John,

I want to tell you a little bit about this kid in the cowboy hat. (For starters, I’m aware that fashion trends have changed.)

My family came to California’s Central Valley five generations ago. My great-great grandfather traveled west on a wagon train in search of gold, stopped a few miles short, and settled in Manteca to start a peach farm. From a young age, I was taught the value of helping others. My parents met on a mission trip and my childhood was full of volunteering in my community.

As I got older, I delivered newspapers, graduated high school and worked my way through college at Stanford. Then I went on to make a career helping small businesses grow and eventually taught business at our local junior college.

Six years ago I won a surprise victory over an entrenched Republican to bring our values to Congress. Since then, I have thrown my heart and soul into legislation to support families like mine - families who care about their kids, their neighborhood and our country’s future.

Even as the political environment gets more divisive, I try to remind myself of this kid in the cowboy hat. How passionate he was about helping, and how he believed people ultimately were good to one another.

I share this to remind you that no matter how frustrated you are, I’m grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me to make a bit of a difference. I do this work because I believe we can still make our country better. I’m not giving up, and I hope you won’t either.

I am in this fight to make a difference for my community. Now that I *officially* have my Republican opponent for 2024, will you please split a donation between my campaign and the California Democratic Party to help me win re-election and keep fighting for you in Congress?

- Josh