Hey team -

In just a moment, I am going to ask you to make a donation to my re-election campaign. But first, I hope you will give me a chance to explain why this request is so important -- especially today.

You see, our final end-of-quarter deadline is coming up at the end of the month. This is an official FEC one. That means that afterward we'll have to publicly report our fundraising numbers.

Reporters and pundits look at these reports very closely. This time they're going to be looking even closer because this is the first full fundraising quarter since Joe Kennedy announced his campaign.

They're going to compare us head-to-head and try to make predictions about this race. They'll look at not just how much we raised, but also how many people chipped in.

That second point is really important. Now, I know that we have the largest movement of people in this race, but I need your help to demonstrate our grassroots strength to everyone.

So we need a large showing of support ahead of this deadline, which is why I need to ask:

Will you make a $3 donation to my campaign today to help us generate as many individual donations as possible before our December 31 deadline? Your contribution will send a powerful message about the depth of our grassroots support.

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Having your support today would mean the world to me, so thank you in advance.

- Ed