When I decided to run for office, I knew House District 59 was considered a very Republican district. I also knew that if I wanted to represent this district, I couldn't just look at election results and assume I knew what the people who live here think.
So I started knocking on doors.
And I have learned a lot.
I've met Democrats who quietly tell me, "I'm a Democrat, too." Some honestly thought the fight was over. They didn't think anyone was going to show up and represent them, so they got quiet. But quiet doesn't mean gone.
I've also met Republicans who are frustrated with what is happening in our state. They haven't suddenly stopped being Republicans or conservatives, and I don't expect them to. But many are willing to have a conversation about the person running for office instead of stopping at the letter next to their name.
And I've met plenty of people somewhere in between who are simply tired.
They're tired of everything becoming a political fight. They're tired of feeling like nobody listens to them. They're worried about the cost of groceries, healthcare, schools, taxes, their roads, their families, and whether their kids will be able to afford to build a life here.
Most importantly, I've learned how much common ground we actually have when we talk to each other.
I had a conversation with a Republican voter who told me right away that he was pro-life. I could have treated that as the end of the conversation. Instead, I listened to him. He listened to me. Neither of us abandoned what we believed, but we found places where we agreed. By the end of our conversation, he told me he planned to vote for me in November.
That conversation has stuck with me because it is exactly what I believe representation is supposed to look like.
I'm not knocking on doors to find people who agree with me about everything. I'm knocking because I want to understand the people I am asking to represent.
Sometimes I hear something I agree with. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes someone makes me think about an issue differently. And sometimes we start a conversation believing we're miles apart only to discover we're a lot closer than either of us expected.
There are thousands more doors to knock before November, and I intend to keep showing up.
Because you can't represent people you never bother to meet.
And if there is one thing knocking on doors has taught me, it's this:
House District 59 is a lot more complicated, a lot less divided, and a lot more hopeful than a red or blue map could ever show you.