Friend – as of 12:00 a.m. ET today, the government has officially shut down. And it's all because President Trump and Republicans refused to negotiate.

When we pitched a sensible plan that'd give the GOP enough votes to keep the government open AND save health care for tens of millions of people – including 280,000 Coloradans – they shot it down.

When we asked them to come to the negotiation table, they refused and canceled bipartisan meetings.

And when we took our concerns to Trump directly, he lied about our efforts to lower health care costs for the American people.

President Trump and the GOP could not care less if:

Well, I care – and if you do too, stand with me to protect Colorado from Trumps' cruelty and chaos and chip in to ensure I have the resources to win the governor's race.

The sad truth is that President Trump cares about two things:

1) Giving TRILLIONS in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans – like himself; and

2) Taking a wrecking ball to our system of checks and balances to ensure he can amass more power.

So for now, I'll be fighting in the Senate to get the government back up and running and stop your health care premiums from skyrocketing in the new year.

As Colorado's next governor, I solemnly vow to do everything in my power to protect your access to health care, your ability to put food on the table and your essential state-run services from Trump's hostile agenda. Because, unlike him, I'm running to be a leader who works for everyone who calls Colorado home – not just the wealthy few. 

But since I'm running a people-powered campaign, I can't bring home the fight to build a brighter future for every Coloradan without you. So please friend, will you rush $5, or the best gift you can make right now, to help me win this race?

Thanks for reading, and for sticking with me through these tough days,

Michael