Hey folks — I have about 15 free minutes in my schedule today, so I wanted to take a moment to share something with you.

When I was little, I was just about the worst baseball player Little League had ever seen. I was small, skinny, and younger than all of the other kids. And by the time I turned 12, I accepted the hard truth: that I would never be able to hit a ball. But my dad loved baseball. And I was determined to keep playing in his memory.

So every day, my teammate Henry and I would work on my pitches. For hours at a time, I’d throw and throw and throw. After two years of backyard throwing, my curveballs finally started to well... curve.

The Hickenlooper Curve, we called it.

Then, the guys who used to laugh at the small, skinny kid on the pitching mound started striking out — and I learned one of the greatest lessons about determination, hard work, and perseverance.

Here’s why I’m telling you this: this story is why I remain grounded amid the partisan politics and nonsense happening in our government.

Because with all the chaos in Washington, you need somebody who will roll up their sleeves and get to work. You need someone who is willing to fight and work twice as hard to ensure the most vulnerable among us are taken care of.

But now, Mitch McConnell is hellbent on retaking the Senate majority, undoing all of the progress we have made, and blocking us from moving our nation forward. He's calling up his big donors and launching attacks against vulnerable Democrats as we speak.

Look, I’ve dealt with my fair share of schoolyard bullies, and I believe we can overcome them with you on our team. We did it once before, and with Election Day less than three months away, we're counting on you again. So, I’m asking:

Will you make a donation right now to support our work to protect and expand our Senate majority this November? Anything you can give would mean the world to me.

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Thanks for everything you do to support our team.

Let’s strike ‘em out.

— John