This is the window

This weekend made something very clear to me: This is the window.

I spent the last few days doing what I always do—knocking doors, talking to neighbors, showing up everywhere across our district. And the response said everything.

On one doorstep, a prominent Democratic consultant reacted with visible fear to a simple knock and a conversation. Not because of anything I said—but because of what that knock represented. A changing of the guard. A campaign they didn’t plan for. Momentum shifting in a race they assumed was already settled. That kind of reaction only comes when people realize something real is happening—something they can’t manage, message away, or control from the sidelines.

Everywhere else, I saw the opposite.

I met voters who recognized me from TikTok, from seeing me bike around the district, or from running into me at their favorite neighborhood bars. Doors opened with smiles and laughter. People already knew what I’ve been fighting for—serious housing reform, a real plan to address rising rents, and the willingness to finally take on health care companies that are too quick to jack up prescription costs or deny care.

Over and over, people told me the same thing: they’re ready for leaders who are rooted in community and willing to throw a punch. People are excited not just about a campaign, but about the world we can build when we elect better Democrats who actually fight.

The week didn’t stop at the doors. It was full in the best way—a packed calendar of events, reconnecting with old friends I hadn’t seen in ages, and conversations that reminded me how wide and deep this coalition already is. Running into friends who hosted some of our earliest salons. Time with John and Carolee from The Plant, a small-business incubator in Back of the Yards, people I first met through organizing and was thrilled to see again. And late into the night, talking housing, transit, and the future of our party with people who believe—like I do—that Democrats need to move faster and fight harder.

I love the people. And the people are showing up.

That’s what has the establishment rattled.

My opponent has a million-dollar machine fueled by corporate money—Big Pharma, hospital conglomerates, and energy companies—and a strategy built on waiting things out. We have momentum, trust, and a growing movement of people who feel ownership over this campaign.

But windows like this don’t stay open forever.

If we seize this moment, we can expand our field program, reach even more voters, and keep showing up everywhere—on doorsteps, on bikes, and in the communities that are ready for change.

If we hesitate, the machine closes ranks.

So I’m asking you to give today. Not because we’re behind—but because we’re breaking through.