Hi friend, it's Abby, reaching out about my campaign to defeat Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) in Iowa – and today, I'm asking you to make your very first contribution by donating $5. I hope you'll allow me a moment to explain why.

I have every intention of defeating Sen. Grassley – and right now, he's vulnerable: Only 27% of likely Iowa voters say they want to reelect him to an eighth term. But Republicans know just as well as you and I that Sen. Grassley is on thin ice with Iowans, and they will spend heavily to protect him. In fact, just this year alone, the campaign arm of the Senate Republicans has raised $76 million.

To compete against the massive resources of national Republicans, I need to build up the strongest grassroots movement possible: Made up of committed supporters like you, donating $5, $10, $20 at a time to flip Iowa blue and protect our Senate majority.

Friend, with Sen. Grassley as vulnerable as he is, the Senate Republicans' campaign arm and Fox News are already attacking me. This race will be a marathon, not a sprint, so I'm counting on early and strong support by hitting my next $25,000 mid-month fundraising goal tomorrow. Please, will you donate your first $5 to our campaign today so we can defeat Sen. Grassley in Iowa and protect our Senate majority?

As a young woman in public service, I can't count the number of times I've been underestimated or counted out. But I'm never one to back down from a challenge, and I know the power of hard work: I won an election against a  man twice my age, flipped a House seat blue and became the youngest woman to pass legislation through the House.

At the end of the day, that's what flipping this seat blue and protecting Senate control is going to take: hard work. And lots of it, too.

It's my parents who taught me the value of seeing work to be done and doing it. Our family has a tradition of public service going back generations: from one of my grandfathers who was a firefighter, to another who served in World War II. Their service inspires me to show up for my community and do the work – and right now, working families in communities across Iowa are being failed by a senator who has left them behind. It's time to change that.

The work ahead to defeat Grassley will be hard, but I know that with a movement of committed grassroots supporters like you, we can – and will – win. So please, friend, can you commit to being a part of this movement by donating your first $5 before my mid-month fundraising deadline? Every donation puts us one step closer to flipping Iowa blue and protecting our Senate majority.

Thank you for standing with me and doing all that you do.

With deep gratitude,

Abby