Andy Goss is running for the Republican nomination for Congressional District 8 in 2010. The seat is currently held by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords. Mr. Goss submitted the following Op-Ed to Gila Courier. For more information on his campaign, see gossforcongress.com.

People all over America right now have inadequate representation in
Congress. Americans are angry, skeptical and fed up. They should be.
This Congress has an approval rating below freezing for a reason. In
Arizona’s 8th District, we have a representative who has voted for the
bailouts, Cap and Trade and for the 1,990 page health care take over by
our rapacious government. There really is no defense for any of those
votes. In this race to replace Giffords, the GOP currently has four
candidates running with a fifth possibly announcing in January.

There are some that are concerned there are too many of us running and
that perhaps we should all just settle on one candidate and the rest of us
should fall in, lock-step, behind that candidate. Personally, I’d be more
concerned if ONLY one person was running. Apathy doesn’t win elections.
Primaries are the perfect preliminary battleground. You test yourself in
battle by actually going to battle. I understand that people are worried
this will evolve into the GOP eating its own; that the candidates will
harm our cause by fighting amongst ourselves. I cannot speak for the
others running but I will tell you this. These other men are veterans,
too. They, too, have served their nation in war and like me they are not
career politicians. They, like me, have your interests in mind and like
me I believe they will act honorably. What is not to like about that and
why would I tear one of them down to build myself up? Why would any of
us? If I don’t win the primary, which ever one it is that emerges as the
victor will have my support and I’m confident the other candidates feel
the same.

Everyone is going to have their favorite candidate, that’s the nature of
this game. Let’s let the voters decide and tell those in Washington who
aren’t satisfied with this crop of candidates and seek to influence this
election by pressuring someone else to run that might have more name
recognition to go pound sand. Washington has made a big enough mess of
things as it is. Voters will have to ask themselves which of the
candidates will go to Washington and do what they say they will do. This
isn’t about who has the most money, who is the best looking, who is the
most educated, who has the best name recognition or any of that pomp and
circumstance. At least, it shouldn’t be. My faith is in the voters and
in their desire to send a blunt instrument to Washington to fix what is
broken and inefficient. This isn’t hope and change. This is action and
results. The voters have a difficult choice to make. I don’t envy them
that choice. But, choose they must. I believe they will and we will send
a new representative to Washington.