john, I know I’m probably not the only candidate in this election emailing to ask for your support. (And sorry in advance for adding to your inbox clutter!)

To me, that makes it especially important that I take some time to explain why this race, right here in Oregon, is deserving of your time and investment — because I don’t take your support, or anyone else’s, for granted.

If you already know that you’re all in on protecting this seat, I’d be honored if you would pitch in $5 and help me and Dr. Kim Schrier win our races (you can click this link to donate). But if you need more convincing, here are five reasons I am humbly asking for your support today:

1) Despite the extreme GOP majority in control of the House, I’ve worked hard to deliver real progress. In fact, I’m proud to be one of the only representatives — let alone first-term representatives — to pass a new law in this Congress. My legislation ensures that the Grand Ronde Tribe here in Oregon gets land compensation they are owed by the federal government.

2) I’m running proudly on my record of fighting for abortion rights. Here in Oregon, I helped pass one of the nation’s most comprehensive reproductive rights bills. And now that I’m in Congress, I’m fighting to codify Roe v. Wade protections into law — so that no woman, in any state, can be criminalized simply for making a personal health care decision that some politician somewhere doesn’t like.

3) I know what it’s like when you feel like your family just can’t get ahead. My dad immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1950 and worked in the fields picking cotton and tomatoes before he was in first grade. He and my mom worked so hard, but when it was time for me to go to college, they didn’t have the money to afford both my education and their groceries. So I put myself through school instead.

4) Today, I’m working to make our economy fairer for families across our country who feel like they don’t have control over their own circumstances. That means fighting for affordable health care, putting hardworking families over big corporations, and delivering national paid family and medical leave.

5) National Republicans are determined to defeat me — and it took everything we had to fight them off last time around. This district is one of the most competitive in the whole country. Whichever party wins this seat is likely to win control of Congress, and it’s going to come down to just a handful of votes.

john, unlike so many politicians, I’m not in this campaign because I like to hear myself talk. I’m here to get things done and fight for our values — but I can’t do it alone. If you’re with me, I hope you’ll pitch in $5 to help me and Dr. Kim Schrier win. It may not sound like it, but your support will go a LONG way to put us on a path to victory.