Folks,

This will be one of the longest emails you’ll ever receive from me, so I’d truly appreciate it if you could take some time out of your day to read it all the way through.

Supporters like you are the heart of this campaign, so I’m going to outline exactly how we plan to win this battleground district the third time around.

But before I do that, I need to ask – will you make a donation of $25 or more towards our FEC goal? Right now, we’re $10,356 behind.

Step 1: Organize in Every Corner of IL-06

When I first announced my candidacy in 2017, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I was a first-time candidate running in a district that Republicans held for nearly half a century without interruption.

But our team worked day-in and day-out speaking with voters of all political backgrounds. In the end, it was enough to overcome millions in outside spending and 46 years of Republican control.

Thanks to thousands of grassroots donors like you, we were able to talk to voters in every corner of the district, run digital and TV ads, and hire phenomenal staff. Without your grassroots support, it wouldn't have been possible to flip this seat. And without you, it won’t be possible to defend it, either. 

Step 2: Put People First, Not Special Interests

Here’s the thing: Running for Congress would be a lot easier if I threw my integrity out the window and sold out to special interests in exchange for a steady stream of cash in my campaign coffers.

Instead, I’ve shut my door to the gun lobby and stood up to giant pharmaceutical companies from day one in office.

Outside groups will rush to support my potential GOP challengers because of it. But I’m not interested in shortcuts at the expense of our community and our values – I’m counting on supporters like you to power this team.

The right thing to do is not always the easy thing – but we’re going to show that we’ve got grassroots support on our side.

Step 3: Forget the Noise, Focus on the Real Issues

I didn’t win over swing voters in 2018 by engaging in political games – I did it by concentrating on the issues that matter most to the families of our district.

As a scientist, I’m committed to ensuring our federal policymaking is based on the best evidence available so that we can find comprehensive solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.

I will never stop fighting for our district and our values, but we’re falling significantly short of our fundraising goal for this quarter. Will you chip in $25 or whatever you can before our FEC deadline to make sure we can fully fund our people-powered campaign to defend IL-06?

Thanks for reading,

Sean Casten