Donald Trump is no ordinary politician.

Trump is brash. Trump is bellicose. Trump is bold.

He’s also the best choice at this time to lead our increasingly disillusioned nation into its future.

Too many Americans, particularly those in rural areas of Kansas, feel they are being left behind in our modern economy. They see stagnant growth and few career opportunities. They believe they can’t give their children better than their parents gave them, and they worry what tribulations may lie ahead. They are willing to place their trust in a new voice calling for change.

Trump’s determined focus on such issues as tax reform, immigration, federal debt and job-loss drain to overseas markets have resonated.

Ideas to address some of those problems, as well as the U.S. government’s plodding excision from the Mideast quagmire, sent bolts of electricity into the campaigns of change agents Trump and Bernie Sanders, who was rapidly closing on Democrat Hillary Clinton as the primary season concluded. Americans are thirsting for a fresh voice and hopeful perspective.

The outsider — the business magnate — offers the United States the optimal chance of rethinking our economy and introducing fresh ideas and fearless leadership.

To be sure, Trump is a flawed candidate, with his years in the spotlight pockmarked by petty spats, bitter lawsuits and poorly reasoned assaults against those he doesn’t understand. Clinton, however, carries the baggage purchased during a 30-year career in government, including a seemingly never-ending investigation into her handling of possibly classified materials on a private email server. Years of cutting too fine a line with the truth has given Clinton a reputation she can’t shake, and the prospect of four years of congressional inquiries into a Clinton presidency is a wearying one. This is the time for strong, nonconformist leadership. Trump will stand for his principles, against even members of his own party. And less burdened on reliance of high-dollar donors, Trump isn’t beholden to special interests or Wall Street.

We believe a President Trump would be elevated by the magnitude of our highest office, his bullish tendencies tempered by the perspectives brought by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Mike Pence.

Throughout the arduous and bruising primary and general campaigns, Trump has embraced the traditionally conservative tenets championed by The Topeka Capital-Journal’s family ownership. It is in line with that philosophy we make our stand today.

This decision, and a difficult one it was, was not made lightly. Tuesday’s election is an important one. We consider Trump the wisest choice to lead our nation going forward.