From the beginning, the South Carolina 7th Congressional District has been written off as not winnable by any other than a white, male DINO. So, for the people in SC-07 to nominate a well spoken, well educated women who grew up in the district and connects with people, well Democrats can just forget about winning this seat. I mean how dare the people of this district not fall in line with what the political punditry and political junkies everywhere else know for a fact, that the SC-07 can only be won by a conservative man.
This rhetoric has given away this Congressional Seat with out a fight. But no one here wants to take the time to find out about the district or the candidates. So I will tell you about Gloria and why she can win this seat for the Democrats.
Website: www.Gloria4congress.com
Gloria Bromell Tinubu is a statesperson we want in Washington. Her campaign would benefit from more attention and support at the national level.
I met Gloria while we were sharing a university office where we were teaching. After a few conversations she mentioned that she was running for the House of Representatives. I offered to help her campaign in any way that I could. When I told my husband about volunteering, he asked if I even knew where she stood on issues, or more basically whether she was a Democrat or Republican. Actually, I didn't know, but I felt a connection because of her dedication to improving other's lives. Our conversations had shown me that even if we disagreed, we could reach a common ground.
Conversations with Gloria are easy. Her ability to listen is genuine, her personality softly fills a room, her persuasive and logical speaking brings everyone to their feet. She is passionate about seeing that everyone has the opportunity she had, that everyone has the opportunity to attain their vision of the American Dream.
Gloria is a statesperson in the tradition of Philip A. Hart. Like him she has a sense of responsibility to her constituency, regardless of who they are. She's extraordinarily qualified, with a Ph.D. in Applied Economics, leadership roles in academia and regional politics. She is genuinely concerned about improving communities. Her early research was on issues in rural South Carolina. However, she is more than an academic. Watching her interact with the small impoverished communities of South Carolina is inspiring. She spans racial, socio-economic and intellectual boundaries. She is approachable by anyone and can make anyone see how she can improve the situation of South Carolina and the United States.
She is the embodiment of the American Dream. Steve Martin joked about it but she really did grow up as a poor black child, in a family of 10. With just 3rd and 5th grade educations, her parents instilled a value of learning, which she embraced to its fullest. She wants to ensure that everyone enjoys the same opportunities.
Gloria would be a wonderful congresswoman. She is someone who can compromise when appropriate but can also persuasively defend her principles. Because of her academic studies and personal background, she understands this new district. Most of it is persistently poor; many do not have access to basics like sewer systems and the internet. In part because of this poverty, the national and even local media have underestimated the impact of Gloria's candidacy from the outset. She has attended church after church, Sunday after Sunday, for week after week, generating excitement among a voting public that is overlooked by mass media. The result is a candidate to represent a district that knows her personally.
The combination of her background, her education, and her experience makes her approachable to so many, on so many different levels—even some moderate Republicans. Her approachability gave her the advantage to win the primary. I hope the larger Democratic community will see the tremendous benefit of having a strong candidate in South Carolina.