We're On the Ballot. Now the Real Work Begins.

The petitions are in, and our campaign is officially on the path to the ballot. This is a milestone, but it's not the destination. It simply means the focus of our work now shifts.

Up until now, I’ve been speaking with Democrats and independents who were ready for a change. Now, I need to bring that same message to every voter in LD 19, including those who may not initially see past my party affiliation or the fact that I am challenging a long-serving incumbent.

And that’s okay. I’m not here to soothe egos or calm the anxieties of those who have contributed to the problems we face by distraction, obstruction, and deceit. I’m here to do the most good for the most people. I’m here to ensure that Arizona has a future for all her people. That means pursuing principled, accountable leadership in government and building a fair, accessible economy for every resident of this district.

I will not achieve these goals by promising radical utopias or by criminalizing opposition.

I will achieve them by being meticulous. Methodical. Boring, even.

I will achieve them by chasing facts, compiling them in their proper context, and listening to the qualified experts who actually work in the fields our policies affect: our teachers, our doctors, our farmers, our small business owners. I will achieve them by doing the due diligence, seeking out relevant knowledge wherever it exists, and being open to wisdom, no matter where it comes from.

Everything I said while gathering signatures remains true: I do not believe I simply deserve to be your state senator because of the party that helped me get on the ballot. I intend to earn your support based on the strength of my ideas and my principles. I have no interest in the entitled attitudes that incumbents and challengers alike too often carry into a race. I know the stakes, and I ask only that you give me the dignity of earning your support based on my own merits, not the endorsement of celebrities or politicians.

I came into this race as a dark horse. There wasn't an immediate overflow of trust from anyone, and that's fine; trust isn't owed, it's built. We've built it step by step, and that work has gotten us this far.

Now, we build something bigger than a campaign. Now, we build the movement of community that provides for our own needs, gives us ownership of our own destiny, and gives us purpose unto each other.

Now, we work to redefine what work means: not as a wage paid by outside investors who dictate the shape of our community to serve their own interests, but as the building of personal and community wealth; wealth that stays here, in our neighborhoods, with our families.

Now, we come together. Conservative. Progressive. Independent. Arizonan.

We come together and build something for ourselves and our children… something they'll have to pry from our cold, dead hands.