Friend --

From the day I decided to run for office, I vowed that I would never take a dime from lobbyists, special interests, or other members of Congress. I want to tell you more about what that "other members of Congress" part means, because it's important.

But first, will you chip in toward our mid-month goal? We need to bring in 1,000 grassroots donations before midnight Friday to go toe-to-toe with the GOP's money machine, and I hope you'll be one of them.

Here's a little-known fact about Congress: Most members have "leadership PACs," pots of money separate from their regular campaign funds. They use them to give campaign contributions to other members of their party.

But leadership PACs are rife with legal loopholes: The money is overwhelmingly from special interests, and members of Congress spend it in all kinds of ways: supporting other candidates' campaigns, yes, but also to pay for lavish vacations, expensive dinners, and exclusive club memberships.

Fewer than 10% of Congress members run their campaigns without leadership PACs -- and I'm one of them. That makes it tougher to finance a campaign, but makes it a whole lot easier to stay responsive to the will of voters.

So as we approach our mid-month fundraising deadline, I'm personally asking: Will you chip in $10 or another amount before Friday, so we can keep building a campaign that answers to people, not PACs?

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