The young woman in this photo never dreamt of running for office:

That's me at just 23, freshly graduated from flight school where I learned to fly the Apache helicopter that's just behind me.

See, my family struggled growing up – I remember moving around to stay a step ahead of the eviction notices and pouring water on my cereal because we couldn't afford milk. I joined the Army at 17 as a way to afford college and bring stability to my life.

And an education and economic stability is exactly what I got. I graduated from West Point and Apache flight school, became a commanding officer, and served in combat. When I decided to transition to civilian life, I simply wanted to earn my master’s degree and enjoy some peace and quiet.

But when I saw MAGA Republicans attack our freedoms, Donald Trump incite a violent insurrection, and Brian Fitzpatrick refuse to stand up to any of them – I decided to take a risk.

Filing my candidate paperwork was the most anxious I've felt since getting into the cockpit for the first time. But I did it because the Army trained me to protect my people. I did it because I refused to watch selfish politicians attack the country that saved me purely for their own power.

So here I am, putting the stability I fought so hard for on hold.

My decision to run wasn't about ego or carrying on a political dynasty. It was love for my country and the people in it, pure and simple. If you want someone like that in the halls of Congress, please pitch in $10 or whatever you can to fuel the final Get Out The Vote efforts of this campaign.

Thanks for being in this fight with me as my co-pilot,

Ashley 🚁