We know that Karl Rove and his special interest friends are going to lie about me and my record in this campaign. And we know they’re going to spend a ton of money doing it.

Now, I’m not afraid to stand on my progressive values – and I’m always proud to defend my record of standing up for Ohio’s working families. What I do worry about is this: Will we be able to respond?

After all, telling the truth is free – but rapid response in a campaign costs money. And the worst-case scenario for this campaign is that the truth will be on our side – but that, because of Citizens United, the numbers will be on the side of the other guys…and the money won’t be there when we need to fight back.

That’s why we need to hit our fundraising goals – and why I hope you’ll click here to help make sure we have the resources we need to respond to Karl Rove’s smears.

There’s nothing worse than having to sit by, unable to right a wrong. When one of my colleagues says that cutting taxes on the wealthiest one percent will reduce the deficit, I want to tell him why he’s wrong. When I see an Ohio homeowner struggling to avoid foreclosure, I want to help.

And when I see an ad on Ohio’s airwaves lying about me, I want to set the record straight – online and offline, on the doors and on the phones.

But if we don’t hit our goals – like the $120,000 one we’re up against right now – we might be unable to do that. That’s Karl Rove’s game plan: Wear us down and drown us out.

We must raise $20 from 6,000 people by the end of February to keep on pace – and to make sure we can respond when we’re attacked. Please click here to give now.

There’s going to come a day – maybe soon – when I ask Sarah whether we have enough resources to respond to something ugly Karl Rove put on our airwaves. And when I do, her answer will depend on whether supporters like you have done the hard work it takes to meet goals like this one.

I know you’ll come through – just like you always have.

Thank you for helping us be ready,

Sherrod