By: Adam Hollier, Submitted Special to Michigan Chronicle
One of the first lessons I learned was when you get knocked down, you get back up again.
It’s what our parents instill in us. It’s what I heard time and again serving our nation in the United States Army.
It’s what we as Detroiters do every single day.
Last year, I ran for Congress. It was a lifelong dream – and I was so proud of the campaign we built and the support we received from every corner of this community. And then, at a critical moment, I screwed up. I trusted someone to help collect our signatures to get on the ballot – and that person let me down.
It hurt, especially because of all the people I let down. But no matter how low I felt, I knew there was still work to be done. And so I took the hardest step possible, the first step, out my front door and back into the community.
I knocked on doors and visited churches. I walked our blocks and talked to neighbors on their porches. I worked to help elect Democrats around this city – but more importantly, I listened.
I listened to people share their dreams – many of which had been crushed, delayed, or deferred. I heard about their fears and the hopes that kept them going every single day. And everywhere I went, I heard people say another thing: “Adam, don’t stop. Don’t give up. We’re with you.”
That meant more to me than anyone can imagine, and I knew I owed it to them – and to this community – to get back in the fight.
I’m running for Congress. And nothing will stop me from fighting for you.
Because here’s the thing: We face huge problems right now across our community. People can’t afford their homes. Or daycare. They can’t afford the rent. Hell, they can’t even afford to get the brakes replaced on their cars – let alone dream of buying a new one. And rather than doing anything to fix it, our multi-millionaire Congressman Shri Thanedar is spending hundreds of thousands of your hard-earned tax dollars putting up self-portraits of himself all over town.
That’s something only Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be proud of.
We need bold solutions and leaders who won’t back down in the face of this crisis. The last thing we need are more millionaires and billionaires like Elon Musk and Shri Thanedar who are only in it for themselves.
And that’s why I’m running.
I’m running because we can build more affordable homes. We can invest in daycare and transit that actually gets people to and from work. We can create jobs and lower costs. We can tackle gun violence and protect our immigrant communities. We can safeguard a woman’s right to choose, fight back against bullying of our LGBTQ+ friends and family, and send a loud and clear message to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and all the millionaires who are screwing over our neighbors:
We aren’t afraid, we aren’t backing down, and we’ll never give up.
That’s what this community is all about. It’s about perseverance. It’s about grit. It’s about getting back up and dusting yourself off…and keeping your eyes fixed on the future. And then fighting like hell to build that future for everyone.
I hope I can earn your support.
Adam Hollier
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