It’s time to end the cycle

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Elections are not supposed to be opportunities for opportunists; they’re supposed to be opportunities for voters to hire people who will work only for them and make certain that their voices are heard.

Unfortunately, our country has worked itself into a debilitating cycle of electing and recycling out-of-touch and unaccountable career politicians. They — along with lobbyists, bundlers and high-dollar donors — have developed a system that rigs the game for self-interested insiders who play ball with what has been described recently as “The Washington Cartel.”

In Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, we’ve seen what happens when that game goes into overtime. We ended up with a representative who rarely visited us, who held no town hall forums, who voted out of fear of losing power, and who found himself beholden to special interest groups rather than to the people he was hired to represent.

This cycle must stop. We can end it locally — and send a powerful message nationally — by picking the right person to replace Representative John Boehner.

In the next several weeks, we’ll see many candidates jump into this race. While some of them may be very nice people, all of them stood by while Speaker Boehner continued to disappoint us by saying one thing and doing the opposite. They either agreed with his repeated acquiescence to President Obama and the Democrats, or they couldn’t muster the courage to stand up for what was right — neither of which is something on which to hang one’s hat.

How can we trust that these people won’t continue to support the progressive agenda while claiming publicly that they’re “fighting tooth and nail” against it? How do we know these people won’t back down when things get tough or when the next Speaker tells them to vote a certain way? We don’t, and that’s a problem.

Again, it’s time to end this cycle, and that’s why I’m running.

Several years ago, I saw how Speaker Boehner was empowering our President, and I stood up to him in an election. After I lost, I continued to work with the grassroots to fight these destructive policies. Back in April of this year, I decided to stand up and fight again. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one. I’ve been working hard to earn the the trust of the voters since then.

With me, you know you’ll have a representative who cares to connect with the people. You know you’ll have a representative who will stand on principle despite the personal costs. You know you’ll have someone who is just like you — a hardworking, political outsider who loves this district and this country.

I believe that our conservative principles are worth the fight, and I’m not afraid to challenge those who wish to tear down our country. I’ll fight to get the government out of our lives, and I’ll work to keep our borders secure. I’ll be sure parents have the ability to make educational decisions for our children, and I’ll work tirelessly to ensure that our farmers are respected and heard. I’ll bring a fresh voice to DC that can advocate for the generation — my generation — that’s been saddled with unsustainable debt. I’ll work to unite the Republicans around the core principles that our Founders laid out for us so brilliantly.

I welcome the opportunity to engage in a civil debate with all the recently inspired challengers, but as more people enter this race, I urge you to ask one important question: Who do you trust? Then, I ask you to remember that someone took a principled stand when it wasn’t the safe or easy thing to do.

I didn’t need to wait for an open seat to know that I wanted to represent the people of Ohio’s 8th District in the United States House of Representatives. I look forward to listening to you and earning your trust and support.

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By J.D. Winteregg

J.D. Winteregg is a former teacher who currently works at a locally-owned grain elevator. He previously challenged Rep. John Boehner in the 2014 Republican primary and has filed to run in the 2016 election. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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