So, um, and so why did you decide you want to run? I want to give you some chance, a chance to kind of tell your, tell the audience a little bit about why yourself and why you are running for Congress this year.

Well, uh, you know, I grew up pretty poor in the Southern Tier, and I joined the Army to go to college, uh, when I was 17.

September 11th happened almost immediately after that, and, uh, my, did my first deployment at 19.

Um, I did several years in Afghanistan, both as a, a soldier and as a contractor there doing airfield management and logistics.

And I, I came home to wanting a quiet life.

I got married.

I had two daughters.

But, but what do you think is causing the cost of energy to be as high as it is? I mean, you mentioned the Iran war, but-

How do you go about even doing that?

Well, I had no previous political experience when I started this, but what you do is you're a good learner and you listen.

You listen to people who do have experience in doing something like this.

I don't think she's as popular as you're saying.

There are whole movements that have nothing to do with me that have created these defeat Tenney signs.

There's tens of thousands of those signs all over the district that has, that's from Indivisible, which, um, I have nothing to do with and, uh, You know, I think the proof is in the pudding.

When you don't complete anything, when your only bills that you put forth are for one singular member of your entire district, the only bill she's ever gotten passed is a bill to make sure that people who are kidnapped overseas don't have to pay federal taxes.

Yes, it

I want to say, all of you are very brave, but in particular, what you were faced with, um, why did you decide to come and speak out tonight instead of take your job back?

I feel like this is a critical time in our country.

I love America.

(laughs) I, I love being from this country.

I've traveled the world.

There is no greater system than what we have here and I feel like it's just so very important to talk about not just myself, but my coworkers who work so hard to provide benefits even when it's inconvenient, even when federal systems break, we work overtime, we, we exceed our production numbers on a regular basis, and to characterize us-

How does that make you, how does that make you feel when you hear that?

It, it makes me really angry.