90,000 Votes... and Two Silver Medals
Monday, May 15, 2023
“Act with authority, but never reach for power. The higher the elevation of your status, the lower you must go before me.” – Os Hillman
As many of my readers know, I am a former two-time candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. The opportunity to run for Congress sort of fell into my lap the first time around and although I didn’t win the general election, I did better than any member of my party in the past 35 years. And so, the local party chairman begged me to run a second time and I did, improving by nine points but still only winning the silver medal.
Running for public office presented a big-time quandary for me as a believer. Simply put, I found it very hard to promote myself, let alone convince people to vote for me. After all, I am painfully aware of my own shortcomings.
However, I eventually settled on a strategy with which I was comfortable and that seemed to work. Instead of telling potential voters what a great guy I was, I decided to focus on my personal convictions. Some of them dealt with the most important issues of the day – such as the economy, abortion, national defense, and energy policy – and others ran much deeper because of my Christian faith.
Like I said, I didn’t win either election, but I did earn 90,000 votes in 2008 and 35% of the vote in 2010. That’s a far cry from winning, but not too shabby for a heavily Democratic district that hasn’t elected a Republican since 1972.
Far more importantly, I was able to share my faith with tens of thousands of people… some by knocking on doors, some by giving speeches, and some by doing interviews. So, to me – and I hope to God – both of my congressional campaigns ended in victory. Not for me, mind you, but for Him.
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” I Peter 5:5-6 (ESV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
