Friend: I just received the latest on Sen. Marco Rubio's fundraising results and what we're up against in this battleground race. It's not good. 

Marco Rubio just raised $6 million in the span of a few months, which means he is still ahead of me with a campaign war chest of almost $10 million. 

He's breaking GOP Senate records, and this doesn't include the more than $75 million that the Senate Republican campaign arm has raised and can funnel into Florida to protect Rubio and dismantle our Democratic Senate majority.

Friend, I need to be completely frank with you: We're going to be outspent. We will always be the underdog in this race. But we have a real chance of defeating Marco Rubio (polling shows us in a statistical tie). This isn't going to be easy, friend. Despite The Cook Political Report increasing my chances of winning, my biggest obstacle is matching Rubio in fundraising. We're seeing that truth right here, right now.

But I've never tired of a challenge in my life, and I'm not tiring now. The good news is this: Our grassroots movement is powered by more than a quarter of a million donors giving about $28 each when they can. If we come together and rise to this moment, we can flip Florida blue and protect our Democratic Senate majority in the process. And we can't afford to slow down – that's why I'm turning to you in the face of the GOP establishment and special interests lining up behind Rubio to defeat me. 

Friend, I'm counting on you to help me pull ahead in this race – because every dollar will make a difference considering the final result in 2018 was decided by less than a single percentage point. We can't let up. So please, will you donate $5 or more – whatever you can in the wake of this major cash advantage by Rubio – so we can strengthen our campaign, flip Florida blue and defend our Democratic Senate majority?

Thank you,

Val Demings