Hello, friend – it’s Sherrod.

This isn't the email I wanted to write, but I really have no other choice. Unfortunately, a recent poll shows me neck and neck with my millionaire GOP opponent.

So my team just set an urgent 24-hour goal to raise $100,000 to make sure we have the resources we need to fight back and pull ahead. But if we fail to reach this, we could fall behind, just as the election year ramps up.

So please, friend, will you split $5 between my campaign and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell's right now to help me reach my 24-hour goal, take the lead, and win in Ohio?

Look, winning this race will be anything but easy: Mitch McConnell has personally named me a top target for defeat – and my GOP opponent is writing himself multimillion-dollar checks to try and buy this seat.

My campaign relies on $5 donations, not million-dollar checks, friend. Now, I'm proud of that, but it also means I need folks like you chipping in what you can, when you can, to power our campaign to victory.

So if I'm going to surge ahead in the polls, I need everyone reading this email to help me reach my fundraising goal in the next 24 hours.

I know you care about keeping this seat blue and defending our razor-thin Senate majority, so I'm counting on you to make a gift: Will you split $5 or more right now between my campaign and Debbie's to help me hit my goal and win in Ohio?

Thanks for chipping in.

– Sherrod