Friend, I have a 15-minute gap in my schedule this morning. That might not sound like a lot – but since I launched this campaign, free time like this is incredibly rare.

Aly and I are getting ready for the day, I've got my second cup of coffee in hand, and a new poll was just released that has me 2 points down from Ted Cruz! So I want to use these few minutes to tell you a little about why I'm running to defeat Ted Cruz.

At every defining moment of my life, I had support from my community. My mom, Aly, my grandmother, my coaches, teachers, aunts, uncles – even the staff at the YMCA. They wanted the best for me and pushed me to pursue my dreams. That's how I made it to Baylor and the NFL, became a civil rights lawyer, and eventually ran for Congress.

But not everyone is so lucky – and that's the problem.

I believe that the majority of Texans are honest, hardworking people. They want to make a living and see their children grow, succeed, and thrive. But politicians like Ted Cruz aren't doing anything to help families like mine growing up.

Rather than work for the people he represents, Ted Cruz spends his time podcasting, doing political stunts to get on Fox News, and abandoning Texas when we need him most. He's embarrassed our state time and time again, and he's failed miserably to be the Senator that Texans need.

Texas can't afford six more years of Ted Cruz's extremism, his pandering to special interests, and his dangerous conspiracy theories. That's why I'm running to defeat him and why I'm writing to you today.

Right now, a brand new poll shows us just 2 points behind Ted Cruz – that’s a MAJOR improvement on the 5 point gap when we launched this campaign. CNN even named Ted Cruz the most vulnerable GOP Senator in the entire country. We can win – but I need folks like you to join me in this fight, friend. That's the only way I can reach voters from Galveston to El Paso all the way to East Texas to build the critical majority we need.

My 15 minutes are almost up, so I have an ask to make of you: Please, we need to raise $45,000 every day to keep this momentum going, but right now we're falling short. Will you give $5 right now to power this grassroots movement to victory? Together, we can build a Texas where everyone has the tools to achieve their own American dream. →

Thank you for sharing my 15 minutes with me.

– Colin