On June 25th, the voters of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District honored me with their trust to serve the remainder of former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck’s term.
The number of individuals who have served in the House of Representatives throughout the history of our nation is around 11,000. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be one of them.
If you had told me as a young boy, that I would be one of those chosen for that high honor, I wouldn’t have believed you. My parents, like most Hispanics of their generation, were not actively involved in politics because they believed that elected officials did not care about the struggles of Hispanic families and our way of life.
Fast forward to today, and I am a true testament to what is known by many as the American Dream. Immediately after high school I joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Holloman AFB where I met my beautiful wife, Lisa, of 36 years. We have two grown children who currently live in Colorado.
I’ve served as Mayor of Parker, owned small businesses, and have established many meaningful friendships. I’ve been incredibly blessed.
The question I’ve been asked many times over the last two months of campaigning goes something like this: “You’ll only be there for six months, what can you actually get done in that short amount of time?”
It’s a fair question. While I certainly hope to have the opportunity to vote on bills that would secure the border, protect our communities, and bring jobs to Colorado’s Fourth District, I don’t know that those opportunities will arise–especially during the last few months of an election year.
But here’s what I can promise I’ll do. I will work tirelessly to restore the trust and integrity of Congress. Congress is broken and the American people know it. Regularly Congress polls below a 15% approval rating. Politico once reported that more Americans preferred root canals than Congress.
To correct this sad reality, I pledge:
Not to buy, sell, or trade individual stocks.
Not to miss a single vote.
To put people over politics.
None of these commitments are mandated by Congress or required by the Constitution, but each of these commitments seem like the bare minimum for those who represent us.
The buying and selling of individual stocks has been abused by both parties, as members of Congress regularly beat the SPY average. In fact, one study found that 86% of Americans want to prohibit members from trading stock in individual companies. I couldn’t agree more, so that’s exactly what I’ll do.
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In addition, most Americans may not know that members of Congress will skip votes on important pieces of legislation. Sometimes, they miss many votes. I commit to making sure that my constituents are represented in every single vote.
Finally, it seems like members of Congress are more divided than ever. Although this is more difficult to quantify than the previous two commitments, we all can see it. While in Congress, I will focus on building up, instead of tearing down. I’ll prioritize policy above virality, civility above acclaim, and accomplishments above attention. In short, I’ll put people over politics.
It’s true, I’ll only be in Congress for six months. But in those six months, I promise to serve with honor and dignity. I will keep these commitments and, God willing, I’ll make the over 748,000 constituents I represent proud.
Greg Lopez lives in Elizabeth and was selected in a special election Tuesday night to replace U.S. Rep. Ken Buck as representative for Congressional District 4.
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