ArgzCoin 2022 User Q&A Guide

CONTENTS

What is it? 

Where does the name come from?

What makes ArgzCoin 2022 Special?

What is an ArgzCoin 2022 Note?

What determines the value of ArgzCoin 2022? 

How do I obtain ArgzCoin 2022? 

How are the coins allocated?

Why did Kevin retain 10% of ArgzCoin 2022?

What can you do with ArgzCoin 2022?

How are ArgzCoins 2022 gifted? 

How do I convert ArgzCoin 2022 to US Dollars? 

How do I access the coins on my certificate (note)? 

How do I authenticate the coins on my certificate? 

What is it? ArgzCoin 2002 is a cryptocurrency created by Kevin Goodman’s election campaign. Kevin is a candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives. Kevin conceived the idea to reward volunteers and contributors. The idea was simply to give something back—if only symbolic. Kevin pitched the idea to his advisor and campaign strategist, Colby Mathews and to his campaign manager, Christina Taylor. They both approved. After some considerable research, Kevin chose to launch his cryptocurrency on the Matic-Polygon blockchain, which itself is built on Ethereum. For those unfamiliar, Ether is the second most traded cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. Ethereum is the blockchain network that runs it. Polygon is meant to be an improvement on Ethereum and aims to make Ethereum faster, more efficient, carbon neutral and ecologically friendly. Matic is the primary cryptocurrency of the Polygon network. Argzcoin is executed as a type of smart contract called an ERC20 token on the Polygon network. Technically speaking it’s a fungible token with a capped minting of 1 million coins.

The symbol for ArgzCoin 2022 is Agz22.

Where does the name come from? Argo is the name of one of Kevin’s Doberman Pinschers (he has two). Argo has had a high level of training including sport Schutzhund and practical protection training and is being evaluated for potential SAR (search and rescue) with current training in wilderness trailing. His high level of obedience has made him very sociable and reliable in public and as such Kevin often has him at public events and campaign meetings. Argo went from an unofficial mascot of the campaign to an official mascot when Kevin took inspiration from the Blue Dog Caucus and created a Blue Dog Inspired campaign logo featuring the silhouette of a Doberman. ArgzCoin 2022 followed!

Campaign logo
Coin logo

What makes ArgzCoin 2022 Special? We believe ArgzCoin 2022 is the first cryptocurrency created by a candidate in a U.S. based political campaign for the sake of fundraising and for rewarding volunteers and donors. ArgzCoin 2002 will not be the next Bitcoin, that’s not the point. There are only 1,000,000 Coins minted (no more can be made). This pales in comparison to the number of coins circulating with most altcoins (any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin). We think of it as a limited-edition commemorative token. While it’s unlikely that PayPal will ever let you pay for goods with ArgzCoin 2022 in the same way that it allows payment in Ether or Bitcoin, we believe our coin will nonetheless have some value as a unit of trade. Its primary value is from the fact that it is of limited supply and has historic precedence in the world of politics. It is a type of memorabilia and artifact and as such its value is more akin to a non-fungible token representing an artifact or artwork. For these reasons we believe there is potential for ArgzCoin 2022 to appraise in value.

What is an ArgzCoin 2022 Note? The campaign has released ArgzCoins 2022 attached to certificates in denominations of 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000. Each denomination has its own design to which a unique public key is printed and which is also represented by a unique QR code printed on the certificate. The back of each certificate has a private key that is protected by a silver coating that can be scratched off. The private key allows the owner to transfer their coins to a different address, wallet or account if they so desire (though doing so will remove the value from the note). The notes are meant to give tangible form to the coins and serve a practical role of allowing the campaign to manage the release of the coins. A limited number of each denomination’s note will be offered at a time in a lot. Note: purchasing a note is a donation to a political campaign!

What determines the value of ArgzCoin 2022? Initially the campaign sets the price based on campaign finance goals. The very first lot of ArgzCoin 2022 notes will be released at a value of $.50 USD to 1 Agz22. After these sell out, the price of subsequent Agz22 note lots will be based on supply and demand. Prior to Agz22 notes being released, ArgzCoin 2022 was listed on the decentralized network SushiSwamp, thus the campaign will look at the trade price on SushiSwamp to set the price of tokens on subsequent lots of notes.

How do I obtain ArgzCoin 2022? There are multiple ways to obtain ArgzCoin 2022: volunteer for the campaign, donate to the campaign by purchasing ArgzCoin 2022 notes, or purchase them on a secondary market such as SushiSwamp. Be advised that the campaign itself does not offer tokens for sale on exchanges and thus trading on a secondary or decentralized exchange does not constitute a political campaign donation but purchasing notes directly from the campaign does.

How are the coins allocated? Kevin covered the cost of creating the coins and the campaign reimbursed him 90% of the cost. Kevin in turn kept 10% of the tokens (the answer to why he did this is in the next question). 30-40% of the remainder will be allocated to volunteers. 30-40% of the remainder will be allocated to financial contributors. 20-30% will be gifted.

Why did Kevin retain 10% of ArgzCoin 2022? Kevin chose to accept only 90% reimbursement for the cost of the token’s creation so he could retain 10% because the campaign could not release ArgzCoin 2022 on a decentralized exchange due to campaign finance laws. Any person that purchases a token directly from the campaign is making a political donation. Per US law, a political campaign cannot accept contributions from foreign nationals. On a decentralized exchange there is no way to validate the nationality of purchasers. Thus the campaign could not itself list ArgzCoin 2022 on a cryptocurrency exchange, yet Kevin felt it was important to facilitate a secondary market. He chose to accept a 10% share of ArgzCoin 2022 so that he could facilitate such a market. He has created a liquidity pool on SushiSwamp (Polygon bridge) and UniSwamp (Polygon bridge) with his own holding of ArgzCoin 2022, which allows users to trade ArgzCoin 2022 for other cryptocurrencies that utilize the Polygon framework.

What can you do with ArgzCoin 2022? If you have acquired any amount Agz22, we hope you’ll hold on to it for a while so that it can appraise in value. Again, we think of ArgzCoin 2022 as historic and unique memorabilia. The notes on which they’re issued are intended to give some tangible form to this perspective. That said, you may trade ArgzCoin 2022 on any decentralized exchange for which there is a liquidity pool. Currently ArgzCoin 2022 can be traded for Matic, Sushi, Tether, Dai, USD Coin, and other ERC20 token currencies that are on the Polygon Network and which have ample liquidity on SushiSwamp and UniSwamp.

How are ArgzCoins 2022 gifted? Between 20-30% of the supply will be gifted. Roughly half of these will be distributed to those who help facilitate and grow the secondary market for Agz22. We will reward the first 50 addresses that acquire a minimum of 200 ArgzCoin 2022 on SushiSwamp or UniSwamp and then hold onto it for 7 days by sending additional 50% Agz22 to their public key address. We will continue to make random air drops to addresses that have traded Agz22 until the dedicated pool for this purpose is exhausted. 50000 Agz22 (5% total supply) are intended for this purpose. We will also gift liquidity providers with Agz22 that are willing to stake their stable coins with the gifted Agz22 in liquidity pools with defi exchanges for at-least 30 days. We will consider up to 7.5% of the total supply for this purpose.

The remainder of the supply designated for gifting will be distributed within the community and district for which Kevin is seeking election.

How do I convert ArgzCoin 2022 to US Dollars? You will need to trade your ArgzCoin 2022 on a decentralized exchange where Agz22 has liquidity for a widely traded token (stable coin) such as Matic or Tether and then transfer the stable coin token to a U.S. exchange such as Coinbase, where the stable coin can be exchanged for US dollars.

How do I access the coins on my certificate (note)? Each note has a key-set (two keys). One key is public and one key is private. These keys consist of a string of letters and numbers. The public key allows anybody to validate the digital assets that belong to the key (this will be the number of Agz22 specified by the denomination of the note). Additionally further assets such as additional Agz22 could be sent to the public key address. Note: some certificates may have a small amount of Matic attached to them. The private key allows you to access and control the digital assets of the number. Anybody with access to the private key could transfer them to another address therefore it’s important to protect the private key. On the certificate, the private key is printed on the back and is protected by a stamped silver coating that can be scratched away. It should only be scratched away only if you are certain you want to transfer the coins away from the certificate. 

If you have made the decision to do so, you’ll need a polygon compatible crypto-wallet application. We recommend MetaMask but before you can use MetaMask you’ll have to connect it to the Polygon blockchain (this YouTube video will show you how to do that <embed link> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EQFsxH9zFw). Once your MetaMask is operating on the Polygon network you can go to the MetaMask Account dropdown menu and choose to import a private key. At this point you simply enter the string numbers and letters that is your private key. 

Once you import Agz22, into your MetaMask account, it will not automatically show. You need to go to the bottom of your page and click “import token”. You then need to enter the Token’s contract address which is 0x20f4f80d2cb021c59ae3ef42f6da176e1b8e801c. Once you click enter, your Argz22 will show and be available to you.

If you have taken this step, we recommend you create a second account in MetaMask and then transfer your Agz22 to your new account for enhanced security. You can create multiple accounts under one login. 

Be advised, however, that to transfer Agz22 between accounts, you’ll also need a small amount of Matic. Because Agz22 runs on the Polygon network, transactions incur a “gas fee” in Polygon’s native currency (Matic). Matic can easily be purchased from http://moonpay.com.

If you are new to cryptocurrency this may seem daunting but these requirements are typical for most (nearly all) alt-coins. Once your account is set-up and the coins are transferred the rest is rather intuitive. When the MetaMask extension is used with the Chrome or Firefox web-browsers, you are given the option to connect your wallet directly to SushiSwamp or UniSwamp apps when entering the site where you can then trade Agz22 for other tokens such as Matic.

How do I authenticate the coins on my certificate? You can go to https://polygonscan.com/ and enter your public key address. Under the “overview” look for the dropdown menu labeled “token.” In the dropdown section you should see ArgzCoin 2022 with a numeric value for the number of coins held. You should then click this and ensure it takes you tothe ArgzCoin 2022 summary page where it will display a “contract” address. Authentic Agz22 will have contract address: 0x20f4f80d2cb021c59ae3ef42f6da176e1b8e801c.

When Partisanship Goes Too Far

I’m attracted to organizations like the Blue Dog Caucus and No Labels precisely because they advocate for bi-partisan solutions between the parties. Partisanship in itself is not inherently wrong. It serves a purpose but it can be taken too far and the dangers of this are very real and I’m afraid we’ve crossed those lines in the current era.

The Constitution says nothing about political parties. From a constitutional perspective they are not inherent to our government. Nevertheless, they are as old as the founding of the Nation. The first political parties formed informally: they were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists advocated for a constitution that created a strong central federal government. The Anti-Federalists sought a confederation of states as opposed to a strong central federal government. The Federalists won.

In their push for states’ ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists published the Federalist Papers in various newspapers. These essays advocated for the adoption of the Constitution and serve as a window for interpreting the Constitution at the source. In Federalist Paper #10, James Madison, describes the rise of political parties, which he portrays as “factions” united by shared interests and passions. Madison was not an advocate or a detractor of a party system but rather saw the emergence of political parties or factions as inherent to human nature. Madison advocated for reason and wisdom and believed that sheer geographic size of the American Republic would prevent “passions” from spreading too rapidly. He argued that the United States would be protected from over-zealous passion in irrational ideas or demagogic leaders because the geographic size of the US would not allow passions to travel fast enough to maintain their fervor and therefore reason would be given time to extinguish the fire of such dangers. But Madison did not predict the era of mass-media, let alone the era of social media.

Since the 1980s, there has been a steady polarization between the political parties. This is to say that they are moving further to the extremes in their orientation. It was not always the case that Republican translated into conservative and Democrat translated into liberal. Before the Reagan years there were plenty of Republican liberals and Democratic conservatives. According to recent research, the degree to which individuals have homogenized their beliefs so that they lean either all conservative or all liberal has also doubled in the last two decades and this has fallen on party lines. This is to say that there was a time when people were more apt to think liberally on some topics and conservatively on other topics as opposed to absolute in all areas. Consider that in Roe Vs. Wade, five of the seven majority justices were Republican!

Madison was right in predicting that political parties are an inherent fact of a large polity with an orientation towards individual liberty. But the increasing polarization of contemporary politics presents an inherent danger which exacerbates pressing issues such as climate change, fiscal responsibility, hearth care, reproductive rights, gun rights, etc. As Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln himself was referencing the Gospel of Mark. The issue at stake is the heart and soul of our Nation: the Constitution as the founders conceived it.

Madison recognized that political parties represented an inherent danger to the Nation but to suppress them would be to suppress liberty and to do so would be the greater evil. Thus, in Federalist Paper 10, we can assert that political parties have a constitutional right for existence. But the polarization of our parties has taken us to a point where we’re too frequently seeing an all-out attempt to completely delegitimize the opposing party. This is where it gets dangerous.

There are two dangers here. The first is that it’s easy to provoke the heightened animosities along party boundaries and doing so serves our enemies. In social psychology it’s well established that ‘like’ begets “like.” This is to say that another voice on any given stance serves to give it a little more credence and legitimacy or as Madison might say: fuel the “passion.” In our era of social media anybody can publish anything and instantly put it before a crowd of those united by similar passions to fuel the fire. Make no mistake, the enemies of the United States are doing just that. They have no preference between liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. It is simply enough to fan the flames of division. There are no doubt armies of intelligence personnel in China, Russia, and Iran, amongst others, posing as Americans commenting under news stories, on Twitter, YouTube and under many different political forums endorsing the most extreme and divisive partisan positions—giving perceived social legitimacy to Americans who would do the same.

The second danger comes from the fact that political parties serve as an informal checks and balance. When polarization takes us to the point that we will argue against the legitimacy of the opposing party then we’re taking a position against liberty. Every dictatorship of the twentieth century emerged from a party platform that sought to suppress all other political parties: The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi), FET (Falange of Franco Spain), Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mao’s Communist Party, Mussolini’s National Fascist Party. Once these parties seized power they sought to consolidate it by delegitimizing any opposing party. In a dictatorship, party loyalty becomes synonymous to patriotism. So when we as Americans take our partisan position to such an extreme that we perceive our chosen political party as the sole legitimate expression of American governance then we endorse a view that is very contrary to the founding principal of the Nation. This is the principal given to us by Madison in his own acknowledgment that the suppression of political factions is contrary to liberty and therefore the greater evil.

In today’s political rhetoric, the word “Democrat” or “Republican” takes on a very negative connotation if you’re standing in the opposing camp. It shouldn’t be that way. Our Constitution was framed to facilitate differences of opinion through political discourse. Politicians carry a huge burden of blame for the growing polarizing of American politics. If you take strong partisan positions it rallies the base and gets emotions up. It’s really a powerful tool. If you can paint Democrats as communists or Republicans as bigoted with one broad stroke then the issues don’t really matter because the opposing camp is simply and inherently bad, thus creating a need for party solidarity against the perceived opposing evil. It’s an easy thing to do and it’s a powerful thing to do but it’s also wrong.

The bottom line: party loyalty is not patriotism. Extinguishing the opposition and holding to one’s party as the sole legitimate answer is contrary to our constitutional beginnings and its underlying magnanimous philosophy. It’s for this reason that I see a commitment to bipartisanship as its own platform in light of the growing polarization of the political environment and the willingness of foreign enemies to exploit the divide. I see the willingness to overcome the divide as potentially the most important issue pressing this Nation. We must accept that we are a nation of plurality and encourage the return to civic discourse as the norm because that’s what the founders of this Nation intended and continues to serve as best path forward for the preservation of the Union.

When-Partisanship-Goes-Too-FarDownload

Think Democrats Are Not Christian? Think Democrats Should be Excluded From Government On Religious Grounds? Think Again!

In our campaign’s most recent round of advertising, there were a number of comments saying that Democrats are not Christian.

This kind of thinking makes me so sad. 

The English colonists who settled America were Christian and most were considered heretical by the Church of England and therefore would not have been considered “true” Christians by the powers that be. They were motivated to come here so that they would not be persecuted for their beliefs. But the colonists were not unified in their interpretation and practice of creed. For this reason, The Founding Fathers took exceptional care to protect religious freedom. It was an issue very central to the founding of this Nation.

So when someone will deny the legitimacy of so many diverse Christians, I’m compelled to believe that they lack the patriotism and understanding in which our constitution was framed.

Why Stronger Whistle Blower Protections Within State Government Would Help Facilitate a More Accountable and Effective Civil Service


Here lately, I’ve been reflecting on a radical idea I took from business school years ago: “authenticity.” As a business student, I was taught that the most successful brands are “authentic” and that it is their authenticity that naturally facilitates and crystalizes their status in greatness. When we’re talking about the identity of an organization (and this holds equally true for a personality), authenticity is about being true to the core values that one proclaims. When this happens, the end product or service is sure to be consistent and therefore “true” (authentic). But frankly and unfortunately, as a former civil servant, it’s been my experience that this basic principal is not getting the merit it deserves in the civil service.

When I was studying business, the idea of “authenticity” was all the rage. Though I can’t recite one person specifically without going back and doing some back referencing. It is an idea I saw in texts by world class faculty from the likes of Wharton School of Business and other Ivy League business schools and one that reverberated(es) under many different subtopics: branding, marketing, loyalty (both in terms customers and employees) and leadership (to name a few).

When I worked at the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), it was very evident that there was an active and thoughtful effort to give focus to creating a “positive culture.” I participated in conversations with various levels of leadership about concerns relating to this. In an email correspondence, Director Terry Stigdon once lamented to me about how it was so unfortunate that the media too often focused on the negative when it came to DCS. This was about three years ago when I alerted her to the fact that a certain television reporter was trying to make contact with me (on a matter that’s not important in regards to the subject of this letter). Multiple times and at multiple levels of leadership, I heard that “poor morale” was the utmost concern to management and that this concern went all the way to the top and that there was an active and overt effort to improve the culture.

I too believe that it is ideal to strive for a “positive culture” in any work place but what I have been taught is that this can only truly occur if it’s also “authentic.” Logic dictates that to sustain the positive, the authenticity comes first.

It is true that someone is more likely to exceed when you acknowledge the merit of what they do or the skill in which they do it. But to tell someone they are “the best” at what they do if they are not would be manipulation. That would be unauthentic. The short term gains in productivity and confidence might be greatly enhanced but if the claim is also not true then the end service or product is also not going to be authentic—it could be disastrous. Part of being authentic is being honest.

When I was at DCS, I made more than a few complaints but the one thing I never heard was DCS accept fault. I heard rumors that in one adjacent county, the ethics officer had to give multiple presentations to staff one year after multiple cases of scandal of one sorts or another occurred. I am not sure if that is true or not and I have never experienced anything like that in my own county; but, if it is true, then it means there were issues at DCS that in the least merited acknowledgment. In six years of service, I never heard DCS management acknowledge being wrong on an issue in in any moral sense (at-least in an official capacity). Nobody and no organization is without faults.

I like to think that I can own my faults. I know that when I worked for DCS, I made numerous mistakes and I owned them when I recognized them. I always admitted to it when when I deferred to my own judgement on occasions when there have been questions regarding any of my investigations. I have never had any issue with accepting ownership for my work and I have certainly made mistakes. In fact, my supervisor wrote in my last performance review that I aways take ownership for my mistakes and never blame others. On one occasion in the more distant past, I made a mistake that I would have accepted as a terminal offense had it been treated as such. I confessed to sending a child for a CT scan after a doctor called and accused me of “illegally” “prescribing unnecessary radiation” without the legal authority to do so. He was right… I had misread our orders from the Child Protection Team at Riley. But I did not get in any kind of trouble; instead, my supervisor called the hospital and complained about the doctor’s attitude. The point is, I made a lot of mistakes but I owned them when I recognized them. 

It is Ironic that my greatest mistake (from a career perspective) was to criticize DCS leadership and management. I accessed information that was by large openly staffed with me and for which I had no specific restrictions and I used that information to illustrate a complaint. I was terminated for it. I can assure you that, internally, the Department justified it on grounds of my attack being a detriment to the “positive culture” they so eagerly sought. But the threat itself was that I threatened their public image.

This is a fault that I hope our other civil service agencies are not repeating. I too agree that a positive work climate is important and worthy of a conscientious effort. But to do it by degrading and ignoring criticisms is the wrong approach. The so called “realist” may disagree but they are going against the wisdom of what’s being taught in the world’s best business schools. These realists are what are called the Machiavellians. They adhere to (or emulate) the cold philosophy of a 16th century Italian Statesman, whose book The Prince is often considered a treatise on governance with an emphasis on overt manipulation and ruthlessness. But Machiavellianism is both too often overstated and misunderstood.

In fact, Machiavellianism (as we understand it) more often than not reveals a poor foundation, a fragile system and an insecure leadership. I like to think that the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. transcended and raised above Machiavellianism in the most uncertain of times.

In my quarrel, with DCS, I have had DCS employees ask me not to place them on the witness stand because they fear retaliation. And their concern is legitimate. If this sector of our government was being run “authentically” this would not be the case. Our employees would not have to fear for their honesty. The fact that DCS assures us that this is not the case does not change the very real fears of otherwise stellar employees. And the reason for this fear is simple: DCS and perhaps other elements within State Government are apt to protect management. The higher up the ladder you are, the greater this standard holds true. The justification is no doubt that an attack on the chain of command is a threat to the credibility of the leadership and organization as a whole. The shuffle to protect management for the sake of credibility is inherently Machiavellian and the degree to which leadership is motivated to protect management demonstrates both a tremendous flaw in the core values of the organization (not as they are stated but as they are demonstrated) and an incredible level of insecurity.

It’s unfortunate that a State bureaucracy cannot grasp (and implement) a radical idea like “authenticity” when it is being taught as a pillar of success for truly world-class business leadership. Authenticity, after all, is is akin to the idea of being honorable. If “public image” takes precedence over honesty and transparency, then we must begin to ask serious questions because something is being hidden! Not only is it likely morally wrong it is indicative of mismanagement and future failure. 

Though my undergraduate thesis, Virtue as a Competitive Advantage, explicated these very ideas in a generic sense, I am in a debt of gratitude to my former colleagues for reminding me of my own values and the values we seek to instill in government. On this this issue, I give a special shout out to my campaign manager, Christina Taylor. Thank you!

How You and I Together Could Help End Prohibition

This year there were six bills proposed that would decriminalize or legalize marijuana on some level. None of them were granted a committee hearing and therefor none of them made progress towards becoming law. But we could make a difference. 

To get elected I would have to overcome a popular incumbent. If enough of the constituency agrees that it’s time to end prohibition and if it’s a big enough issue to contribute to my victory over a popular incumbent then we will send a powerful message to the Committee on Courts and Criminal Code that times are changing and that’s it’s time to move forward or risk another lost seat in the General Assembly.

This is how we could make a difference. But it’s up to you. Are you willing to make some noise to move this issue foward? After primaries we’ll look at releasing campaign shirts and signs specific to the issue. 

Read more about my stance on Ending Prohibition.

What Will the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act do for Indiana?

Senators Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden and Corey Booker have pushed the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), which would legalize Cannabis (Marijuana) at the federal level. Schumer is vowing to bring the matter to a vote this year whether Biden gets on board or not—is in essence promising to force the issue.

If CAOA passes marijuana will remain illegal in Indiana because the proposed legislation allows states to decide the legality of cannabis within their borders. Federal legalization will not change Indiana code, at least as is proposed in CAOA.

Governor Holcomb has previously stated that he would not support legalization as long as it was illegal at the Federal level? Does that mean Governor Holcomb will get on board if it becomes legal at the Federal level? Well—he also didn’t say he would support it if it did. But CAOA could potentially make it easier for some legislators to go along with legalization. The bottom line is that CAOA will not legalize marijuana in Indiana. State legislators will need to do that.

Why Democrats Should Back Me.

Historically Democrats pull about 30% of the vote in District 65. We will need to find new votes from the non-voting qualified or take about 1/3 of the Republican vote or some combination thereof if we are serious about winning. I believe we can do it if we’re willing to compromise and to advocate for all members of the community. Above all, we have to keep in mind that our constituency is largely conservative. 

I’m a moderate when it comes to orientation and it will take a moderate for a Democrat to have any real chance with District 65.

I will take Republican votes and I will work to motivate new voters! 

Having worked child protection in Lawrence County for over the last six years, I’ve worked closely with the courts, the prosecutor’s office, and law enforcement. The judges I’ve come before and the detectives I’ve worked closely with know that I will go above and beyond when I believe it’s the right thing to do despite the inconvenience or personal sacrifice it may bring. 

My early campaign backers are conservative Republicans. My campaign manager and committee treasurer is a conservative. They are eager to back me because they believe in me and my desire to see mechanisms in place to ensure a higher level of accountability in the civil service. I have a path for taking Republican votes.

I’m not looking to settle for the nomination—I’m looking to win! I look back on the historical data and see that this is a monumental task but I believe with the right momentum and with respect and compromise for our Republican friends, we can do it.