There’s been a lot of talk in the last 24 hours about the DNC debate rules and whether or not I’ll make the stage. I hope you’ll take a minute to read my thoughts below, then donate a few dollars to help us get to 65,000 donors:

I don’t regret for a minute waiting so long to launch my campaign. Nothing is more important to me than the work we did to expand Medicaid, freeze college tuition, ban foreign money from state elections, and protect a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. We had a job to do in Montana. And we did it.

But the DNC’s new debate rules threaten to keep us off the debate stage because I didn’t get in earlier.

The truth is if I ever had to choose again between campaigning for 100,000 donors and securing healthcare for 100,000 people; well, that’s the easiest decision I’ll ever make.

These rules are not the standard our Party should be setting. If we're ever going to get beyond partisan gridlock and back to governing, we must include those who have done the hard work to get things done outside of Washington.

I agree with Chairman Tom Perez that every candidate has to demonstrate progress to make that stage.

But if progress isn’t what we’ve been able to achieve in Montana, our Party’s definition of progress needs to change.

We need a candidate that can both get Democrats fired up to vote and win back the places that voted for Trump, and I’m the only candidate who’s done it.

I need your support because this is about a lot more than one debate. It’s about winning back the places we lost, getting rid of the dark money that has taken over our political system, and ensuring every person in America has a fair shot at success. I sure hope you’ll join us.

Thank you for everything,

Steve