Team,

We’ve come quite a long way since Elissa found out she would be running in Michigan’s new 7th district – and that it was going to be one of the most competitive House races in the country.
 
With our final “end-of-quarter” deadline before Election Day coming up on September 30th, Elissa sent an email earlier with a deep dive into the numbers behind this race. Take a look below.
 
In the meantime, we also wanted to ask if you would be willing to chip in before that September 30th deadline. In one of the ten most competitive House races, we’ve got our work cut out for us – and we’re doing all we can to make the next 40 days count.

Team,

There are only 40 days to go until Election Day on November 8th (and *1* day left until our "end-of-quarter" deadline). So, let me break down the numbers with 40 days left.

First, let’s talk about the new 7th district. After Michigan’s district lines were redrawn at the end of last year I announced that I would be running in the brand new 7th. It’s an area that is quite a bit larger than my current district, and a lot of that area is pretty rural. In total, I’m running to represent 7 counties (a significant increase from the 2.5 I currently represent), and I’ve gained 1,310 square miles and 28,382 more people. 

So how have we been campaigning in the new 7th? Well, in each of my races, I’ve had one of the largest field programs in the country – and this year is no different. To date, we’ve made 174,885 phone calls, knocked on 20,506 doors, and distributed 2,500 yard signs. Mobilizing people in a brand new area – in my case, the three additional counties in the new district – is hard work, so we’ve been hosting “canvas kickoffs” every weekend to train up new volunteers and send them out into their communities. 

But, unfortunately I’m not the only person the folks in the new 7th are hearing from. They are being completely bombarded with attack ads. The spending against me in the new district is really starting to reflect that this is one of the ten most competitive races in the entire country. To date, more than $4.5 million has been spent against me in negative advertising, most of it from super PACs. My opponent has definitely decided to let those outside groups do his talking for him, and at this point, we expect GOP super PACs to spend an additional $4.5 million over the next 6 weeks.

Here are a few more numbers: it costs $5 to make a yard sign; $22 per hour to pay an MSU student organizer for the next 6 weeks of part-time voter registration; and $150 for a canvassing shift at MSU.

With 40 days to go, we’re not leaving anything on the table. So here’s the last set of numbers I’ll throw at you: there *1* day left until our September 30th “end-of-quarter” deadline. It’s our last big deadline before Election Day, meaning that all of the groups across the country who want to see my opponent succeed in the new 7th will be basing their spending off of the numbers we report after the 30th. 

That’s why I’m asking if you’ll chip in anything you’re able to before our "end-of-quarter" deadline tomorrow, September 30th. Let’s make the next 40 days count!