I’m going to be candid with you: this is a fundraising email. Our Mid-June deadline is only hours away, and we need some more help to reach it.

Right now, in our campaign office, we’re celebrating every ping ActBlue makes when a donation comes in. They’re coming at a steady trickle, but we need them pinging off the hook.

So, if you already know you’re with me, I’d be really grateful if you could contribute. But if you need more context about who I am, what I stand for, and the stakes of this race — which is absolutely, 100% fair — then please keep reading.

When my dad was five years old, he immigrated from Mexico to Texas. He picked cotton and tomatoes in the fields of the Rio Grande Valley, all the while dreaming that one day he would work his way out of poverty and make it to the middle class.

My parents taught me the value of hard work. And I grew up believing that if we worked hard anything was possible.

But when I got to college, I realized my parents didn’t have the money to pay for my tuition and their groceries. So I worked all kinds of odd jobs to put myself through school. It took seven years, but I finished my degree and became the first person in my family to graduate from college.

That got me thinking: How could it be this difficult, when we did everything right? And I know that’s a question on the minds of so many families today across Oregon and our nation.

I ran for Congress because I believe Oregon deserves leaders who will work hard every day to make life better for all of us. I’ve worked hard to deliver progress, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together so far. But if we’re going to make the kind of change the American people deserve, we need to win this battleground seat and flip the House blue. It’s as simple as that.

If we’re going to reinstate abortion rights in this nation, we need to win this race.

If we’re going to stop another MAGA-fueled attempt to overturn the results of the next election, we need to win this race.

If we’re going to make more progress protecting our environment for future generations, we need to win this race.

If we’re going to build an economy that’s fairer for working families — with affordable health care, a livable minimum wage, and paid family leave no matter what state you live in — we need to win this race.

I believe those goals aren’t just worth fighting for, but also very much attainable if we put in the work. If you think so too, then I hope you will support my campaign before our big deadline at midnight tonight.

Thank you,

Andrea