Friends -

When I decided to run for U.S. Senate, I knew that my path here would be different than most.

I don't come from a wealthy family. I didn't enter this race with a bunch of wealthy donors lining up to write big checks to this campaign.

My mom was a public school teacher and my dad built catalytic converters at the General Motors plant. Those jobs were our family's ticket to the middle class.

Ever since I was a little kid, my parents taught me never to settle for what is, but to reach for what can be. It was how I graduated high school at the age of 16 and went on to be elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly when I was 25.

Then, after careful thought and consideration, I decided to get in this race to defeat Ron Johnson.

It was a big decision. I knew that this was going to be one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races in the entire country. And it is a race that we must win if we're going to defend the Democratic Senate majority.

But I was willing to bet that if I decided to run, people would come together in large numbers to be a part of this campaign. Because the truth is that no single person can flip Wisconsin's Senate seat alone. It will only happen if we're in this together.

So today, I need your help to reach the goals we've set for our campaign.

These goals are not arbitrary. They're what we need to raise to flip Wisconsin's Senate seat for Democrats.

So I am asking:

Can you please split a $5 contribution between my campaign for U.S. Senate and Blue Senate Candidate Fund? Any amount you can give will fund the crucial investments we need to make to win this race.

Every donation will help put us in a position to flip this seat. Thank you for chipping in today, if you can afford it.

All my best,

Mandela