Dear Friend,

We can accomplish so much more together, but I'm counting on your support before tomorrow's midnight deadline. Please contribute to help us reach 1,000 donors before tomorrow night's deadline!

There's a reason my colleagues in Washington call me the "Cyber Senator."

I took to the web like a duck to water back in the mid-90's and have advocated a number of measures to protect and expand access to the Internet.

I'm often taking photos with my digital camera and sharing them online.

And I'm not shy to boast about our flourishing LeahyForVermont.com online community, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the years and truly influenced our work in Washington.

I'm also grateful for everything this community has done to help me continue my work in the Senate. We've received more than $20,000 from more than 500 online donations over the past week alone, bolstering my re-election effort ahead of our September 30th filing deadline. This is a true testament to the power of the Internet to make the political process more responsive to American citizens -- not special interest groups -- and that is very exciting.

Will you pitch in $5 or more today to help us reach 1,000 donors before tomorrow's midnight deadline?

The LeahyForVermont.com online community can be proud of its accomplishments to forge bold, progressive change in Washington.

We've worked together to hold the Bush-Cheney Administration accountable for their misdeeds.

We've sent tens of thousands of letters to lobby Congress to successfully pass bills that opened up government and restored habeas corpus, took a bite out of cyber crime as well as white-collar fraud, and reinstated the principle of equal pay for equal work.

And now we're actively engaged in one of the most important legislative debates of my life: reforming America's broken health care system. Thanks in part to our recent efforts, the prospects for real reform that expands consumer choice and includes a public option has been central to this debate.

There's no doubt we can accomplish so much more together if I'm given the opportunity to continue serving in the U.S. Senate, but I'm counting on your support before tomorrow's midnight deadline.

Will you pitch in $5 or more so that we can continue working together to advance our shared values in Washington?

I'm eager to continue showing my colleagues the power of an online activist community like ours to change how laws are made and transform how politicians are elected in the 21st Century -- for the better.

Of course, by reaching 1,000 donors before tomorrow night's campaign finance reporting deadline, we'll also show the press and potential challengers the strength of our campaign's grassroots support.

Thank you so much for supporting my campaign, and for all you do to give our values a voice in Washington.

Sincerely,

Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator

P.S. Please make sure to send your contribution within the next 34 hours, before tomorrow night's federally-mandated reporting deadline!