Friend, I am all too familiar with the cowardice of Marco Rubio.

Just one week after my daughter Jaime was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I confronted Marco Rubio at a town hall on gun safety. He couldn't even look at me. He refused to work with Parkland survivors to make it more difficult for people to access assault rifles – weapons of war – like the one that killed my Jaime. Since the Parkland shooting, Marco Rubio has continued to oppose several efforts to reduce gun violence. 

Nothing will bring Jaime back, but helping changemakers like Val Demings – a leader who has passed lifesaving gun safety legislation – gives me purpose. I will do anything I can to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate with a strong gun safety advocate like Val Demings. I will do everything I can to end this nation's gun violence epidemic, which is why I'm writing to you today, friend.

CNN is calling Florida a top pickup opportunity for Democrats in November, and recent polling shows Val Demings just 2 points behind Rubio. That means she has a real chance to win the race that experts say could decide Senate control, but she can only do it with the grassroots support of people like you and me.

That's why I'm personally asking today: Will you join me in supporting Val Demings by rushing a contribution of $5 or more now to help her defeat Marco Rubio? 

Each and every day during her service in Congress – especially after the mass shootings in Parkland and at Pulse nightclub in her Orlando-based district – Val Demings has been one of the strongest advocates for gun safety reform.

I'm reaching out and asking you for dollars to meet this midnight goal, but it's about more than that: It's about the people we can save. It's about creating a gun safety majority in the Senate that will enact the policies needed to prevent families like mine from going through any more senseless tragedy.

But while gun lobby-beholden Republicans are funneling upward of $10 million into this race to keep Marco Rubio in the Senate, Val Demings is falling short of her $20,000 fundraising goal. If she doesn't get back on track by midnight, she could be forced to make budget cuts to her campaign – which would be a massive setback in what's shaping up to be the most expensive Senate race in history.

So please, can I count on you to donate $5 or more to help Val Demings win in Florida and make real progress on gun safety? Every dollar you give will build up grassroots resources that Congresswoman Demings needs to compete against massive amounts of GOP money.

Val Demings can only win with the grassroots support of people like you and me, which is why I want to thank you for doing your part to help.

Fred Guttenberg
Gun Violence Survivor
Jaime and Jesse's Dad