I’m used to being written off, friend.

When I first ran for Congress in 1997, nobody thought I would win. And when an extremely popular challenger jumped into the race, we faced an uphill battle.

I remember huddling with one of my staffers at the time, and she said, “Well Tammy, maybe you want to rethink what you’re doing because it’s going to be tough.”

I looked her right in the eye and asked, “Do you think I should wait my turn?”

The next thing I said was this: I believe that women have to run — especially when it’s hard — and not wait for permission. We can’t wait until we get a tap on our shoulder, or we’ll never get anywhere.

I ended up winning that race and became the very first woman elected to Congress in Wisconsin. It wouldn’t be the last time this team would make history.

Because when I ran for U.S. Senate in 2012, folks like you fought alongside me — even as they wrote us off. You helped me become the first woman elected to the chamber from our state and the first openly gay Senator in our nation’s history.

In 2018 and 2024, despite being a top target for national Republicans both times, you stood with me again and we won re-election.

Time and again, grassroots supporters like you have defied the odds. The fight to undo the damage that Donald Trump has caused and make real change in Washington will be no different.

I’m reaching out to you today to ask that you help us meet our mid-September fundraising goal and help us build the movement that will continue to fight for what’s right. You can chip in right here:

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Over the years, our team has weathered just about every storm — from outside groups spending millions against us to nasty right-wing attacks — only to get back up and keep fighting.

I’m so grateful to have you on this team. 

— Tammy