Over the past summer, I participated in a handful of political events, talked with voters from both parties and did some soul searching. In these discussions, I discovered a shared disillusionment with the moment we are living in. Questions about the kind of country we should be are on the minds of many of our fellow citizens. 

Through those conversations, I also found a yearning for a leader that reflects the best of American values. A leader who has a new vision for American prosperity. A leader who will take up the effort to expand our founding creed to include all citizens and those who seek to join our ranks.

I found that leader in Beto O’Rourke. 

To get the best idea of Beto’s character, I needed to see him in person. Late this last summer, I had a chance to hear him speak at Grand View University. Beto defined a vision of America’s promise through the eyes of someone who grew up in a border community. He spoke about why immigrants come to America, saying that “They were inspired by America, by the idea of America — what Langston Hughes called the land that never has been yet, and yet must be. This more perfect union that we have never formed. This ideal that we are all created equal, that we never really fulfilled, and yet, to which each of us, I hope, still aspire. That’s what brings the people of the planet to our shores. That’s what made us the greatest country on the face of the planet.”

Beto’s progressive vision is informed by these values that have, for so long, defined what it means to be American. They inform his approach to the climate crisis, mass shootings, health care and racial inequality. Starting from those principles, and looking at those issues, Beto has sought to renew the American ethos and bring our country closer together. 

This unparalleled belief in the promise of America is exactly what we need and it is why I am thrilled to support Beto for President.