Why Did I Run For Public Office?
After campaigning for my friend, Governor Zell Miller, I saw how much public service could do to change people’s lives. Also, I saw that not every Georgia politician was as effective.
Putting up a Fight
I remained engaged in politics after the campaign and went on to assist in recruiting someone to run for Congress in 1996 against Newt Gingrich. Gingrich was a contentious figure, infamous for teaching a controversial class “Renewing American Civilization” at Kennesaw State University that embroiled the KSU board where I was a member.
We needed someone to run who lived in the district, someone who cared about improving our community and its institutions, and someone who was not a career politician. Each time I described what I was looking for, the person I was trying to persuade would say to me, “You should do it.” I had never even considered running for public office; I was a businessman and had my hands full growing the cookie company.
Joining the Race
Finally, my wife Donna convinced me, and I got to work. I asked myself, “Why do you want to run for Congress?” Then, I dove into researching bills, budgets and current issues until I found the answer: “I wanted to run for Congress because I wanted someone to represent the issues that are important to our community who does not care about being re-elected. I want to be a congressman who simply does the right thing.” When it came to election day, I made a strong showing, but in the end he won. Yet even in defeat, I felt that had I brought many important issues into the local and national conversation. This is what drove me to run for Senate in 1998 and it’s what drives my support for other candidates now.
Thankful for the Chance
If knowing the sacrifices that were made both physically and financially, and the impact on my family, I would absolutely run again knowing the outcome. In how many countries would a poor kid from Miami be able to run for the United States Senate? But I wouldn’t run today — I’ve learned as a private citizen, you can in fact make a difference in your local communities without being a part of government.
