Friend,

I’m the product of an unplanned pregnancy.

Born to two teenage parents, every statistic and societal roadblock indicated that I was destined for a life of hardship.

But my parents didn’t buy into any of that.

I may have been unplanned, but that did not mean I was unwanted.

Soon after me, three more kids came. And what began as a teenage love story quickly became a family of six. My dad went to work and did whatever he needed to do to make ends meet for our family. That meant putting his life on the line to serve his community in the local fire department.

All my life, I wanted to be like my dad, and there was nothing I dreamed of more than becoming a firefighter just like him.

But on a fateful day in September of 1984, all of that changed.

My dad and his battalion responded to a call that would change all of our lives forever.

By the grace of God my dad made it out of that building alive, but not unscathed. Eighty percent of his body was covered in burns.

From then on, the hardest working man that I knew would not be able to work as a fireman another day of his life. And as the oldest of four kids, it was up to me to step in and help fill the void in our young family.

We’re all a product of our experiences, and that moment defined who I am.

My dream of becoming a firefighter like my dad was now discouraged, and I had effectively been launched into the role of a pseudo-parent to my younger siblings overnight.

Being raised in a Christian household without a lot of means, we put our head down for two reasons:

1. To pray to God
2. To get to work

So, at 12 years old, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and did just that — got to work.

And to be quite honest, I haven’t really picked my head back up since.

From a young boy trying to help his parents make ends meet, to a law student, to a husband and father, and eventually to Speaker of the House, the only thing I have ever been focused on is getting the job done.

My wife might call me a workaholic, but in my mind, I am a man who is focused on the task at hand, and completing a mission.

Right now, my mission is to ensure that my kids have the same opportunity to make a life for themselves and achieve their goals like I did.

And that means being the kind of conservative, Christian leader in Washington, D.C. that my dad would be proud of.

That alone puts you at odds with the D.C. Establishment, by the way.

I’m not interested in the cocktail parties, or rubbing elbows with different special interest groups.

The Washington Elite and their allies in the mainstream media can cast judgment all they want. That doesn’t bother me.

Because at the end of the day, I know that I serve an audience of one — and that I am doing all that I can with the blessings given to me, and the faith entrusted to me, to glorify God.

So, now that you know just a little bit more about me, where I come from, and what keeps me going, I humbly ask if you are willing to stand alongside me in this fight?