Election Day is Tuesday, and when it comes to believing in the American dream again, it all comes down to jobs. It’s not about economic theory or hollow political promises – it’s about the families in our diverse district who are striving daily to reach or stay in the middle class. America needs now, more than ever, a solid plan for recovery.

It’s going to take high-wage, middle-class jobs to get our economy moving again. These are the kinds of jobs that pay living wages – wages that help buy homes, pay college tuitions and fund decent retirements. They are the kind of jobs that can restore our middle class and begin to rebuild the economic balance in this country.

That’s why I am asking for your vote for Congress – because I am the only candidate with concrete plans to create middle-class jobs and the only candidate with real-world experience creating these jobs and helping small businesses grow.

I know the importance of good jobs for working families because I lived it. When I was young, I watched my dad work to start a small business that would support our family. He worked hard, rarely complained and never gave up. Eventually he succeeded in moving us out of our trailer, into a house and into the middle class.

My parents’ sacrifices sent me to college and then to grad school, and I succeeded on their shoulders. That’s what I am thinking about today as I write this – that every family in America should benefit from the opportunities that mine did.

And so I believe the central question of this election is this: Are we going to elect candidates who attack the problem of creating middle-class jobs, as I am doing, or are we going to keep electing politicians who only attack each other, rather than solving real problems?

I would be deeply honored to earn your vote, and to be a voice in Washington for restoring middle-class jobs – putting aside political games and putting Americans back to work. It’s the only real solution that will fix our broken economy.

Stacey