I have a rare 15 minutes, friend. Between serving in Congress and running a battleground race for Senate, an empty block of time in my calendar doesn't come around so often.

Sometimes, it means a few minutes in silence to clear my mind and have a decent cup of coffee. Other times it means checking in with my husband, Jerry, or our children and grandchildren. But right now, it means time to reflect on what this race means to me.

Growing up, people like me didn't exactly anticipate serving in Congress. My family and I – we were always just trying to get by. I can close my eyes even now and still picture it: that two-room house in Jacksonville, seven children running around (me, the youngest), and my mom and dad working hard just to put food on the table. Of course life was tough, but we had each other. We had love. We persevered.

I did my part to pull my weight. I worked as a dishwasher in a retirement home when I was 14. At 16, I worked at both Dairy Queen and McDonald's. It was Mom who always said she saw something special in me. She brought out my drive. She told me I was destined for something. How can you ignore a mother's words like that? I sure didn't. Her belief in me has powered my entire life.

My mom, Elouise, is on my mind a lot these days. I think about what she saw in me, what she believed in, when I was just a young girl. I think about the ancestors I never knew who were enslaved people, who knew that they wouldn't make it but dreamed and prayed their descendants would. That I would.

My spare minutes are almost up, friend – so here's what I want to leave you with. Our present is nothing without our past, and that goes double for the future. I know this is a tough race, but I've seen tough up close and personal too many times to count: as a young Black girl who grew up poor in the South, as a law enforcement officer of 27 years and as a member of Congress.

Success all comes down to leveraging our very best and fighting our hearts out until the very end – and I want you to know I'm humbled by the support from each and every one of you. Only in America could a poor, Black girl from the South have a story of opportunity like mine – and I want every Floridian to have that opportunity, which is why I'm running to be their next senator. 

Thanks for this little bit of time. But because this is the toughest political race of my life, and the future of our Senate majority is on the line, you know I can't sign off without asking just once. If you believe in this race, if you believe in me and have faith we can flip Florida blue and win a better future for our state and country, then chip in whatever you can using the following link. Any amount truly helps: secure.actblue.com/donate/vd_senate-fr-email

Warmly,

Val Demings