What We Leave Behind

Last week, I was on the phone with a supporter when he said something that has stayed with me ever since.

He told me, “I’m spending a good chunk of my kids’ inheritance on political candidates who will ensure they have a democracy.”

I haven’t stopped thinking about that, because I immediately knew exactly what he meant.

When people talk about inheritance, they usually mean money. A savings account. A house. Something tangible that gets passed from one generation to the next. But what he was talking about was something much bigger: the kind of country we’re leaving behind for our children.

If you’ve been reading this Substack for a while, you know that this idea is why I am running for Congress in the first place.

Before I ever became a candidate, before we collected signatures, before we knocked our first door, I spent months talking through the decision with my family. Running for office meant substantially changing our lives: less time at home, financial uncertainty, and putting ourselves in the public eye in ways that felt uncomfortable.

During one of those conversations, my dad said something I’ll never forget. “I feel like I’m leaving this world during the worst period of American history, and that is not the way I wanted to leave things for my grandkids.”

Historians may debate whether this is actually the worst period in American history. We’ve survived a Civil War, world wars, the Great Depression, segregation, political assassinations, and countless other challenges.

That wasn’t really the point he was making. What he was expressing was grief: the grief of looking at the country you love and feeling like it’s moving in the wrong direction, the grief of wondering whether your grandchildren will inherit the same opportunities you did, and the grief of feeling responsible for what comes next.

As a parent, that is how I feel. I refuse to be part of the first generation to hand their children less than what we inherited. When I look at Trey, Will, and Cece, I don’t spend much time thinking about what financial inheritance I might leave them one day. I want them to be certain of God’s love for them. I want them to have real opportunities to pursue their purpose and provide for their families. I want them to be safe. I want them to have the freedom to build lives that are meaningful and fulfilling.

In running for Congress, I believe I can fight to preserve those desires.

I can fight to make sure the next generation can afford a home. I can fight for healthcare for every American. I can fight to ensure Social Security remains a promise for generations to come. I can make sure they have clean water to drink and a healthy environment to pass on to their own children.

I can fight to make sure they inherit a democracy that is stronger than the one we have today.

For most of my life, I assumed that each generation would leave the next one a little better off. I didn’t necessarily think that progress was inevitable - I just was raised to believe you provided more for your kids than what you had growing up.

I’ve come to believe that’s not something we can take for granted anymore.

Rights can be taken away. Institutions can be weakened. Democracies can backslide. Opportunities can shrink.

When that happens, the answer isn’t despair. It’s engagement.

That’s why I’m running for office. It’s why volunteers knock doors and make phone calls. It’s why donors, like the man I spoke to on the phone, contribute.

This photo was taken during one of our afternoon door-knocking sessions! Cece was a door-knocking champ for the first 90%, but was ready to be done when we took this photo!

Amanda Gorman said in The Hill We Climb that, “Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.” That line moved me deeply at the time, and it still does. But lately, I’ve found myself thinking about the other side of that idea. Being American isn’t just about what we inherit or what we repair. It’s also about what we leave behind. We are not just beneficiaries of democracy. We are its stewards.

What do we owe the generations who come after us?

For me, the answer is simple: I want the next generation to have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities (or more!) than I had growing up.

And in order to provide that, I need to show up and do the work.

Join me here, and let’s leave the next generation something worth inheriting.

Volunteer with us!

— Christina