John — Eddie Geller here! I want to write you a long(ish) note about Punk Rock.

Punk Rock made me who I am today. I’m about to tell you my whole punk story — and why it matters in this election — but first, can you chip in just $5 to this old punk’s campaign to flip FL-15 and defeat my out-of-touch MAGA opponent?

When I was a kid, my first real job was working at the Chuck E. Cheese off of U.S. 19 in Clearwater.

One day while I was counting tokens my boss, Jeff, overheard me listening to some…pretty embarrassing music. The next day, he handed me a mix CD (Remember, this was the early 2000s) and he said “listen to this”.

It had bands I’d never heard of — like Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World, and Jawbreaker.  I didn’t know it yet, but Punk Rock would change my life and make me the person I am today.

As I listened to that CD (over and over and over), a whole new world opened up. Because Punk Rock wasn’t just about the great music — it was political, self-reliant, emotional, and cathartic.

And while my clothes are a little more conventional these days, I still hold on to the lessons I learned from punk.

Resist Greed: From corporations to career politicians, there’s always someone looking to get ahead by exploiting someone else (or even our planet!!). We need to stick together!

Fight Injustice: I learned to fight for what you care about, even if it’s unpopular — and ALWAYS stand up for the underdog.

Think Outside the Box: Through punk, I learned there’s a HUGE world out there to be explored. No one person has all the answers. We ALL need to get more comfortable thinking outside the box and looking for solutions everywhere.

DIY - Do It Yourself: Punk taught me that if you wanted to do something, you didn't need to wait around until someone gave you permission. You could roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

The lessons Punk Rock taught me are the reason I’m here today. I believe that good people need to run for office — because we need good people in Congress who are willing to step up, take risks, and do good things.

But a funny thing happened to me when I first started exploring a run for office: People actually told me I might have to hide my love of punk rock.

Well — I’m not hiding anything, John.

I think Americans are ready for a different kind of politician, one that doesn’t shy away from acknowledging their humanity.

Punk rock changed my life and I’m proud of the lessons it taught me.

So, John — can you help us prove the naysayers wrong by helping this former punk-rock kid flip Florida’s Fifteenth District by chipping in just $5 to my grassroots campaign?

Thanks for reading about my punk story, John.

Eddie Geller

P.S. If any of you out there are screaming, “Those bands are technically emo!” Well, I can’t argue with you on that.