We’re about 48 hours away from the last FEC filing deadline before 2026, so I’m willing to bet that your inboxes (and your text messages) are totally overflowing with fundraising requests right now.
Most of them are probably slightly panicked. Urgently asking you to rush a donation. Maybe making ambitious promises about what donating will do, or even trying to scare you about what not donating will do.
I hate those dramatic and often fearmongering emails and texts, and I know I’m not alone in that! But I do understand how and why they end up getting sent out, so let me explain:
These FEC finance reports might seem arbitrary, but they have wide-reaching implications for campaigns. Strong reports can lead to additional support, positive press coverage, and larger investments from allies.
Weak reports have the opposite effect. People don’t really enjoy supporting candidates they don’t feel can win, so a weak finance report throws cold water on any momentum they might’ve had. Plus, it can be like blood in the water for an opponent — if they know someone isn’t raising enough money to compete, they’ll treat it as an opening to push harder.
I am 100% opposed to scaring people into donating with false urgency and fake deadlines — and I hope you can tell that from the kind of emails I send you! At the same time, candidates face real consequences when these FEC deadlines come around, and right now more than ever before, we’re in a really tough fundraising environment.
I don’t talk about these deadlines as often as other candidates because, many times, I’m in a good spot with campaign fundraising and I want to keep my focus on talking about the issues that matter to all of us.
This deadline, though, I am coming to you. Right now, my team is preparing for my own re-election because under these new maps, the boundaries of CA-51 (my district) have shifted, making my race slightly more competitive. And we’re mapping out all the ways we can support other Democrats around the country next year, from vulnerable incumbents to exciting new challengers looking to flip seats.
All of that takes resources, so we’re trying to raise another $15,000 online before the end of the year. Reaching that goal ahead of this FEC deadline on Wednesday will have an impact on how much we can do next year.
So if you can afford to contribute, will you chip in towards our goal today? Our average donation to emails this month is $28, but any amount will make a difference. You can give by clicking this link or the buttons below.
