John, can we talk about the state of this race for a moment? I'm ready to lay all my cards out.

The honest truth is that I'm up against opponents who have enough money in the bank to launch multimillion dollar TV ads. And I just don't have the resources to compete with them in California's insanely expensive media market.

But that isn't to say that all hope is lost. Listen, John, as a Black woman, I always knew that I wouldn't raise the same amount as my opponents. On average, Black women fundraise just a fraction of what white candidates do. But I don't need to raise the most money in this race, because I have a powerful platform that is converting voters. 

That's why I know we can still do this. My opponents may be flooding the airwaves with TV ads, but that's not the only way to get out the vote.

Instead, my team is focusing on hiring more organizers, door knockers and phone bankers to continue spreading my progressive message across the state. None of this is cheap. An average yard sign costs about $5. And with 20% of California voters still undecided, our work to get out the vote has never been more important. 

But of course, I can't do this alone. There are only 18 days until the primary election, and I MUST continue to expand my reach until the very last poll closes. That's why I've set a goal to raise $25,000 to help amp up our grassroots operations in key areas across California – and I'm counting on committed team members like you to help. 

So I'm humbly asking, to give my bid for Senate the best possible chance: Will you donate just $5 to my campaign? Now is the time to dig deep so we can show wealthy elites that we CAN build a strong campaign from a grassroots team.

Thank you,

Barbara Lee