Why I Am Running For US Senate

Why I Am Running For US Senate

By Beth Lindstrom

When I look at what’s happening in Washington, I just shake my head because I know we can do better.

It can’t just be me who is tired of the political scene today – the nastiness of the debates and the nothingness of the results. No one contributes more to this negative dynamic than Elizabeth Warren. And it’s just this simple. If we want a new tone, then we are going to need a new senator.

I come from a very modest background, and like a lot of people I’ve had to make my own way in the world. I went through state college on student loans and waitress wages.

When one of my boys was a toddler and the other an infant, I was working on my MBA. It’s all a bit of a blur now, but I had my studies to handle, two children under two, and worked full time.

My husband and I made it work. And along the way, I built a professional life as well. I was the first female director of our state party . . . ran the most successful State Lottery in the country . . . headed up the state’s Office of Consumer Affairs . . . and I learned about small business in the best way – by starting one.

In all of this, I’ve learned a few things. For example, if you really focus on the work at hand as a public official, leaving the shouting and theatrics to others, you can actually accomplish a lot.

That’s how, at Consumer Affairs, we protected people from unwanted telemarketing calls, reduced unnecessary regulations and saved our citizens millions of dollars by introducing competition to the state’s auto insurance market, which lowered rates.

If there’s one thing we know from the past decade or so in Washington, it is that hyper-partisanship creates problems, it does not solve them.

We need Democrats and Republicans working together for the good of this country. Just look at the health care debate, if you can call it that. We have got to stabilize America’s health care system, fix obvious problems, and make certain that everyone is getting the care they need. We have to protect the system from any more sudden shocks, especially in Massachusetts because health care is such a big part of our economy.

That’s going to take serious work, serious bipartisan cooperation. But neither of those is on the agenda of Elizabeth Warren. She is all-in for completely socialized medicine in America, which would only bring more trouble to healthcare and completely upend the Massachusetts economy.

I’m going to try as your senator to work with anyone willing to work with me. When militant posturing gives way to that spirit, good things can start to happen.

Should I earn the opportunity, I will consider my service as a duty, and never as an entitlement. I’m a believer in term limits for everyone in Congress. At most 12 years in the House, and the same for the Senate. Frankly that is closer to the vision of our Founders, who wanted citizen legislators and not a permanent governing class.

I am optimistic about a brighter future for all of us where we work together instead of in opposition to each other, where we treat each other with respect instead of disdain, and where we focus on our common interests rather than cynically exploit our differences.

I’m energized. I’ll run with conviction. I will listen and not just talk. I know I have a tough path ahead of me but I’m in this for the long haul and I am not intimidated. If I win the primary, I would be the first woman in Massachusetts history to be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. I hope to earn your trust and your vote.