Hey, I hope you’re having a good week.

I’m sorry that this is one of those emails. I’m getting in touch because our next monthly fundraising deadline is less than a week away, and the truth is, April has been a slower-than-expected fundraising month for us. No one here is in panic mode, and the sky is certainly not falling, but we’ve got some ground to make up. If you could pitch in and help us close the gap, I’d be really grateful.

But because I’m sending you this email asking for money, I also want to share a bit about what, exactly, I’m asking you to invest in, and why this campaign deserves your support.

First, the stakes of this race have become clearer, and higher, over the last few weeks. Here in Kansas, the state Republican Party announced their support for banning same-sex marriage and taking away abortion rights, in direct opposition to the will of the voters. Then, my GOP colleagues in Congress put forward a platform to slash Social Security and Medicare, ban abortion, and criminalize IVF.

Our election here in KS-03, which could determine which party controls the House of Representatives, will help decide whether or not the American people are subjected to this kind of extremism for the next two years.

Second, my background is pretty unusual for a member of Congress — let alone one representing Kansas. I’m an LGBTQ+ Native American woman and former MMA fighter who was raised by a single mom and worked multiple jobs to pay my own way through school.

That gives me a unique voice in Washington, and I’m determined to use it to deliver real progress for the people of Kansas. I’m proud to have helped create over 20,000 clean-energy jobs in our district, saved seniors money on insulin, and passed a bipartisan infrastructure law that’s kick-started construction on over 300 vital projects across the state.

And third, we are in a genuinely tough battle in this re-election campaign. Two extremist super PACs have already named me a top target, and we’re already up against misleading digital ads that attempt to smear my record in Congress.

This race has been one of the most competitive and expensive in the nation the last three election cycles, but this time around, we find ourselves needing to spend money even earlier to fight off the attacks we’re facing. That’s one of the reasons when we have a slow month like April, we need to pull out all the stops to try to catch up.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. And if, after seeing me outline what’s at stake, you’re able and willing to pitch in a few dollars, I’d be extremely grateful — because grassroots support is how we’ll overcome the attacks and win this race.

Thanks so much for your support,

Sharice