June 30th at 11:59 p.m. is the first big deadline of this campaign. At that moment, we’ll close the books on this financial quarter and begin preparing our fundraising report to the Federal Election Commission, the press, and the public.

Our opponents are chasing Washington lobbyists and special-interest PACs for big checks ahead of the deadline. To them, and to most of the pundits, campaigns are all about how many millions of dollars each candidate can raise.

We disagree. Of course we have a budget and financial goals. But we believe that the true strength of our campaign is the number of everyday people owning a piece of it.

So we refuse money from Washington lobbyists and special-interest PACs. And rather than setting a goal of millions of dollars, we’re setting a goal of 550,000 grassroots donations by the June 30th deadline.

The number of contributions we earn in this quarter will be the definitive record of how strong our support was at the very start. If you’re one of this campaign’s earliest supporters — thank you. Will you chip in another $5 or whatever you can afford to help us hit our goal?

 

A lot of people out there are wondering whether this campaign can inspire the kind of grassroots support that has been the foundation of our success. A lot of people out there are already saying we can’t.

So we’ve got something to prove.

What happens between now and Thursday will shape the story of how the 2012 race began.

Help write that story with a donation of $5 or more here:

 

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager

P.S. — This Thursday also marks the end of the Dinner with Barack contest. When you give, you’re automatically entered for a chance to win. Throw your hat in the ring: