John,

I’m Hala Ayala, and I’m running to be Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor.

I'm announcing my candidacy today for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia because as a Delegate in the Virginia General Assembly, I've seen, firsthand, the best and the worst that America has to offer, and I know how to move us forward.

I'm the daughter of an immigrant and helped win the fight to guarantee drivers licenses for immigrants in Virginia. I'm a woman and helped carry the historic ratification of the ERA in Virginia. I've experienced the crippling debt from student loans that burden many of our young people across the country, and I helped squash payday lending in Virginia. My father was a victim of gun violence, and I voted to mandate background checks, close the gun show loophole, and empower responsible, safe gun ownership in Virginia.

I understand and have personally experienced so many of the struggles Virginians -- and Americans across the country -- are faced with every day. And now, after working as a State Delegate with the most progressive General Assembly ever elected in Virginia, I know we have the power to move forward together, and I know what it'll take to get it done.

So, what will it take? For starters, I need all of you to have my back.

We'll need an unprecedented amount of energy, a broad coalition that looks like the Commonwealth, and a clear focus on the issues that matter most to working Virginians and their families. But right here, right now, I need resources to help get our campaign off the ground.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 in our first week, and I want you to be one of my campaign’s founding donors. Will you make a donation of $1, $10, $50, or whatever is meaningful to you right now to help us get off to a running start?

I am a product of the American Dream, and I know that it still exists. But for far too many, the American Dream is simply out of reach. Some even say it no longer exists.

I'm running to make sure all Virginians know the American Dream is within their reach -- to know that access to affordable health care, to quality, high-paying jobs, to a liveable climate and community, to equal protection and opportunity regardless of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation are within reach.

I've been lucky to know that America and Virginia have always had my back. I'm running to make sure every single person in Virginia knows that we have theirs.

Thank you,

Hala

P.S. Your donation today helps us build the grassroots team we need to win this election. Will you be one of our founding donors with a contribution of $5 or whatever you can to help us meet our $25,000 goal?