Friend,

This is a long but very important email about my upbringing and why I am running Congress. I hope you'll take a moment to read the entire email, then consider splitting $10 between my campaign and Voter Protection Project to fight for an America that upholds our values and where all are welcome.

With my graduating medical school class in Pakistan.

I was raised in a rural village in Eastern Pakistan.

I loved my community, but I learned early on our society had deep issues.

You couldn't imagine the hatred many held for the Jewish and LGBTQ communities. And when I was growing up, school was just for boys. Women either could not attend or were discouraged from doing so.

Like so many who come to America, I wanted a better life. It was especially important for me to raise my children in a place that valued freedom and the equality of every person -- free of the strict rules I had to abide by as a kid.

After earning my medical degree in 1991, I immigrated to Lexington, Kentucky to pursue a career in medicine.

I have a deep appreciation for the freedoms and opportunities provided in this country -- and not a day goes by that I don’t work to give back.

In addition to my medical practice, I have played leading roles with organizations like UNICEF and the Valley Rescue Mission to eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness across Southern California. And if any patient comes to my practice without insurance, we don’t ask for payment.

I'm running for Congress because everything that made the United States the "City upon a Hill" I immigrated to is crumbling in front of us. Our rights and freedoms are being picked apart by radicals. Here in Orange County, extremism and outright racism are at all-time highs.

Our district is home to one of the largest Asian communities in the country, yet our incumbent Congresswoman Young Kim refuses to speak out against the spike in anti-Asian hate incidents we’ve faced. John, we can't expect to uphold and protect our values as Americans when politicians make their careers by sowing hate and division.

I know more than most that we are trending in the wrong direction, and I refuse to sit on the sidelines -- not with our children's future at stake. That’s why I’m in this race and asking for your support:

I know we can win this race. It's going to take a lot of grassroots support from across our OC community and beyond. Will you split $10 between my campaign and Voter Protection Project to flip CA-40 and restore compassion and unity to this district and Congress?

Let's get to work,

Dr. Asif Mahmood