child care was too expensive, I often went to work with my grandma, who worked well past the age of retirement cleaning homes, while my grandpa worked as a janitor at the local middle school.

I was lucky to be raised by a hard-working family, which did everything it could to provide me with what I needed. But life wasn’t always easy, and I often think about what a profound difference affordable child care, health care, and better wages would have made in easing the burdens on my mother and grandparents.

Despite our circumstances, my mom always taught me to dream big, and that’s exactly what I did. I’m here running to return to Congress to keep fighting for families like mine and ensure everyone has the opportunities and resources to not only survive, but to thrive.

Split a donation of $3 or whatever works for you today between my campaign and The Long Run to flip NY-17, retake our Democratic majority, and create a government that works for all of us.

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Let me be frank, there are not many members of Congress with backgrounds like mine. Most members of the House and Senate are millionaires; many are worth upwards of tens of millions of dollars.

Corporate lobbyists from Big Oil to Big Pharma spend billions trying to influence elected officials like Republican Mike Lawler—himself a former oil and gas lobbyist—to maintain the status quo and keep our government working solely for the wealthy and well-connected.

It’s created a system of government that makes it all too easy to give corporate bailouts and tax breaks for billionaires, while keeping everyday people locked in a struggle just to make ends meet.

We need more leaders committed to making sure our government serves the public interest—not corporate profiteers or power-hungry politicians.

Because for me, policy is personal, I will:

Put the lives of our children over the NRA to enact common-sense gun safety regulations.
Continue to lower prescription drug costs so everyone has the lifesaving medications they need, without being forced to work multiple jobs or past retirement to pay for them.
Protect access to abortion, so everyone can make their own health care decisions.
Ensure wages are high enough to meet the daily costs of living.

Legislation that actually helps people isn’t a pipe dream. With your support, we will flip NY-17, retake our House majority, and create a government responsive to the needs of everyday people. Split a donation of $3 to send me back to Congress. Let’s make our dream a reality.

Sincerely,

Mondaire