John, you wouldn't believe how many folks have told me this on the campaign trail.

But it never ceases to disappoint me. Because, like Adam, I have served in Congress for over 20 years. I’ve sponsored over 600 bills. I’ve brought tens of millions of dollars home to California for infrastructure and transportation projects.

I have fought for Medicare for All from the first day it was introduced in Congress. It took him 14 years to get on board. I fought to overturn our state's disastrous Three Strikes law. He made it easier to try kids as young as 14 to be tried as adults.

The difference? Adam is a white man, and I am a Black woman.

You see, since 1789 there have only been two Black women elected to the Senate – Vice President Kamala Harris and former Senator Carol Moseley Braun. Together, they served a total of just 10 years.

Maybe that’s why, when people think about what a senator looks like, they don’t think of a Black woman with decades of experience like me – they think of someone who looks like Adam Schiff. But I think it's high time we change that.

The latest polls show the same thing – roughly 40% of likely voters are undecided or looking for an alternative. This is to our favor, given how much free media our competitors have been given. With your help, I can break through and shatter this glass ceiling – even though I don't look like a stereotypical senator to some. 

So please, can I count on you to chip in $5 or more to my campaign ahead of my midnight fundraising deadline so I can become just the third Black woman elected to the Senate and build a progressive future for all of us?

Thank you for standing with me in this fight.

– Barbara Lee