I'm Utah’s political newcomer. I’m running to be the democratic challenger to unseat Mia Love in Utah’s Congressional District 4. I've never held public office before, but I'm not new to the issues that are impacting the families of Utah and families all over this country. The foundation of my passion is rooted in my firsthand knowledge of these issues. Issues like proposed cuts to Medicaid, proposed cuts to funding for medical research, stripping families of access to healthcare, immigration reform that provides pathways to citizenship, and education reform that includes making college affordable and accessible to allow us to compete in a global market.

I’ve always been interested in politics. It started with the Youth in City Government program in grade school in Cincinnati, Ohio. In high school, I was student-body president. But that was high school. The decision to run for office in my adult life hasn’t come easy.

There were many reasons why I have never pursued political office in the past. Reasons that included a lack of financial resources, limited time, and even the self-confidence to put myself out there in that way. Politics can be very dirty. Those in power want to stay in power. When it looks like that power could be jeopardized, it can turn ugly. A case in point is the 2016 presidential election. Why would anyone in their right mind put themselves and their family through that muck?

I’ve been through some trying times in my life. I’ve buried a son and my mother. I’ve been unemployed and underemployed. I’ve been divorced and a single mom. I’ve been to PTA meetings and Special Olympics events. I’ve driven cross-country looking for a better and different life. I’ve been dead broke. I’ve celebrated my successes and forgiven myself when I’ve made mistakes. I don’t doubt for a second that this will be a hard fight. I’m a democratic political newcomer living in a staunchly conservative red state. I’m positioning myself to go up against a finely-tuned political machine and yes, many times during the day I ask myself, “Are you out of your mind?”

It's hard to say which way the political winds in the age of Trump will blow. I'm very proud of my multi-cultural, multi-ethnic family. I'm an African-American woman who is not afraid to discuss my experiences and challenges raising young black men. I've always been a working mom, because it has always been necessary in my circumstances. I often wonder how the people of Utah will identify with my story.

However, I believe there are like-minded men and women in this state who love their families, their communities and their country as much as I do. Perhaps it is that love and our common interest in the important issues we all face that make us more alike than different. After all, though the details may vary, my story is an American story.

I can no longer sit on the sidelines and silently watch as healthcare is taken away from tens of millions of Americans. I know firsthand what it is to get hospital bills and worry about the part that the insurance companies don’t cover. I have felt a mixture of shock and gratitude upon seeing the parts that they do cover, knowing that without insurance there would be no way I could ever pay it. This is a non-partisan issue with which everyone should be concerned.

I can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch as drastic cuts are made to programs like Medicaid. My son is autistic. In Utah, 1 in 58 children are diagnosed with Autism. Cuts to Medicaid will remove programs designed to help these children. This is also a non-partisan issue.

I can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch as votes are cast that would decimate the beautiful public lands that are a vital part of our Utah landscape. Once they are gone we will never get them back. This too should be non-partisan.

Gerrymandering should also be a non-partisan concern. It is one of the most effective tools parties in power use to voice people out of the political conversation. When progressive districts are sandwiched between conservative districts, it is done to suppress the progressive voice. Both political parties do it and it's wrong. This should concern everyone, regardless of who's in power. If you belong to the party in power and your elected officials take the easy and safe course of voting the party line and that vote negatively impacts your family, you're voiced out too. They are not casting that vote because they care about how it will affect your family. They're casting that vote because the party in power controls that seat, and they are counting on enough people electing them again, no matter how they vote on bills. Make no mistake about it -- you've lost your voice just as much as the opposition party has.

My experiences and thoughtful consideration of the political process have shaped me into a passionate, issues-driven advocate for change. Complacency is not an option in today’s fast-moving political climate. Decisions are made every day that infringe upon our rights. When Congress voted to reverse Internet privacy protections, the outrage should have been universal, not partisan. With the daily threat of tens of millions of Americans losing healthcare coverage, we should all be outraged. When we are bombarded with images of fathers and mothers separated from their families simply because they were trying to escape religious persecution, flee war-torn regions, or look for a better life to provide for themselves and their children, our reaction should be empathetic, not partisan. We are all humans and compassion is the foundation of every moral society.

I’m running for Utah’s US Congressional District 4 because I care deeply about our future.

When the question is asked of me, “What did you do when you saw what was happening to your neighbors,” I will reply, “I ran for the United States Congress to make a difference.”

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Follow me on twitter: @VoteDarlene

Darlene McDonald for Congress