Today, we close the books on the last official FEC fundraising deadline before we know who our opponent will be in the November election.

This isn't one of those quarterly FEC deadlines we email about, but it is an official deadline — and probably the most important of the campaign.

Here's why:

After July 17th, we're legally required to report what we've raised and how much money we have in the bank since our last deadline on June 30th. Same for our eventual opponent.

Our report will give super PACs a glimpse at the financial strength of our campaign just before we formally enter the general election, and they will use that information when deciding whether or not to run attack ads against us, or if they should move on to another race.

We want to file as strong a report as we possibly can, but with only 17 days between deadlines, that’s going to require a lot of support from a whole bunch of people giving whatever they can.

I wish we didn't have to make these requests this often via email, but the truth is it is where a majority of the donations we receive come from. So, I am asking:

Can I count on you to contribute $10 to my campaign for U.S. Senate in Michigan and Haley Stevens before the final FEC fundraising deadline of the primary campaign comes to a close at midnight tonight?

Thank you,

Elissa