Why Character Matters: A Response to Casey Shepard's Smear Campaign
For the last several weeks, Casey Shepard has suggested that this campaign is about character.
He has suggested that my name, my service, and my record are somehow evidence of something to hide.
I have not engaged in those attacks. I have stayed focused on the work. But let me be clear—it is time for me to call it for what it is.
Serving in Congress is entirely about character.
For the record, yes, I changed my name in 2024. I have spoken about it publicly since the first week of this campaign. I did not change it to hide my school board service. I am proud of my service.
Over the course of five years, my record of advocacy for marginalized and underserved students is undeniable. One sloppy, out-of-context soundbite will not change that truth.
The more important question is this:
Why is a candidate for the United States Congress spending his time spreading a smear instead of debating policy?
If you can answer that, you’re smarter than I am.
America is not easy. Public service is not easy. Leadership is not easy.
You do not prove your character by rewriting someone else’s story. You prove it by standing in the arena.
You want to talk about schools? I served on a board responsible for more than forty thousand students. I sat in meetings where families spoke about bullying, racism, and exclusion. I argued—publicly and repeatedly—that our libraries must reflect the full diversity of our community.
That includes LGBTQ students. That includes students of color. That includes every child who deserves to see themselves represented in the books on their shelves.
Show me where I argued otherwise. You cannot.
You want to talk about character?
I published a 350-page, research-based book on gender non-conformity in America. Five years of academic work. Nearly one hundred peer-reviewed sources. That record is public. It is verifiable.
So, if we’re going to have a debate about who stands with the LGBTQ community, let’s have that debate with facts, not banners and blog posts.
I have known Casey Shepard for a while now. I assumed that if he was repeating these claims, he simply did not know the truth.
I was wrong.
The problem is not that he does not know. The problem is that he cannot run on his own record.
We have serious issues in this district:
- Rural hospitals are closing.
- Families are struggling with healthcare costs.
- Public education funding is under assault.
- Working people are struggling while corporate profits soar.
And instead of debating those issues, my opponent is trying to make you afraid.
Afraid of a name change. Afraid of a book. Afraid of a school board member more interested in asking tough questions than caving to extremism.
That is how you win elections when you have nothing else to offer:
- You manufacture outrage.
- You pick a target.
- You shout about character.
But here is the truth:
Character is not hiding behind a smear article.
Character is standing shoulder to shoulder with marginalized students when it costs you politically.
Character is serving twenty-seven years in uniform.
Character is showing up in the rain at rallies and in town halls when no cameras are present.
Character is taking responsibility for your record and not running from it.
We have serious problems to solve in this district, and we need serious people to solve them.
If Casey wants to debate my record, bring it. I welcome it.
If he wants to debate healthcare, education, immigration, or the economy, I will show up, as I have done consistently for decades.
But if he wants to keep talking about a tired lie that has already been disproven, then he is not debating character. He is avoiding it.
This race is bigger than both of us. It is about the families in this district who need representation rooted in truth, service, and integrity.
If you want to talk about character, tell me where and when, Casey. I will be there.
Bring receipts, because I will.
This is a time for serious leadership. And the politics of smear and distraction are over.