This is it. Today, we’re in.
My name is Trevor Thomas, a West Michigan native who has spent the past 10 years standing up for fairness, equality, and opportunity.
Today I filed the paperwork to run for Congress in Michigan’s 3rd District. If you’re familiar with Rep. Justin Amash, you know he’s the Tea-Party freshmen that has positioned himself well for taking over as Ron Paul’s post-retirement replacement.
Now let me tell you a little about me and what we’re trying to do here:
I was raised in a working class family. My parents – who worked for 30 years each on the assembly lines of General Motors – taught me the values of hard work, family, and playing by the rules.
I was the first in my family to attend college. Some of my fondest memories are working nights at our local television station, WOOD-TV 8, to put myself through school at a state university, meeting the people and covering the issues that represent what West Michigan is all about.
It’s no secret Michigan has been hardest hit by our struggling economy and our lawmakers in Washington continue to play politics with our future. That’s wrong.
People my age are fed up and leaving. Michigan was the only state in the nation to lose population in the last Census, and too many who are leaving are under the age of 30. But things won’t get better unless we make them better.
I believe this is a critical moment. Our economy is getting stronger, but distractions threaten our progress. As we’ve seen over the past few days and weeks, women remain very much under attack, nationally and in Michigan. And Rep. Amash has been there, too, chipping away at a woman’s voice.
That’s not where our time and energy should be focused.
Even the Detroit News – largely known as a conservative paper – editorial page editor wrote last year: “Republicans…promised a more competitive economy and more efficient government, and if they want to stay in power they'll concentrate on delivering both. Abortion and gay rights fit neither category.”
I believe it’s time for us to return to what matters: fairness, equality, and opportunity for all of us.
When I spoke at Netroot’s Nation last year with America Blog’s Joe Sudbay, I talked about my work on the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and what we can learn from that experience to help pass the DREAM Act and so many other critical pieces of legislation.
I’ve spent my life working to raise up the voices of those who haven’t been heard and who haven’t had a fair shot at opportunity – and that’s what this campaign is all about. In my launch video, I explain more about my vision for this campaign. You can check it out here.
We’re working to put together a winning team, and we want you to be a part of it.
This is our moment, and our country is watching. Already, The Washington Post mentioned our race as something “you shouldn’t miss.” If you can, tweet for us. Tag us on Facebook. Give what you can to help us get started. And be sure to tell your friends what we’re trying to do.
This is it. And this is a fight we can win.
-Trevor
