In just a moment, I am going to ask you to contribute to my campaign because we are exactly one month away from the biggest public fundraising deadline of our campaign, and we have a long way to go to hit our $300,000 goal. If you don’t have time to read this whole email, you can contribute here, but I hope you’ll let me explain why your support today is so important.

Honestly, Team: nothing in my life has come easy.

Both of my parents passed away by the time I was twelve, and like many kids who have experienced trauma, I struggled as a teenager and was kicked out of school.

While many people could have given up on me, phenomenal public school educators saw my potential and saved my life. They inspired me to become a teacher myself— and eventually, to become President Obama’s Secretary of Education.

I was given a second chance, and now I’m running for governor of Maryland to ensure others get the same opportunity to succeed, but I can’t do it without your support. Will you please pitch in today to make sure we hit this ambitious $300,000 goal? Whether you can give $3, $10, $25, $100, or even $1,000, your donation goes a long way in making an impact.

I knew when I got into this race that it wouldn’t be easy, and now our campaign is just one month away from our biggest challenge so far. On January 12, our campaign will file our fundraising numbers with the Maryland Board of Elections — and our campaign has set an ambitious goal to raise $300,000 through online donations ahead of this major public deadline.

The strength of fundraising numbers on that January report will directly reflect the strength of this campaign, and with so much at stake after what we saw in Virginia, it’s crucial that our campaign has the resources to flip Maryland blue in 2022.

Please, contribute now to make sure we can hit this $300,000 goal and show up strong for this filing deadline. I know that Marylanders are ready to move forward and realize my vision for a more equitable future, and our campaign is counting on your support to have the resources to do so. Together, we can deliver on the promise of real change and improve the lives of countless Marylanders.

Thank you for believing in our campaign,

John