Integrity. Vision. Progress.

My Fellow Citizens, Neighbors, and Friends,

We stand today at a pivotal crossroads in the history of our great district and our nation. The decisions we make in this upcoming election will not merely determine who sits in a seat in Washington for the next two years; they will define the trajectory of our community for the next generation. I am running for Congress not because I seek a title, but because I seek a solution. I am running because, like you, I look around our neighborhoods and see immense potential stifled by inaction. I see hardworking families struggling to make ends meet while corporate profits soar. I see a healthcare system that treats patients as profit centers, and an education system that is being slowly starved of the resources it needs to prepare our children for the 21st century.

My name is Thomas Beardsley, and I am asking for your vote. But more importantly, I am asking for your partnership. Politics should not be a spectator sport where we watch politicians argue on television while nothing changes on Main Street. It should be a collaborative effort, a dialogue between a representative and the people they serve. This platform is not just a list of promises; it is a contract—a blueprint for how we will rebuild, revitalize, and restore the promise of the American Dream right here at home.

Roots in the Community: Why I Serve

To understand where I want to take us, you must understand where I come from. I was not born into wealth or political influence. I was raised in a small house just a few miles from where we stand today. My father worked the third shift at the auto plant, and my mother was a public school teacher for thirty years. They taught me the values that still guide me today: that integrity matters, that hard work should be rewarded, and that we have a responsibility to look out for one another.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table as my parents balanced the checkbook, deciding which bills to pay immediately and which had to wait. That anxiety is a feeling too many families in our district know intimately today. After working my way through state college and serving in the reserves, I returned home to start a small business. I have seen firsthand the challenges of meeting payroll, navigating red tape, and trying to compete in an economy that seems rigged against the little guy. These experiences are not lines on a resume; they are the bedrock of my worldview.

"We do not need career politicians who have forgotten the price of a gallon of milk. We need leaders who have lived the struggles of the working class and have the courage to fight for them."

Issue 1: An Economy That Works for Everyone

The headline numbers of the stock market do not reflect the reality of the kitchen table economy. While Wall Street celebrates record highs, wages in our district have remained stagnant for over a decade, while the cost of housing, groceries, and childcare has skyrocketed. This is unsustainable.

My Economic Plan focuses on three pillars:

• Revitalizing Small Business: Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, yet they are burdened by a tax code written for multinational corporations. I propose a simplified tax structure for businesses with fewer than 50 employees and federal grants to help local startups modernize their technology.
• Bringing Back Manufacturing: We must stop incentivizing companies to ship jobs overseas. I will fight for tax penalties on corporations that outsource labor and offer substantial tax credits to those that bring manufacturing jobs back to our district. We have the skilled workforce; we just need the opportunity.
• Living Wages: No person working 40 hours a week should live in poverty. It is time to raise the minimum wage to a livable standard that reflects the cost of living in our region, ensuring that hard work truly pays off.

Issue 2: Healthcare is a Human Right

The number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States is medical debt. This is a moral failing. In the richest nation on earth, no parent should have to choose between buying groceries and buying insulin for their child. I have spoken to seniors in our district who cut their pills in half to make them last longer. I have spoken to young families who are one accident away from financial ruin because their deductibles are too high.

I support a comprehensive reform of our healthcare system. We must empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies—a common-sense measure that will save taxpayers billions and lower costs for seniors immediately. Furthermore, we need to protect those with pre-existing conditions from predatory insurance practices. My vision is a system where healthcare is accessible, portable, and affordable, regardless of your employment status.

Issue 3: Investing in the Next Generation

As the son of a teacher, I know that education is the great equalizer. However, our schools are being asked to do more with less every single year. Property taxes are rising, yet teachers are paying for supplies out of their own pockets. This must end.

My Education Initiative includes:

First, we need federal investment in school infrastructure. Many of our schools are crumbling, with outdated HVAC systems and unsafe water pipes. We cannot expect our children to learn in environments that are falling apart. Second, we must treat teachers like the professionals they are, with competitive salaries that attract the best and brightest to the profession.

But education does not end at high school. Not every student needs a four-year university degree to succeed. We have neglected vocational and technical training for too long. I will champion partnerships between local community colleges and unions to create apprenticeship programs in electrical work, plumbing, coding, and green energy technology. We need to prepare our workforce for the jobs of the future, not the past.

Issue 4: Infrastructure and the Digital Divide

Drive down any road in our district, and the problem is obvious. Potholes, rusting bridges, and aging transit systems are slowing us down and costing us money. But infrastructure in the 21st century is not just concrete and steel; it is also digital.

There are still pockets of our district, particularly in the rural counties, that lack access to high-speed broadband internet. In an age where homework, telehealth, and business are conducted online, lack of internet access is a barrier to opportunity. I view high-speed internet as a utility, just like electricity and water. I will support a massive federal infrastructure bill that prioritizes rural broadband expansion, ensuring that a child on a farm has the same access to information as a child in the city.

Issue 5: Protecting Our Environment and Heritage

We are blessed with beautiful natural landscapes in our district, from our rivers to our farmlands. Conservation is not a partisan issue; it is a survival issue. Farmers know better than anyone that the climate is changing. We are seeing more extreme weather events that threaten our crops and our homes.

We do not have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy. In fact, the transition to green energy presents the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetime. By investing in wind, solar, and battery technology manufacturing right here in our district, we can create thousands of high-paying union jobs while preserving our air and water for our grandchildren.

Restoring Faith in Government

Finally, I want to address the elephant in the room: the erosion of trust in our institutions. Washington is broken because it has been bought. Special interest groups and corporate PACs spend millions to buy access and influence, drowning out the voices of everyday citizens. This corruption breeds cynicism, and cynicism is the enemy of democracy.

I am proud to announce that the Beardsley for Congress campaign is not accepting a single dime from corporate PACs. I am beholden to no oil company, no pharmaceutical giant, and no hedge fund. I am beholden only to you. I support strict campaign finance reform, a ban on stock trading for members of Congress, and term limits to prevent the entrenchment of power. Public service should be a calling, not a career path to personal enrichment.

A Call to Action

The road ahead will not be easy. The special interests benefitting from the status quo will spend heavily to defeat us. They will use fear and division to try and keep things exactly the way they are. But I believe that hope is stronger than fear. I believe that when neighbors come together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

This campaign is not about me. It is about the single mother working two jobs to put food on the table. It is about the veteran who served his country and now waits months for a doctor's appointment. It is about the student who dreams of being a scientist but cannot afford college. It is about us.

I am Thomas Beardsley, and I am ready to fight for you. I am ready to take our shared values to Washington and shake up the system. But I cannot do it alone. I need your voice, your volunteer hours, and your vote.

Let us turn the page on the politics of the past. Let us build a future that is inclusive, prosperous, and proud. Let us get to work.

God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.