10/5/2026: What Keeps You Up At Night?

We just finished a three-day swing through the district’s northern counties. It started on Thursday with our Veterans Beer Call in Anniston. It was exactly what we hoped for. We spent time with more than 30 people, not all of whom were veterans, shared some good laughs, and had very emotional conversations about veterans’ suicide, the state of the Veterans Health Care System, and how we can care for our veterans. 

Friday night was First Friday in Gadsden. The team from the Etowah County Democratic Women’s Club turned out, along with a few other supporters, and we handed out nearly 1,000 push cards.

Then, on Saturday, it was Oxfest in Oxford. Okay, I won’t lie. It was a long, hot, exhausting day, but here are the good parts. First, we shared a table with the great Pam Howard, who is running in State House District 40; her campaign staff, Carol and Joe, were with us the entire way; and we were right across the street from the Calhoun County Democrats. What kept me going in the 90+ degree heat was the constant stream of people who came over and said, “We’ve never met, but I’m following you, I’m voting for you, and I want to thank you for campaigning with such a positive message.”

Another thing was that I realized the Republicans were handing out Mike Rogers yard signs. Thirty days out, it looks like he’s realized he needs to start campaigning. 

Here’s the best part, though. I spoke to several thousand people in three days. Five—exactly five—wouldn’t speak to me because they would never vote for a Democrat. Five out of a few thousand.

A few wanted to hand me back my card, but I did my best not to take it, because as long as they had it, we were still talking. I’d ask them why they felt that way. A few had specific issues: borders, the Green New Deal, and school vouchers, and we’d talk about my personal views on all of them.

Most of them just said something along the lines of “I don’t like the Democratic platform.” I would push for specifics, and when I could get them, they were the usual culture issues that are hot buttons in conservative media. I let them speak without interrupting, and when they were finished, I would ask them a question.

“Let me ask you a question. When you go to bed at night, are you really lying awake, worrying about the SAVE Act? Or are you worried about someone in your family getting sick and having their treatment denied by your insurance company? Or do you stay awake wondering whether you’ll be able to cover the gas you need to get to work and the food you need to feed your family? Or maybe you’re worried about whether your folks will be able to cover their house payment and their prescriptions.”

In every instance, they agreed that those were the issues that kept them from sleeping.

I asked them to keep my card and to visit my website and Mike Rogers’ website to see what we’re both saying about the issues that worry them. “And if Mike Rogers is speaking more to those needs than I am, God bless you. Go vote for him on November 3rd, but for your and your family’s sake, don’t just vote for a political party.”

Every single one of them kept my card and said they would.

Will they vote for me? I don’t know. Maybe most of those cards wound up in the trash as they walked back to their cars, but for a few minutes, I had an honest, frank, and, in some cases, passionate conversation with someone about the political issues we disagree on, and we were civil and respectful.

That ain’t nothing.