Hi folks,

Did you know that if we win this November, I’ll become the very first African American governor in the 186 years since Arkansas was admitted to the Union?

In fact, it hasn’t been that long since our state’s governors’ office openly promoted bigotry and racial segregation. I’m sure many of the elders reading this email know the story of the Little Rock Nine (kids, go look it up!) — and if that governor got his way back then, our schools might still be segregated now, making it that much harder for kids who look like many of us to achieve their dreams.

It’s an honor and a privilege to be your Democratic candidate for governor, and I’m not taking a moment of it for granted. If I could go back and tell young Chris that I’m here today, he wouldn’t believe his eyes.

It’s time we chart a new course for our state. But we’ll need your support to sprint across the finish line. Can you chip in $5 or anything you can spare to help us start off October strong? Any amount — even just a few dollars — will help elect me as Arkansas’ first African American governor.

Arkansas hasn’t had a Black governor yet, but we’ve still got a rich history of African American politicians who paved the way for me to be in this position. 

I’m standing on the shoulders of giants — names like Jerry Jewell and Irma Hunter Brown — whose contributions to our state and our country are too vast for one email. Those women and men have helped shape my understanding of what it means to be a public servant for all Arkansans.

Walking in that legacy is undoubtedly a tall task, but it’s a challenge I’m prepared to meet. Arkansas deserves better than what our current leadership is giving us, and a vote for my opponent won’t just be a vote for the status quo — it’ll give her a mandate to make things even worse. 

Our state deserves a governor willing to walk in the shoes of its people, and my family has known for over 200 years just what that’s like. As a seventh-generation Arkansan, I know what this campaign represents — not just for me and my family, but for other families and their children who will see that they can reach for the stars, too.

We’re just weeks away from one of the biggest elections in Arkansas’ storied history. Please, make a donation before midnight tonight to help me fight for every Arkansan in the governor’s office. There’s no better time to pitch in than now.

Let’s roll!

Chris