Friend: I'm trailing Marco Rubio in the polls – and now, I'm falling behind my critical mid-month fundraising goal. I cannot afford to miss this goal, but here's where things stand:

Polling shows me 2 points down in our race that will decide Senate control. I know that we can overcome this, but missing this goal means making tough decisions like pulling back our efforts to reach Floridians.

Florida's last Senate election was decided by just 0.12 points – only 10,033 votes. In a race this tight, every choice we each make is incredibly impactful. It could be your single donation that lets us knock just enough doors, call just enough voters or run enough ads to push this campaign – our movement – to victory.

The GOP isn't showing any signs of slowing down: Marco Rubio is breaking GOP fundraising records, and Mitch McConnell's special-interest allies are ready to drop hundreds of millions to keep Florida red. National Republicans have already poured in $10 million to keep me and any other Democrat from winning in Florida again.

This is an absolutely critical moment, and I'm counting on grassroots supporters like you to help me fight back against Rubio and the GOP and take the lead. This is about Florida, defending the Senate and protecting our democracy from the GOP's far-right agenda.

So please, friend, I need you to donate $20 right now -- split between my campaign and Debbie Stabenow -- to make up this critical gap before our midnight deadline. Remember, your donation could be the one that stops Rubio and the GOP from flipping the Senate.

Thank you,

Val Demings