John,

December 31 (which is fast approaching!) is our next public end-of-quarter deadline. And it's the first such deadline since I officially began my campaign for the new IL-06. Our fundraising will be heavily scrutinized by political pundits and those trying to stop our people-powered campaign, and the pressure is on for us to put up a strong number.

To stay on pace, we have to meet our mid-month fundraising goal on Wednesday, but we're currently $4,783 short. Can you chip in today to help close the gap?

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

I'm not taking corporate PAC money because I believe in running a campaign that isn't influenced by special interests. The funding of a campaign should reflect that campaign's principles, and I've never backed down from believing that people -- not special interests or political machines -- should come first in our democracy.

So when we face these big deadlines, we're relying first and foremost on supporters like you to make the difference. If we can meet our goals on the strength of grassroots donations, it will go a long way toward showing our viability in advance of a tough primary.

That's why I need your help. Please pitch in $5 before Wednesday so we can meet our mid-month goal.

Thank you so much,

Marie