Hey John — I wanted to take a moment to look back on a significant election year: 2010.

At first, it may not be obvious. I instinctively remember that time as having just finished my Master's program at John Hopkins University and starting my job at the Department of Health and Human Services.

But in 2010, two years into President Obama’s historic first term, something happened.

With Democrats holding the majority in both chambers of Congress, grassroots energy was much lower than it was just two years earlier. That November, fewer folks went out to vote in the midterm elections, and as a result, Democrats lost 63 seats in the House of Representatives and 6 seats in the Senate.

The ramifications of that election year were devastating.

Republicans used their power to block President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, and rammed through three of Trump’s hand-picked justices through the confirmation process. This act alone made the horrific overturning of Roe v. Wade this summer possible, but the destruction, unfortunately, doesn’t end there.

They also targeted our health care, and passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the House — risking the health care of millions of Americans and folks, like myself, with preexisting conditions. The list goes on.

The reason I’m telling you all of this is because I don’t want us to count my race — or any race for that matter — as an easy one this year. Because the truth is, it won’t be.

I won my last election by just a few thousand votes, and this time, House Republicans are throwing everything but the kitchen sink into flipping my seat red. They even named me one of their top targets this midterm year, which is why I need a surge of grassroots support to defend this seat and our House majority as a whole.

Now, I’m not telling you this to discourage you — we’ve taken on and won tough challenges before, and I know we can do it again if we all step up and do our part. That’s why I’m coming to you today with a humble request:

Can you pitch in $10 today to support my reelection campaign and help us prepare for the upcoming midterm elections?

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Thank you for helping out. It’ll take a community-led effort to come out on top this November, and I’m so grateful I can count on your support.

— Lauren