Why I’m Running
I’m running for Congress because, on a human level, it is not healthy for us to be this divided. We were not meant to live in constant fight mode or suspicion of one another. We can stand firmly for our principles, as we always have, while still making space to understand where someone else is coming from. In fact, that is where real strength is found.
This moment calls for more.
We’ve stopped talking. We’ve stopped listening.
And when we stop listening, we stop understanding. And when we stop understanding, it becomes easier to assume the worst about each other. That’s when division stops being about ideas and starts affecting relationships—between friends, within families, and across communities.
And it’s not only about being able to talk to each other again; it’s about electing representatives who will lead by example. Leaders who are willing to work through differences, solve the challenges we face, and bring that same tone of respect and dignity to Congress, and then back home to the district.
I know you understand this because you’ve told me. You’ve shared your frustrations, your concerns about this division, and your hope that we can do better, not just in Congress, but right here in our own communities.
In my work as Mayor of Troy, and working with mayors across our state and country, and leading international efforts to protect the economy and ecology of the Great Lakes—I’ve seen that same thing up close. I’ve brought people together around shared challenges, and I’ve learned to see different sides of people. I’ve seen that even when we disagree, most of us still want the same basic things: stability for our families, opportunity for our kids and grandkids, security and respect in our own individual lives, safe communities, and a future we can feel confident in.
The moment is now. The issues we’re facing—cost of living, economic uncertainty, local jobs, infrastructure, our mental and physical health, and safety at home and abroad—need to be addressed now and are too important to be handled through division alone. They require people to sit down, work through differences, and stay focused on solutions that are grounded in respect.
That’s how progress actually happens.
And that’s the proven approach I have consistently taken—showing that it’s possible to be both principled and respectful in challenging times. It shapes the tone of our communities. It affects how people treat each other at home, at work, and in everyday life.
We start to feel less divided—not because we all agree, but because we remember how to engage.
That’s the kind of leadership I believe this moment calls for.
Not louder. Not more combative. But more grounded. More focused on bringing people together and getting things done. Every day.
When we choose representatives who listen, understand, and engage with an open mind, it has a ripple effect. It reaches from Washington into our communities. It shapes how we speak at our dinner tables, at holiday gatherings with extended family, how we treat our neighbors, and how we raise our children to see one another.
I’d be honored if you’d join me in this. Let’s choose a different way of showing up—listening more, leading with respect, and bringing people back together. On a human level, this is how we start to move forward again. This is leadership that gets things done. That’s what I will bring to Congress. And this is what this moment is asking of us.
