Running for office was one of the scariest things I ever did. I had no experience. Nobody thought I could win. Some people thought I should just stay home with my young children.
I didn’t listen. Why? Well, that story goes back a while.
I started doing the books at my mom's store when I was just 13. After graduating with an accounting degree and working in the corporate world, I came back to the family store. Even at a young age, I saw how hard it is to make a dollar and how easy it is for the government to take it away. The government had its hand in everything. They charged sales tax to our customers, property tax on our building, taxes on the equipment in our building, and then income tax on whatever we took in. I started talking to other small business owners and listened to their stories. Turns out, I wasn’t alone!
When I mentioned my frustrations to my mom, she said one of her favorite things: “Don’t complain. Do something about it.”
So I did.
I decided the best way to take a stand was to run for the state legislature. South Carolina had plenty of lawyers and career politicians in the legislature; it needed an accountant who understood the struggles small business owners face.
It wasn’t easy. I was running against a 30-year incumbent that resorted to every trick in the book. My opponent sent out a mailer filled with sexist and racist lies. But if he thought that was going to stop me, he clearly didn’t know that his vicious attacks only fueled my competitive spirit. I took my message to the people of South Carolina and told them if they gave me a chance to fight for them, I would spend every moment in office proving that they made the right decision.
I think about those years in the trenches now as I travel across the country campaigning for new candidates — principled conservatives who want to make a difference at every level of government.
My experience as a candidate taught me how important it is to get good, honest people running for office. But, sadly, that’s not always enough. Winning takes resources and time. Sometimes, you’re an underdog running against a 30-year incumbent. Sometimes, you’re spending countless hours fending off ridiculous attacks.
That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. That’s why I launched Stand For America PAC more than a year and a half ago. And that’s why I’m criss-crossing the nation working to get strong conservatives elected to office.
When I ran that first time, I was lucky to have good people by my side who worked tirelessly with me. Today, I’m just as fortunate. I know we can win this November because I have people like you who are stepping up one person at a time with a donation to fund our efforts.
It’s why I’m so appreciative of whatever you can do to help — even if you have $1 to spare to help fund these important efforts. If you can donate today, I’m hoping you will.
Thank you in advance for all of your support. Together, we can elect a wave of conservatives in the fall and put our country back on track.
My very best,
