Election Day is less than a month away and while everyone is worrying about how much our two major party candidates are disliked, I'm over here worrying about my local representative. Here in southwest Virginia, in the 6th District, challenger Kai Degner is taking on 24-year incumbent Bob Goodlatte for Congressman. This may be a local election, but it holds national implications. Here are some reasons why you should think about voting Kai Degner for Congress.
1. He's anti-establishment.
Via Twitter
How many times have we heard the argument that Americans are tired of "career politicians?" Here is your answer.. Goodlatte has been in office for 24 years and holds seniority positions in Congress; he has lost the connection between representative and constituent, by working on legislation in Washington that has little to do with his district. Kai is quite the opposite. As a former mayor and city council member, he understands politics, but explicitly understands the need to listen to constituents in order to make sound legislative decision. If he is elected in November, he will efficiently relay messages from the district to the House, exactly what he is supposed to do.
2. He wants to legalize marijuana.
Via US Observer
Marijuana legalization is a huge, complicating mess, but has incredibly positive implications. By declassifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, we can reduce prison populations, decrease the dependence on opioids, and increase the economy with hemp production. To break this down, prisons are packed with non-violent drug offenders; by legalizing marijuana, we can reduce the amount of non-violent offenders in our prisons, and spend our resources on punishing members of society who are really causing harm to others. This country is seeing a booming increase of opioid addiction, that is, prescription drugs. By allowing people to treat pain with cannabis instead of opioids, we can reduce the addiction crisis. Lastly, hemp can be the greatest economical boost we can produce for our future. Hemp can be used for production of clothes, food, oils, etc. Farmers are being punished for growing hemp, because of its linkage to marijuana; therefore, marijuana must be legalized.
3. He cares about the "little guy."
Via Shenandoah Valleys Best
As an entrepreneur himself, Kai understands the need to build up small businesses. He will work to keep farmers, family businesses, and others at work. He will push progressive tax reform that will protect those people as well as protect the middle-class as a whole.
4. He understands the need to protect the environment.
Via National Park Service
Nested in the Shenandoah Valley, the 6th District is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Virginia. Kai will invest in research on clean energy and reduction of fossil fuels. He is completely opposed to the pipeline consideration that would run through our valley. These pipelines can leak and sometimes even explode, they will be built into the natural rock that supports much of our infrastructure, and will increase our dependence on fossil fuels. From an environmental view, pipelines are some of the worst things we can build into our mountains; an idea Goodlatte thinks is one worth investing his personal finances into.
5. He hates money in politics.
Kai is a big supporter of campaign finance reform. He has been traveling up and down the district, getting to know his donors. In a local election, money is everything in order to compete with senior, long-sitting incumbents like Goodlatte. Kai is dedicated to the idea that people, with strong ideas, can make a difference. All of his campaign contributions have come from small, individual donors, and he will continue to make that promise for future campaigns.
6. He's actually "listening for a change."
Via Kai For Congress
Kai has been holding Summit events for years and has been using them to his full potential during this campaign season. These summits allow people to create their own agenda of issues they would like to talk about during each of these summits. Kai doesn't take on the facilitator role during these summits, but instead take on a student role, learning from other passionate residents of the district. He's making sure to keep the connection between Representative and constituent, a close one.
7. He's down to earth.
How many politicians have you shaken hands with. Kai has made it a point in his campaign to get to know as many residents of the 6th District as he can. At one festival, Kai was spotted sharing pork rinds with a constituent. He is a person who hasn't been sucked into the Beltway and can still stand to understand policies from a "common person" perspective.
8. He's a JMU alum.
I may be biased here, but the best innovators of change come from humble university nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. During his time at JMU, he established a club just to talk about important issues such as political affairs.
9. He's the underdog.
Starting his campaign in July, after another candidate dropped from the race, Kai has been fighting an uphill battle. His competitor is stacked in resources against him, but Kai is not giving up. He is invested in changing the institution for better. He could give up, ignore campaign events, avoid raising funds, but he hasn't. He's in it until the end, fighting for all the people in the valley who are ready for a change.
10. He won't make the same mistakes.
Kai is not running for a long-term, Congressional career, as his opponent is. He understands the need for short terms in Congress to secure constituent views and values inside the legislature. He's ready to shake up the institution and provide transparency between the government and the constituents of the 6th District.
For more information about Kai Degner, visit his website.
