To all my Utah friends out there on the InnerTubes, especially those in the First Congressional District (Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Summit, Uintah, and Weber counties and a part of Davis County):

I invite you to write me in.

I thought about this earlier this year but since I have little faith in our state Republican Party which I perceive to be a chaotic and fraternal entity, I was discouraged about running a political gauntlet in the primaries. I don’t fit the perfect GOP mold because while I align with much, there are still things in which I disagree with both President Trump and the GOP.

I sure as Hell am no progressive Democrat, so the write-in route seemed an appropriate way to go.

I will ask for your support but will not campaign for your vote. It may sound strange, but I do not believe a candidate should be packaged and sold like a product. I believe you should present yourself, your philosophy and your qualifications and the people should chose the best person for the job.

I will not solicit money because I believe solicited money creates a debt that will come due some day. If someone donates a significant sum to your campaign, they are not donating because they think you are the right guy, they think you are the right guy who will do something for them in the future. People should donate only to help people in whom they believe and the candidate should 1) spend that money responsibly and 2) return any overage to the people who donated it based on a percentage formula of what they gave as compared to the whole. I find the concept of politicians keeping a “war chest” offensive.

I will; however. file the proper paperwork prior to 60 days from the November election signifying my intent to run as a write-in candidate (yes, you must file to run as a write-in candidate).

I am willing and able meet with any and all groups in the First District interested in hearing what I have to offer.

If elected:

– I will faithfully serve, putting the First District first.

– I will fight progressivism to my last breath (even within the Republican Party).

– I will caucus with the Republicans as Congressional leadership is important.

– My first act as a U.S. Congressman will be to file ethics complaints for lying to the American people against Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler – and include every Democrat who had a hand in the Mueller investigation and/or the impeachment hearings.

– My second act will be to campaign to seek criminal referrals for every “witness” who lied to Congress in any of these matters.

– I will represent the people of the First District of Utah, the State of Utah and the American people with integrity, fealty to the Constitution and according to the political philosophy that I have written about on these pages.

– I will be honest and direct about my actions. My goal is to build a successful political portfolio and to unseat Willard “Mitt” Romney in the United States Senate. Senator Romney has become a disgrace to the State of Utah and her people and does not deserve the support of the people of our state any longer.

– Most of all, I promise never to go Lindsey Graham on you. I will never spend time on Fox News promising to do things that I never really intend to do.

Look – I’m you. My family is your family. I’ve planted crops, raised hogs and cattle. I’ve trapped, hunted and fished. My Ford F-150 is equipped with a tool box, WeatherTech floor mats and worn leather gloves in the console. My boots are scuffed and worn but I keep my tools clean and my axes sharp. I’m the son of a man who was a brick mason, a carpenter, a contractor, a heavy equipment owner/operator and a mechanic all rolled into one and I carry the skills he taught me to this day.

I don’t claim to be smarter, wealthier or better looking than you. I’ve been broke and I’ve had some success. I’ve graduated with worthwhile undergraduate and graduate degrees from state universities – Mississippi State University and the University of Utah. I’ve struggled through family issues, job changes and been through good and bad. I’m like you – I know in my soul that something is wrong – just like you know it. I can feel the America of our childhood slipping away – just as you do.

My wife and I have reared three productive children and have been married for 39 years this year. We dated for 5 years before that, so she knows me better than anyone. We were hiking in our beautiful state and talking about this yesterday and she told me straight to my face “You can’t be a politician because you don’t like people.”

I sort of looked at her in disagreement and then she clarified her statement, “You don’t like people who waste your time. You would never be able to put up with the liars, the cheats, the glad-handing con men, the poseurs and the crooks. You would just want to shoot them.”

If I were running a traditional campaign, her last statement would be my pitch.

I expect there are more like me in the District than not.

A Republican will win the District. It’s been heavily Republican for a very long time. The question is whether you want just another “R” in the ledger or someone who has no patience with people who waste your time.

Winning a write-in campaign is a heavy lift but I also know social media is pretty powerful these days, so in a “Dumb and Dumber” sort of way – I’m telling you there’s a shot!

All I can promise is that if you do choose to write me in and we win, your vote will not be wasted – and if we don’t, it will be greatly appreciated – and if you allow it, we can reload and try again in two years.