WELCOME FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

I want to thank you all.  As we ramped up our campaign machinery over the last month, Megan and I have had the opportunity to make many new friends in Jefferson and Adams county.  Just in the last week, Megan was warmly received by the Jefferson County Republican Women's club and I had the opportunity to sit down with Don Ytterberg and have a terrific conversation about the future of the campaign and of the Republican Party.  We have been blessed to share this experience with some of our best friends and even to reconnect with some old friends.

The new 7th District, which now includes more of Westminster, parts of Thornton and expanded areas in Jefferson and Adams County, is more urban, younger, has more independent voters, and is more centrist in its view of social policies.  I stand before you today as a representation of the future of the Republican Party.  I am a strict fiscal conservative who is unapologetic about defending personal freedom and insisting upon personal responsibility when it comes to social issues. 

Like most Americans, I have worked hard to achieve success.  When I was young, I became an Eagle Scout, I earned a full academic scholarship to George Washington University in Washington, DC, and I worked full time while I went to school.  I came out of college with a degree in Economics and the experience of having been part of the Contract with America, a Congressional Aide, and a political consultant. 

After four years in the bizarre bubble that is Washington, DC, I decided that I should probably get a "real" job, so, I entered the private sector, where I have found success.  I have been a cog in the wheel, started new businesses, run lines of business for large companies, and have had the company that I worked for, and with it my job, sold out from underneath me…  more than once.  I did not inherit the family business, I worked to achieve my success, just as the people of the 7th District are working hard for their success.  Unlike 50% of the members of Congress, the people of the 7th District are not millionaires.  The average income in the District is around $60,000 a year.

Make no mistake, a common sense, practical conservative, social moderate is what the people of the 7th District want, but they won't get it this time around.  Over the last 24 hours, I have been confronted by the harsh reality that I will be unable to raise the millions of dollars needed to mount a viable campaign against Joe and Ed and their combined fortunes.  I have too much respect for the hard working people of the 7th District to ask them for money to fund this race.  Unfortunately, the business of politics has won the battle against the interests of the electorate once again.  I am suspending my campaign immediately and will cover all outstanding campaign costs out of my own pocket.  I will continue to support the party in any way that I can.

The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln, who oversaw our country's first giant step toward fulfilling our Constitution's promise that "All men are created equal."  We must continue to carry that torch as we continue to perfect the vision laid down by our founding fathers so long ago. We must embrace a future where self determination and personal responsibility is as consistently applied to our positions on social issues as our economic policies.  We must embrace a future where the government does not insert itself into our small businesses, our homes, or our doctor's offices.  Just as we rail against the current administration's uber-liberal activism, we must respect the right of self determination.  Our path forward as a party does not lie in extremism, but in tolerance.

As extremely frustrated as I am by this outcome, it has granted to me clarity of vision. 

One of the distinct features of the 7^th District is that the largest voting block is registered Independents, not Democrats or Republicans.  I will focus my efforts over the next two years on carving out a place for those who not only desire to Restore Reason to Washington, but who also wish to Restore Reason to the Republican Party.   My plan is to either establish a new, Party-affiliated organization or to accelerate the efforts of established organizations within the 7^th District.  My goal is to help the Republican Party move from 3^rd place to 1^st place among registered voters in the 7^th District.  I will be reaching out to the silent disenfranchised majority in the 7^th District to help them understand that there is a place for them in the Republican Party.  I hope that you will join me in that effort.