Primary Win Ends Campaigning

What is a win worth? In this case, a lot.

Last Tuesday, the voters of the chose to re-nominate me for a fourth term as their State Representative. I received not only the Democratic nomination, but also the Republican nomination as the result of an effort of nearly 500 Republican voters who chose to write my name in on their ballot. As a result, I am both the Democratic and Republican party nominee for November’s General Election, and will therefore be unopposed for the first time in my career.

Obviously, I want to thank everyone who supported me last Tuesday and over the past six years. My political career has been a grassroots labor of love from the very beginning, and there aren’t enough words to express my deep gratitude for the outpouring of support from more people than I could list here. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are willing to devote their time and talents, opening up their hearts (and even their checkbooks) to help when the need arises.

So now that I’m unopposed for the 2012 election in November, what does that mean for everyone? More than anything, I have a rare opportunity to focus on doing my job and addressing real issues instead of worrying about re-election politics. Unless you’ve been personally involved in one, there is no way to properly explain the vortex of insanity that is a highly competitive grassroots election.

Here’s a snapshot of what it would look like. As soon as we finished the state budget at the end of June, I would be knocking on thousands of doors (getting some of them slammed in my face) and begging people for money to pay for media campaigns. I would be filling out questionnaires from every interest group under the sun, organizing volunteers, coordinating with other campaigns, honing a message, knocking on more doors and begging more people for money. Can you tell I really dislike the fundraising aspect of this job?

I’m not complaining about any of those tasks, or the million other moving parts of a political campaign. I have no problem justifying why I deserve to be re-elected to the voters, and I take reaffirming the faith placed in me by my supporters very seriously. But our two-year terms are the shortest in the state, so the honeymoon period both at home and in the State Capitol is extremely short. To have time to focus solely on the issues I’m passionate about is a rare opportunity I intend to take full advantage of over the next several months.

Another fortunate side effect of last Tuesday’s Primary Election is a chance to give the people in my life the time and attention they deserve without the non-stop pressures of a political campaign. If you do this job the right way, the time requirements are a serious deterrent to personal relationships.

I’ve always said you need to be a certain flavor of crazy to get into public service, and you need someone willing to put up with that craziness to make a relationship work. Luckily, I have found someone who has shown a remarkable willingness to put up with the late night meetings and phone calls, the travel to and from Harrisburg and the non-stop stream of emails. I recently asked her to be my wife, and thankfully she accepted. So not only will I be able to focus on being a better State Representative over the next few months, I’ll also be able to focus on being the best husband I can be.

I want to again thank my constituents for their unwavering support. I will do my very best to justify the faith you have placed in me as your State Representative, and will continue to work hard for the people of Pennsylvania.