In 2016, I ran for public office – KS House District 14. I lost my primary election by less than 200 votes. Not too shabby for a first-timer. Although I lost that election, I didn’t lose my desire to serve my community or my invested interest in local politics. While I had desires to run again in 2018, personal factors changed my decision. Now is not the time for me. So, I’ve turned my focus away from Topeka (for now) and am focusing my attention within my local community.
Running for office gave me a peek behind the curtain. I cannot unsee what I’ve seen, nor do I want to. I am now much more aware of who is representing me in Topeka and Washington, DC. For me, it’s people before party.
I am a registered republican – ever since I registered to vote at 18. Of course the GOP has changed A LOT since 1989. I barely recognize the party today. I’m sure the same could be said for the Democratic party, too. I’m not sure when the change occurred … was it slow or did it happen overnight? Is social media to “blame” — the in-your-face-24/7 bombardment of real news and fake news, and the never-ending story of “he said, she said” (insert appropriate pronouns for the narrative)?
When it comes to politics, there is no right or wrong side — there is only your beliefs. So if you believe that Candidate A is a better representative of your beliefs than Candidate B or C, then by all means do all that you can to help get Candidate A elected! Not only by financially supporting the campaign (running for office is not cheap by any means), but giving of your time — makes phone calls, go canvassing (knocking on doors — you’ll definitely get your steps in doing this), host a meet-and-greet — whatever you can do to help promote the candidate. And always remember …
Every vote counts! Your vote matters!!