Contribute now to Leanne Krueger-Braneky

On Aug. 4, just 10 days from now, Democratic businesswoman Leanne Krueger-Braneky will face off against Republican Paul Mullen in a special election for Pennsylvania's 161st House District, located in Delaware County, just outside of Philadelphia.

Krueger-Braneky is a solid progressive: She's been endorsed by the state SEIU, a local gun safety group, and, in a previous bid for this seat, the Pennsylvania branch of the League of Conservation Voters. That prior run came in 2014, when Krueger-Braneky lost to the Republican incumbent amidst the GOP wave. But there's an old—and wise—saying that the best way to learn how to win an election is to lose an election. What's more, this time around, the seat is open, and there's no sign that the national mood looks anything like it did last year.

Indeed, there are two key things in our favor here. First, President Obama won this district in 2012, carrying it by a 55-43 margin. And second, an angry tea partier who was passed over for the GOP nomination, Lisa Esler, is waging a write-in campaign. Mullen, the Republican, is, believe it or not, a union official, prompting Esler to brand him a "liberal Democrat." So with any luck, we can look forward to some vote-splitting on the right.

However, there's one major factor that's not on our side. As we well know, Democrats have a much harder time than Republicans when it comes to turning out their supporters for non-presidential elections. And in an oddly timed special election like this in the middle of the summer, it'll be a real beast.

But that's where we come in. We've been in touch with the Krueger-Braneky campaign and they've told us that if we can raise $5,000 for them, it would allow them to contact a whole lot more voters. Just how many? Well, five grand can get the campaign any of the following:

• A mailer to 5,888 additional mailboxes;

• 450 hours of paid canvassing, which translates to 16,000 doors knocked; or

• 227,000 views of a web video the campaign is about to launch.

Our money won't go to TV ads that no one will watch. We're talking about targeted contact with actual voters. And if we have another close race like we did in Virginia, that $5,000 could make all the difference.

Please donate $3 to help Democrats pick up a Republican seat in Pennsylvania and get us one seat closer to reclaiming the majority in the state House.