Before we move on to Round 3 of the State Slate, I have a special fundraising request—the State Slate supplemental! Basically, the Iowa polls are extremely close, and there are two more great candidates we can help, one of whom just entered an uncontested race last week. Thread:

This is Charles Clayton, running in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Charles is the founder of Athletes for Education and Success (AFES), which mentors at-risk kids. He's running in the only Iowa district that flipped from blue to red in 2018, and where the incumbent was about to win unopposed.

You can read a short profile of Charles here ( https://iowastartingline.com/2020/08/06/fort-dodge-community-leader-charles-clayton-announces-run-for-iowa-house/), along with this longer interview from 2018 ( https://www.messengernews.net/opinion/local-columns/2018/10/charles-clayton-shares-his-lessons/). I encourage you to take a minute to meet this impressive man!

The second candidate I want to help is Deb Jensen, running in Iowa HD-7, in Forest City. Deb is a dynamo, a retired registered nurse of 34 years who also ran a small business while raising 4 kids. Like Charles this year, she stepped up to run in 2018 when no one else would.

The goal here is not just to help great people (though it's very satisfying). But Deb and Charles are both bringing out Democratic votes in western Iowa, the poorer, more rural half of the state that national Democrats just don't campaign in. Those votes are gettable, and count!

Deb has a great head for fundraisers, and every once in a while sends me a pic. Here's her "candy date with the candidate" Valentine's Day fundraiser, from before covid times when you could still do in-person events.

But to be blunt, there is just not much money you can raise locally in rural Iowa in a pandemic. Helping Deb and Charles will help @JDScholten, it will help @GreenfieldIowa, and it will help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Let's give them some financial help! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/state_slate_supplemental