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There is a very generous donor who sends a contribution every time I send an email. I started to worry about whether that person could afford it — whether all that generosity is worth it.

But one of my volunteers said something that completely changed my perspective: “Sally, we are giving to your campaign because it’s ours. We are invested in this fight.”

When we see immigrant families ripped apart in Texas and feel ashamed about our country, we choose to invest in change.

When we have to look our children in the eye and tell them we don’t know if we can keep them safe at school, we choose to invest in change.

When we see racist policies preventing people of color from voting, and entire communities under constant threat of disproportionate prosecution from our justice system, we choose to invest in change.

Our campaign doesn’t have big interests like corporate PACs backing us. It’s going to be a tough fight to win against the thousands of dollars the GOP will spend to stay in power. But we have something just as powerful. We have you.

And the GOP machine underestimates how invested you are winning this fight. We have met 15% of our goal of having 500 donors contribute $100 each. Thank you for what you have done and let’s keep it up. Give more or less as you are able, but, one way or another, invest in the fight.

And if you can’t give financially, forward this email to a progressive friend who can. Or volunteer. But please, invest in change.

Sally

Dear Supporters,

They say, “it takes a village.” The adage certainly applies to political campaigns!

This week we filed our formal January 31 campaign finance disclosure. Our report says that, together, we have raised more than $115,000 to challenge incumbent Fran Millar in State Senate 40, Georgia’s most flippable senate district. To say this is a big milestone is an understatement! It shows both broad and deep support for our mission and our approach.

Successful campaigns never really stop until the last vote is cast on election day, but I’d like to pause a moment to say thank you to all of you who are working so hard with us.

It’s overwhelming to flip through my ten page document of individual donors — hundreds and hundreds of people — seeing the names of everyone who has given to this campaign. But this list of donors doesn’t even come close to representing what has been given in time and talent to this effort. This IS what democracy looks like!

Campaigns are expensive. And while I wish we could use that $115,000 to buy a homeless family a little house, I realize we are investing in something much bigger. We are working to create a government that reflects our values of inclusiveness, fairness, and equality. And that is worth the money!

So thank you, everyone, who has given time, talent, and money. We have an incredibly robust start and we’ll continue to grow as 2018 unfolds. I look forward to doing that with you.

Sally

Campaigns have gotten more expensive over the past 20 years. I won my first race for the Georgia House with $20,000. But to flip the 40th State Senate district this year, we need to raise at least $300,000.

Direct mail is still the best way to get our message to voters. Each direct mail piece costs about $1 to produce and mail. We need votes from about 41,000 people to win, and past experience says we need to reach them with our message about six times for it to stick. That’s $246,000 right there.

That sounds like a lot, but I know we can do it.

Our next campaign finance report is due January 31st, and it’s the last report before qualification happens in March.

A strong report will show the Republican incumbent, Sen. Fran Millar, that our voices should be taken seriously.

It’s been years since Fran had a truly competitive opponent, but we’re about to change that. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got 54% of the vote in our district. Sen. Millar knows his incumbency is at risk, but he continues to rave on Facebook about how great President Trump is, as if the majority of his constituents doesn’t exist.

Your donation before January 31 will help give us that strong finance report, and will help get our message out to voters so we can flip District 40 and put a fresh progressive voice in the legislature.

Any amount you can offer supports our campaign. If you are able to donate $250, that really makes a difference in reaching our goal. Or, you could consider starting a $25/month recurring donation which would add up to $250 by November! I personally see every donation that comes in. Each one, no matter the size, motivates me to run harder.

As a State Senator, I will fight for accessible and affordable healthcare; a cleaner environment; and a quality education for every child, regardless of the zip code they live in.

That’s why I’m running for the 40th State Senate District, and why I hope you’ll consider making a contribution so we can flip this district.

Where to Give: Online at www.sallyharrell.org, or by mail to P.O. Box 941365, Atlanta, GA 31141 (make your check payable to Committee to Elect Sally Harrell and list your occupation and employer).

Sally