Why I'm running
“Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not, then it is not the end.”
- Fernando Sabino
That phrase captures something deeply American: perseverance through adversity, calm in moments of uncertainty, and the belief that progress is possible when we commit to responsible leadership. We do not get through hard times by chance. We get through them by choosing to lead, adapt, and rebuild.
I have served this country overseas and in Washington. I have seen what leadership looks like when it is tested. Authentic leadership is not performative and does not seek applause; it is disciplined, steady, and accountable. I have also seen what happens when leadership fails. When institutions are hollowed out, experience is dismissed, and chaos is mistaken for strength.
Today, our government is plagued by dysfunction, cruelty, and short‑sighted politics. Career public servants, Veterans, scientists, analysts, park rangers, and civil servants, are being pushed out not for incompetence, but for perceived disloyalty. That is not reform. It is dangerous. When we lose experience, we lose the ability to govern.
Congress has too often responded to this erosion with silence, division, or excuses. But passive leadership is how broken systems stay broken.
The easy choice would be to tune it out and hope the damage never reaches home. That is not who I am. During my decade as an Army officer, I learned two rules that still guide me: if you see a problem, you don’t walk past it. You take responsibility. And if you’re in charge, be in charge.
That is why I am running for Congress.
Coming Home to Lead
I was born and raised in Illinois’ 9th District. My first home was in Buffalo Grove. I went to school in Wilmette, played sports across the North Shore, spent summers in Evanston, swam in Lake Michigan, and took the L to Wrigley with friends. My family ran a business in Skokie for thirty years. This district did not just raise me. It shaped me.
I have lived across the country and served around the world, but this has always been home. And now, our home needs leadership rooted in service and accountability, not careerism or performance politics.
People here are tired of dysfunction, tired of leaders chasing cameras instead of solutions, and tired of serious issues being drowned out by outrage. They do not want more noise. They want steady leadership focused on outcomes.
That is what I bring: a record of service, a calm approach, and a deep responsibility to the community that raised me.