John, when I started my M.B.A. at the University of Delaware as a young man, I realized something: I'm a numbers guy.

There's certainty, solutions, and clarity in numbers. I loved that there was always a right answer if you could balance a sheet or figure out how to apply the right formula. And when I graduated, I was determined to find a way to use this love of numbers to serve my state.

So, at just 29, I ran for State Treasurer – and I won. When I took the oath of office for the first time, Delaware had the worst credit rating of any state in America, and families were dealing with the effects. So from day one on the job, I dove into the numbers to fix things. Six years later, we restored that credit rating to a respectable “AA" – but there was more work to be done.

So I ran for governor and led our state to create eight balanced budgets – with tax cuts for families in seven of those eight years. By listening to the data, we saw record growth in employment and a reduction in state debt, all of which led to Delaware earning AAA credit ratings for the first time in our state’s history. 

And now, as a U.S. Senator, I am still following the numbers. In Congress, I curb waste in government spending; I make sure big corporations pay their fair share; I dig into the data so that we're ready to combat climate change; and I fight to win hardworking Americans the stimulus they need.

But the numbers I am most concerned about right now are 50 and 50 – the Democratic and Republican split in the U.S. Senate.

That's why I need your help with the numbers this fall. I need your help turning out the vote. I need your help expanding our Democratic majority so we're not hanging onto Senate control by a thread – so that the numbers are on our side when it comes to passing big legislation. And I need your help meeting our grassroots fundraising goal before midnight tonight so that we can make all of this happen.

That's why I have to ask: Will you chip in $5 – or whatever you can spare – before tonight's deadline to help me defend our Senate majority, defeat GOP extremism, and follow the numbers to victory in November?

If you stand with us, I know that the numbers will be on our side this fall.

The fight continues,

Tom