I haven’t been in politics as long as a lot of people, but we’ve all seen incumbents be caught and passed by a hungry opponent, and I can tell you that all of us here at Team Boxer are not about to let that happen next year in California.

So earlier this week when Rasmussen released a poll showing Carly Fiorina within four points of Senator Boxer, we certainly took it seriously. But if there’s one key lesson from all the tough races that we’ve all been through, it’s that it’s the people who commit early to a candidate have the most impact in determining who wins. As longtime Boxer supporter EMILY’s List says, Early Money Is Like Yeast.

California is an expensive state. It can cost $2.9 million to run one ad statewide. Carly Fiorina should have ample personal wealth for this race – she was paid over $100 million just from her failed stint at the helm of HP- Including the $20 million the company paid her just to go home and stop making things worse.

Given the Boxer profile and record of accomplishment, we don’t need to match her dollar for dollar, but we do need to be ready to fight back. Which is why this is a fantastic time to make a contribution to Barbara Boxer’s campaign. Just $10 in our “10 for 2010″ fundraising drive makes a huge difference – not just because of the good things we can do with that money, but because every person who steps up to stand with Senator Boxer sends a clear message to Carly Fiorina about just what she’s getting herself into.

A contribution of just $10 or more to the “10 for 2010″ drive now makes it clear that if a tough campaign is coming, we’re ready for it. Fixing the economy, health care reform, creating clean energy jobs and so much more demand strong leadership, not another cheerleader for the failed policies of the last eight years.

-Lucas O’Connor