We have a special way of life here in New Hampshire and I want every Granite Stater to be able to pursue their American Dream and economic opportunity. Unfortunately, Washington politicians seem to be putting politics ahead of economic growth and stability leaving the middle-class to deal with economic uncertainty. I retired from active service in the Marine Corps this spring but I am not retiring from serving my country. Granite Staters deserve leaders who will create jobs, fix the deficit, protect Medicare and Social Security and, most importantly, be part of the solution – not the dysfunction in Washington.
I’ve been a Marine since I was 19 and a small business owner since I was 29, having accomplished what I dreamed of doing since I was a teenager. For most of my adult life, I have balanced my civilian law practice with my career in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Now, after spending over 35 years of service to my country as a Marine, running a small business, 2 years of service to New Hampshire as a State Senator from Nashua and an active member of our community, I believe I can best serve my country and the people of New Hampshire as a U.S. Congressman. Here are some more details about me: I’ve been married to my wife Lori for 18 years and we have two children, Katherine, 18, and Grace, 13. We live in Nashua. Lori is also a small business owner as an investment advisor. Katherine is in her senior year at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua and Grace is in the seventh grade at Nashua Catholic Junior High School. I was born and raised in a loving, modest, and middle-class family who lived below their means. My father and mother both experienced poverty during their childhood. My father was one of eight children who grew up in a rural community during the Great Depression. My mother and her family endured, and barely survived, the ravages of World War II in Germany. She and her family arrived in America as immigrants carrying all they owned in suitcases. Because of the war, my mother never finished high school. I was the first person in my family to attend college. I put the money together to go to college through working at McDonalds, a textile mill and a meat market. In my second year of college my father passed away leaving my mother with me and my 15 year old brother. She immediately found a job as a nurse’s aide, successfully pursued her GED and, today, at age 82 she still works at that nursing home. Hard work, the can-do spirit and pursuit of opportunity was instilled in me at a young age and those same values are what Lori and I try to teach our daughters.