John, I'm Kristen McDonald Rivet and I'm running for Congress in Michigan's 8th District. In just a moment I'm going to ask you to donate to my campaign and EMILYs List. But first, I want to tell you a little more about who I am and why I stepped up to run in this toss-up race.

I'm a proud mom of six (yes, six!) wonderful children, and I've spent my career fighting to make things just a little easier for hard-working Michigan families like mine.

I grew up in Portland, Michigan. My dad worked construction, often clocking in 70 to 80 hours a week. When the construction season slowed down and it got cold, he worked snow removal to make ends meet. Like many people in this district, Dad wasn't afraid to get calluses on his hands through a tough day’s work.

Through grit and hard work, my family was able to achieve what I call the Michigan Dream: to own a home, pay the bills, put a little away for retirement, and, every once in a while, have the chance to drive to Disney World. Thanks to my mom and dad, my sisters and I were the first in our family to go to college, and I have been working to uplift families like ours ever since.

I was elected to the Michigan State Senate, where I fight every day to support Michigan families and combat extremism. I led the charge to pass the largest tax cut for working families in Michigan's history. I introduced a plan to address the growing childcare crisis in our state. I've fought to protect abortion rights, and, in one of my first acts in the state Senate, passed a common-sense gun violence prevention bill.

Now, I'm running for Congress because the Michigan Dream is falling out of reach for too many families, and we need to pass solutions through the U.S. Congress that will help level the playing field. I will make sure we invest in our workers and create good-paying jobs right here in Michigan, protect abortion rights, and work to keep our kids safe from the epidemic of gun violence.

But I can't do it without you. This race is a "pure toss-up" and the national GOP is already attacking me. So today I'm coming to you with a humble request: if you believe we need more common-sense leaders in Congress, will you split a donation between my campaign and EMILYs List to help me win this race?

Thanks,

Kristen