Why am I running for Congress in VA-10?
As I walked the neighborhoods of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District to collect the 1,000 signatures required for my candidacy, I encountered a recurring theme. While many were welcoming, others refused to engage simply because of the "R" next to my name. Some told me they could never support "today’s Republican Party." I believe the voters of our district deserve a thoughtful response as to what that “R” represents to me and why I’m running to be your Republican candidate for Congress in VA-10.
I'm running because I believe in the American Dream, not as a slogan, but as a real, achievable promise that if you work hard, you can build a good life, buy a home, raise a family, and leave something better for the next generation.
That promise is what this country was built on, but right now, too many families in VA-10 feel like it's slipping out of reach, and too many young people have stopped believing it's real at all. I'm running to change that.
Why I believe faith in that dream is fading
The numbers bear this out. A recent WSJ-NORC poll found that nearly 70% of American adults now say the American Dream doesn't hold true anymore, or never did. This is the highest percentage in almost 15 years of that survey. Among Americans under 30, that disillusionment runs even deeper: fewer than 20% say they trust the federal government to do the right thing most of the time, and only 16% believe democracy is working well for them.
You can clearly see why. Home prices have climbed so fast that owning one feels like a fantasy for people who did everything right. The tax code punishes people for inflation that they have no control over. A generation is graduating with debt and shrinking options toward a career path that lets them pay it off. And a growing number of young Americans, 62% of those aged 18 to 29 in one recent survey, say they now hold a favorable view of socialism.
I don't think that surge is really about ideology. I think it's about hopelessness. When people stop believing hard work leads anywhere, they start looking for someone to promise them a shortcut, even a false one. The answer to that isn't to criticize young people for losing faith, but instead give them reasons to believe in it again.
Why I chose the Republican Party
Our two-party system grew out of our constitutional structure. The Founders didn't originally plan for parties, but they emerged almost immediately, because people needed a way to organize around shared principles. A party isn't one person or a single monolithic voice. It's a coalition working toward common ground.
I chose the Republican Party because of what it has stood for since its founding. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln, born out of the moral necessity of ending slavery and preserving the Union. That legacy of freedom and full citizenship for every American is the foundation everything else is built on.
My own political philosophy was shaped during the Reagan "Peace through Strength" era. His belief in growing the economic pie through limited government, and his focus on bringing the country together rather than dividing it, still guide how I think about serving VA-10. The party has changed shape over the past 40 years through Newt Gingrich, the Bush family, and Donald Trump, but the core has held: low taxes, fiscal responsibility, support for the men and women who keep our communities safe, and a belief that the federal government should do only what is truly necessary, leaving the rest to states and to people themselves.
Why the other path concerns me
Forty years ago, the Democratic Party was the party of labor and the working man, with real room for a diversity of views on economic and social issues. Today, its dominant wing has moved toward a framework that favors expansive government, unlimited spending, higher taxes, and identity politics that too often crowd out the practical concerns of everyday families. When a party starts prioritizing social experimentation over the safety of our streets or the stability of our economy, it has lost the understanding of what most people actually need from their government. And when that vacuum goes unaddressed, it creates the opening for something further left, like the Democratic Socialists of America, to fill it with young people who feel like no one else is speaking to their frustration.
I don't think the answer to that frustration is more of the government promising to solve everything. I think it's proving that success and opportunity are still theirs to pursue when they are given room to build it themselves instead of the government standing in the way.
What this means for VA-10
Everything I'm running on comes back to that one idea: clearing the path for VA-10 families to reach their own version of the American Dream. That means fighting for lower taxes and less red tape so families keep more of what they earn. It means fixing a tax code that punishes homeowners for inflation instead of rewarding a lifetime of hard work. It means real options in education, whether that's a four-year degree, a trade, or an apprenticeship, so every student has a path to a good career. It means standing with law enforcement so families feel safe in their own neighborhoods. It means an energy strategy that keeps costs down instead of driving them up. And it means defending our freedoms, from the Second Amendment to Title IX, that let every American pursue their own path.
But restoring the American Dream isn't just about these specific issues. It's about restoring people's basic trust that their government is working for them, not around them or against them. That means fighting the waste, fraud and abuse that has eroded that trust for decades, and it means being honest with VA-10 about what I can actually deliver, rather than making promises I can't keep. Because trust isn't rebuilt with a speech, a sound bite, or even a post like this one. It's rebuilt one kept promise at a time.
When you see an "R" next to my name on the ballot, that's what it represents: keeping more money in your pocket, prioritizing your family's safety, and a government that finally lives within its means and works to earn back the trust of the people it's meant to serve.
I'm running to represent the people of the 10th District. I'm running because I believe the American Dream is still alive and achievable. It's what this country was built on, and it's worth fighting to preserve for every generation that comes after us.
A Final Word
If this resonated with you, I'd encourage you to learn more about my full platform, from restoring economic vitality to defending the freedoms this country was built on.
You'll also find ways to get involved, whether that's volunteering, donating, or just sharing this with a neighbor who's still deciding.
Early voting is open right now through August 1st, and primary day is August 4th. If everything I've laid out here reflects the kind of representation you want for VA-10, I'd be honored to have your vote. Let's win this together.
Sources: WSJ-NORC Poll, September 2025; Harvard Youth Poll, 2025; CIRCLE, 2025; Cato Institute/YouGov Survey, 2025.