Good morning! I’m sitting here at my kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee next to my husband Paul. I’m not sure why this memory popped into my head, but I just started laughing and Paul said I should share it with you too, friend. 

I was a huge smart aleck when I was a kid. I mean, any joke I could crack or prank I could pull, I’d go for it. I was probably about 11 years old when my grandma was driving me and my cousin Kathy on this quiet road in Las Vegas. I kept joking over and over that grandma was driving too slowly. 

I could just tell it was getting under her skin. So I eventually said, “Grandma, I bet I could run faster than you’re driving.” She responded, “Oh, really?” 

My grandma immediately stopped the car, made me get out, then slammed the accelerator. I started running, and she put the pedal to the floor – it had to have been the fastest she'd ever driven. 

I still remember my cousin Kathy's face looking at me out of the car’s back window, laughing uncontrollably as I was running to keep up. 

Finally, my grandma stopped way down the road and waited for me. When I caught up, I was dripping in sweat and she just smiled, let me get back in the car, and didn't say a word – just took off again.

My grandma was tough, kind and loved to laugh. She didn’t just make me run on that road in Las Vegas all those years ago. She gave me the discipline and fierce determination to run as hard as I could – no matter how difficult it was. I wish she could have seen me run to become the first woman from Nevada, and the first Latina ever elected to the Senate.  

OK, I need to finish up my coffee and get to work, but first I have a personal favor to ask: A third new poll shows me trailing my Trump-endorsed opponent and the Democratic Senate majority hinges on my race. Can I count on you to chip in $5 before our critical end-of-month deadline?

Here's the best link to contribute: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/grandma

¡La lucha sigue! The fight continues!

Catherine