John, I know you don’t normally hear from me, so I wanted to take a second to introduce myself. But if you’re short on time, will you chip in $15 to support ASPIRE before midnight? >>

I’m the first African American to represent the Pacific Northwest in Congress and one of the first Korean American women to serve in Congress.

And I’m honored to be elected as the first Korean American Chair of ASPIRE.

But my story doesn’t start there.

My parents met and got married while my father was stationed in Korea. I was five years old when he was transferred to Fort Lee and our family moved to Virginia in 1967.

As a young child in the segregated South, I saw just how cruel people could be toward families like mine. My parents suffered discrimination and unspeakable racism.

But that did not stop my parents from teaching me to value hard work, fighting for what’s right, serving my community, and standing up for the underdog.

It’s because of those values that I am humbly asking you to join me in supporting ASPIRE -- one of the most effective organizations dedicated to electing more diverse Democrats like me to Congress. In 2024, ASPIRE made a six-figure investment to get out the vote in key swing states. We had historic victories electing Andy Kim to the Senate and electing Derek Tran and Dave Min to Congress. Now, we need your help to keep up the fight. I’ve set an ambitious goal to raise $5,000 in the next 10 hours so ASPIRE can continue the grassroots work to elect more diverse Democrats to office, flip the House, and reclaim the Senate Majority. Can I count on your $15 before midnight? >>

John, this fight is incredibly personal to me.

While in Congress, I’ve watched a conservative Supreme Court overturn reproductive freedom and Republicans rush to pass a slew of anti-choice laws in individual states and nationally.

I watched the same insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6th run on dangerous, anti-democratic platforms – and some of them won.

And we all watched as violence increased across the country – especially against AAPI and Black communities.

That’s why it’s more critical than ever that those communities can see themselves represented in Congress – and why ASPIRE needs the resources to make that happen.

After our massive get out the vote campaign, Republicans have the slimmest House Majority in nearly a century. And three Republican-held House seats headed to special elections. We have a chance to narrow their majority and stop their dangerous agenda in its tracks. But Republicans are already padding their war chests at mega-fundraisers with wealthy donors to save their majority and defeat our Democrats. So it’s VITAL that we hit our $5,000 midnight goal and close our budget gap. John, I’m personally asking: Will you pitch in $15 ASAP? With your help, we can keep ASPIRE from falling behind in this critical moment. >>

Thank you,
Marilyn

Representative, WA-10
ASPIRE PAC Chair