Friend --

A lot happened this month. There was a special election in CA-25, and unfortunately it wasn’t pretty. It resulted in the first House pickup by the Republicans in California since 1998.

But get this: According to Daily Kos, the last time something like this happened in California was when our current Republican opponent David Valadao “de facto” flipped CA-21 in 2012. It was a newly drawn district then, and 79% of the constituents were previously represented by a Democrat.

Needless to say, now all eyes are on my race:

1. We’re the lone tossup race in the entire state of California.
2. I’m the only incumbent Democrat in the country with less cash on hand than my opponent (Valadao).
3. Republican PAC money is already pouring into our race -- including $1.6 million in TV reservations.

If we don’t turn this around, things aren’t going to look good for us come November. The good news is we have a chance to recapture the momentum:

Will you step up to make your very first donation to my campaign? Help us send a message that we can beat back the Republicans right here in CA-21. Even $3 will go a long way.

We’ll check in with you later this week to let you know how close we are to our goal. With your support, I’m confident we’ll meet it.

Thanks in advance,

TJ