10/03/2026
Just spoke to a resident in Leonardo. A Vietnam veteran who lives on a fixed income. He could barely make it to the door, but he spent almost an hour talking to me about how hard things have gotten and how many of his fellow veterans feel as though they’ve been forgotten.
I let him know that, from all of us out there, we forever honor their courage, bravery, and sacrifice.
He told me he may have to leave New Jersey and move to South Carolina to live in the basement of his late brother’s widow’s family because he can no longer afford the tax increases.
He also told me he wanted to vote for me in the last election, but he received a mailer saying I was a “left-wing radical Democrat.” When he found out the truth, he tried to vote provisionally, but he was told he couldn’t. It was too late.
These are the things that really bother me.
I don’t care about the fake lies and fake news they put out about me. What bothers me is that people in power will do almost anything to stay in power while refusing to help the people who actually need it.
I’ve traveled this entire country. I’ve lived in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington, D.C. I came back to New Jersey to care for my ailing veteran grandfather during the last stage of his life.
I know how hard it is for seniors and the elderly to get by. Not everyone was fortunate enough to inherit a home or receive a financial inheritance. Many older Americans are struggling just to get by, the same way so many young people and working-class families are struggling today.
After spending almost 25 years in the Republican Party, winning the first election I ever ran in in Middlesex County, running alongside the former state chairman in an effort to unseat Bob Menendez, and working as a Middlesex County coordinator for Jack in 2017, I’ve come to the realization that the Republican Party has lost its way. It has gone off course and off track.
The messaging I see out there today is not recognizable to the conservatism I believe in: conserving and preserving America, taking care of our veterans, protecting our posterity, and ensuring that our history remains proud and unaltered.
Instead, too much of our politics has become out of touch and dismissive of the real problems Americans face.
That doesn’t mean Democrats have the solutions. I believe many Democratic policies have been destructive to the United States, with a select few exceptions. But I also believe many conservative, or so-called Republican, ideas have gone astray and become destructive as well.
It’s time to get back to a place where we listen to the voices of unheard American citizens.
People like the veteran I spoke with today, and the many other veterans I’ve spoken with over the past few weeks, years, and beyond.
Young people who are tired of being called lazy when the wages they earn and the work they do barely provide the opportunities and benefits they could have expected even 10 years ago.
Working-class Americans who feel like nobody in government is listening to them.
It’s time to listen.
It’s time to stop electing people who are put there simply to vote a certain way so big corporations, lawyers, and insiders can get government contracts and enrich themselves even further—all while putting out false messaging pretending they’re working for the people.
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with some of the elected officials who were in fierce opposition to me during the last election, and I will say this: I believe a couple of them genuinely do want to do the right thing.
But I will also say—not all of them.
Some are still pompous, self-aggrandizing, out-of-touch politicians who act as though they’re part of a feudal system where they are the lords and everyone else is a peasant. Sad, but true.
My mission will continue: to fight for the people without a voice.
I will happily support anyone I believe is genuinely doing that. And in my own political journey, I will always put the people first and tell the truth, as I have always done, no matter where I am.
It’s time to put the American people first again.
It’s time to give people the hope and opportunity our founders fought so hard to protect and allow to flourish.
Thank you, and God bless you all. 🇺🇸
