John, when I was a kid growing up with a single mom in Dallas, we couldn't afford to travel much.

Summer vacation was an eight-hour drive to Brownsville to see my grandma, and I got carsick every time.

But from an early age, my mom taught me to love reading and that I could travel anywhere through books. Reading helped me gain perspective on the world and my place in it. To this day, my favorite is "The Count of Monte Cristo" – and I can't wait until my boys are old enough to enjoy it.

It's because of books that the kid in this photo learned to dream big and made it all the way to the halls of Congress. Now, he's taking on Ted Cruz – a guy who wants to BAN books about anything he doesn't agree with.

We're so close to finally sending Ted Cruz packing – and if we can win in Texas, Democrats will almost certainly hold the Senate. But this is one of the most expensive races in the country, so I have to ask: Will you chip in $5 or more to help me win and finally bid farewell to Ted Cruz?

From book bans to abortion bans, Ted Cruz and his anti-freedom policies are completely out of touch with what everyday Texans want and need. He's one of the most divisive politicians in our country, and if you ask me, his time is up.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Political forecasters at CNN have named Cruz the most vulnerable GOP Senator in the country, and the last three polls show us statistically tied.

Texans are ready for change, and if we can keep up our grassroots momentum for the next 80 days, we can win this thing.

But I can't do that without your help, John. We need to raise $100,000 a day to keep reaching undecided Texas voters, and unlike Ted, my campaign isn't being propped up by far-right super PACs – so I'm counting on grassroots donors like YOU! Please give $5 or more now to help me defeat Ted Cruz and protect our Democratic Senate majority.

Thank you so much,

Colin