Friends, I’m willing to bet you’re getting increasingly urgent emails this week about the upcoming FEC quarterly deadline on Sept. 30. This is a little different because I want to take a minute to explain what this is all about and why you’re getting all these urgent requests. A sort of FEC FAQs, if you will. What is the FEC? The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent government agency tasked with overseeing how money is raised and spent in federal elections and enforcing campaign finance laws. Every person running for federal office has to file with the FEC. What’s the deal with these quarterly deadlines? Campaigns are required by law to report their fundraising numbers to the FEC – including how much they’ve raised and how many donations they’ve received. This happens at the end of each quarter: March 31, June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31. Who can access the data campaigns report to the FEC? Everyone. Seriously. The fundraising numbers reported to the FEC are a matter of public record, available for anyone to see on the FEC website. Supporters. Opponents. Media. You can go to FEC.gov right now and find that the top-raising campaigns of 2026 are the Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia, Texas and Ohio (I share this as an example, but also because it’s a fact giving me a lot of hope for November). But that’s why we talk so much about these deadlines – because you can bet our Republican counterparts are watching for our latest numbers, ready to pounce at any sign of weakness. Why does THIS deadline, Sept. 30, 2026, feel even more urgent? If you feel like you’re getting even more requests for support ahead of this Wednesday’s deadline than you did in, say, March or June, it’s because you probably are. This is the last FEC quarterly deadline before Election Day on Nov. 3. Candidates and committees are making their final decisions about where to send resources – and this deadline forces everyone to show their hand. I can only give a small amount. Does it really make a difference? Yes, absolutely. These FEC reports show how much a candidate raises, but they also show how many people donated. That’s a chance to show our grassroots power. A thousand $10 gifts from grassroots donors might technically be the same amount as two $5,000 donations – but wouldn’t you rather have a team of 1,000 than a team of two? This is where Democrats can show a real advantage over extremist Republican candidates and their billionaire allies. This is how movements happen. This is how we flip the Senate. This is how we neutralize Donald Trump’s power. We have just a little over 72 hours to prove that Democrats have the grassroots power to flip the Senate in a blue wave on Nov. 3. Your gift of $10 – or anything at all – can help us do that. No pressure – I did say the point of this post was to explain what FEC deadlines are all about, and that’s true – but I’d sure appreciate your support in our fight to take back the Senate majority. Especially because the minute polls close on November 3rd, the GOP will be looking for their next targets. And Nevada will certainly be in their sights. I hope this was helpful, and I look forward to working with all of you to flip the Senate blue. ¡La lucha sigue! The fight continues! Catherine A personal note from Catherine Cortez Masto: I am the product of my parents’ American dream: the granddaughter of Mexican and Italian immigrants, the first generation in my family to graduate college, the first woman elected senator in Nevada and the first Latina senator in the entire country. I have always believed that if you’re willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should have every opportunity to succeed. But that’s gotten harder and harder. Thanks to Donald Trump and the GOP majorities in Congress, we are paying more for less. Critical programs our families rely on, like Medicare and Social Security, are at risk. Our fundamental rights are under attack and so are many of our communities. I’m not giving up. I never will, and I hope you won’t either. This fall, we have a chance to win a Senate majority for Democrats and finally gain the power to block Donald Trump’s harmful agenda. I know we can do it, but I also know it’ll take ALL of us working together. So please, if you’re with me, will you chip in now to help flip the Senate?
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