When I got in this race, John, a lot of people asked me, “why this race?”

I’m in this race for my father — an immigrant from Ecuador. Like any migrant laborer, he went where the work was. We moved from Chicago to Newark to Cleveland as a kid. I was raised by a lot of people; aunts and uncles, mom and dad.

I’m in this race for my mother. She became a mother for the first time at 14 years old and would go on to raise five children. When I was a kid, I watched her, like millions of Americans, ration her insulin because she couldn’t afford the prescription she needed.

I’m in this race for my newborn son: Michael Maximiliano Ortega. He was born just a few weeks ago and being a dad is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. But I’m concerned about the air he’ll breathe and the water he’ll drink. I’m concerned about what we’re leaving behind for him — for his future.

I’m in this race for the people of Anaheim, Santa Ana, and The City of Orange. There’s a history here of the American working class struggle that’s intertwined with workers rights and immigrant rights. This district deserves someone who knows their struggle — who’s lived their struggle — and won’t just show up when it’s time to shake hands at an event with cameras.

I'm not in this race to get big checks from pharmaceutical companies or big oil and gas. I'm in this race to fight for you.

So, if you can, please chip in $5, $10, or $25 to our campaign. We’re building a movement of everyday people ready to send a real representative to Washington to fight the big fights.

In solidarity // En solidaridad,

Mike