Important Announcement
I have been asked if I will attempt to campaign again for the House District 27 seat in 2024. Unfortunately, I have to say that the answer is no.
In 2022, I was amazed. Despite having no publicity, and effectively no campaigning, over 6000 people (nearly 30% of ballots cast) voted for me simply because I offered an alternative that would be counted. I was contacted by journalists, potential constituents, and a host of people I never imagined would want to talk to me for any reason. I have to admit that, in an odd way, it was fun. Certainly, it was enlightening.
Other things have happened since I filed the paperwork to be on the ballot in April 2022. The direct cause of my abrupt campaign suspension in August of that year was because of a number of life-changing events. I've lost my job since then, and I'm desperately searching for a new one, but this means I have neither the financial resources nor the free time needed to campaign with any measure of success.
Also in the last year and a half, I've gone from being single to engaged. That has alleviated some of the worst of my depression, the mental illness that nearly drove me to ending my life on a few occasions. The drive to run for office was born from that depression, however; I believed that I literally had nothing left to lose, including fear of rejection or humiliation. Now, I feel I have something to live for, and I want to focus on cultivating that.
This is not to say I don't still believe in the cause I started some four years ago. While Tennessee has made great strides in restoring and protecting vital liberties during the global assault on freedom since 2020, there is still a lot of room left for change.
Our great state continues to discriminate against homeschooling, forcing poor and underprivileged parents to jump through hoops to keep their children out of the increasingly dangerous public school system. These anti-choice regulations do nothing to protect a child's education, but everything to put him at risk of being groomed, assaulted, or molested by his fellow students or an authority figure.
The _Dobbs_ decision returned legislative power regarding abortion to the states, where the Tenth Amendment says it belongs. However, no matter what you think of Tennessee's new and strict abortion laws, more important is the other side of the coin: promoting childbirth, adoption, and positive family planning. This is an area where no state currently does what is best for its new and potential families, and a case where ours has the opportunity to lead the way into a brighter future.
Many of our rural areas remain underserved by technology. While the Chattanooga area, including my home district, enjoys the fastest residential internet access in the world, neighboring counties are stuck in the past, forced to use antiquated networks or expensive and restricted mobile data. Expanding our municipal service is the logical solution, but my opponent in 2022 was the chief sponsor of legislation that, a decade ago, barred local utilities from helping connect our neighbors to the modern world.
Freedom of speech and religion, the most vital natural liberties protected by the First Amendment, are still in danger in Tennessee. This danger surfaces in many ways. Most notably, those wishing to do work for the state must swear allegiance to a foreign power that is one of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet.
Election systems in Tennessee are deeply compromised. While not nearly as bad as in a certain state on our southern border, 2022's general election had a remarkable number of irregularities. Being a candidate let me see that firsthand. In fact, I still question whether the amount of support I got in the election was entirely legitimate. Until we rid ourselves of electronic voting machines in general, and the Dominion systems in particular, none of us can be sure that our votes are being counted properly and fairly.
For now, I pass these challenges to my successor, whoever he may be. I hope that someone in 2024 will take up that mantle and vow to represent District 27 with a proper American respect for human rights, natural rights, the liberties we are all endowed with from birth. Someone who puts this dedication to the ideals upon which this nation was founded above partisan politics, as I did when deciding to forsake party affiliation and the primary process.
There is still much work to be done, however. At the local, county, and state levels, we can always do more to ensure that future generations continue to benefit from the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. I will continue to support great causes and movements such as the Mises Caucus, and I hope you will do the same.
Thank you for all your support.