For nearly ten years as a hospital chaplain, I have served patients and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Over those years, families have sometimes offered me money in appreciation for being there with them. I did not accept it.
Not because their gratitude did not mean something to me. It did.
I refused because I have always believed that what I do is an act of service—to God and to others. My faith has taught me to serve, do the work placed before me, and trust that in the end, God will take care of me.
That philosophy did not change when I decided to run for Congress.
This campaign is being built largely with my own resources, on a hospital chaplain's salary and a shoestring budget. I do not have a large political machine behind me or major donors financing an expensive campaign.
That makes running for Congress more difficult.
But it also gives me something I value deeply: independence.
If I am elected, I want the freedom to legislate based on what matters to you, your children, your family and your aging parents.
I want the freedom to search for solutions to the problems people face every day—the cost of living, healthcare, prescription costs, housing, supporting seniors, and aging parents, and providing a secure future for their children.
When legislation comes before me, I do not want my first question to be:
I want it to be:
For years, when I enter a patient's room, I do not ask whether the person is a Republican, Democrat or Independent.
I listen.
I try to understand what that person and their family are facing. I ask questions. I look for answers. And when I do not have the answer, I try to find someone who does.
That is the same approach I want to take to Congress.
I may not have the largest campaign account.
I may not have the biggest political organization.
And I may have to work harder to introduce myself to the people of District 1.
That's okay.
Because if the voters of District 1 give me the privilege of representing them, I want to walk into Congress knowing exactly who I am there to serve.
Not a major donor.
Not a corporation.
Not a special interest.
My responsibility will be to listen to you, learn what is affecting your family, and have the freedom to act on your behalf.
I have spent nearly ten years serving without expecting anything in return.
I do not intend to change that philosophy if the place I serve changes from hospital hallways to the halls of Congress.
That's Why.