I waited once, I won’t do it again.

I didn’t get into this race because I wanted to be a politician.

I’m running because I spent too many years watching people like Jack Bergman keep their seat by default.

And I kept asking myself the same question I know a lot of you have asked too:

Can’t anyone do better than this?

A few election cycles ago, I started thinking seriously about stepping up. Bergman had already shown us who he was. He backed Trump’s every move, no matter how extreme. He stopped holding town halls. He voted in lockstep with the far right. 

And he was doing the bare minimum for the district while helping dismantle democracy from inside Congress.

Then a candidate from Northern Michigan jumped into the race. I thought, great. Let’s see what happens. A few others got in too. We had a real primary, a real debate of ideas.

But here’s the problem: in Michigan, our primaries are so late in the cycle that by the time a nominee is chosen, there’s barely any time left to build for the general election.

That’s exactly what happened. After the primary, the energy dropped off. The campaign fell apart. We ended up with no one seriously challenging Bergman. 

And just like that, Northern Michigan lost its chance at change.

I promised myself I would not let that happen again.

So I got to work early. I built a team. I started listening to voters in communities all across this massive district. 

It wasn’t just about getting a head start. It was about finally doing this the right way — community by community, relationship by relationship, in a district where one town’s post office might be hours from the next. 

I’m running because this seat belongs to the people who live here, not someone who treats it like a rubber stamp for one man’s agenda.

We’re gaining ground every day. But we cannot afford to fall short. Not again. Not now. 

We need the resources to plan ahead and lay the foundation for a campaign that reaches every corner of this district and actually lasts.

If you’re with me, help us build the kind of campaign this district has always deserved. Chip in to help us flip MI-01.

Let’s get to work,

Wayne Stiles

Democrat for Congress

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