By Conor O’Callaghan | Point of View
When I moved to Arizona just before my 5th birthday, I still had an Irish accent. I kept that accent until my first grade teacher worried I had a speech impediment, and called for an emergency parent teacher conference.
Once she heard my parents speak, she realized it wasn’t a speech impediment, just an Irish accent. This being Arizona in the late 1980s, the agreed upon solution was to teach me proper “American.” Thus my accent is long gone and people are surprised to learn that I was actually born in Ireland!
My family came to what is now Arizona’s 1st Congressional District to seek a better life.
Within seven years of moving to this great country, my father was working at the Mayo Clinic and serving as a state commissioner under Democratic Gov. Rose Mofford. Such rapid career trajectories are uniquely American.
Thanks to the tremendous teachers I had in the Scottsdale public school system, I was able to work as a Page in the U.S. House, earn three Ivy League degrees and a law degree, and excel in one of the most cutthroat industries in the world. My story is the American Dream. And I want to reclaim that dream for future generations.
My wife, Tina, was born in Iran, fleeing with her family during that country’s revolution when she was just 2 years old. The same extremist regime that took over then continues to meddle in Middle Eastern affairs to our detriment today. Needless to say, we do not take democracy for granted in the O’Callaghan household.
Tina had a similar immigrant experience, and while she didn’t have an Irish accent, she was called a “terrorist” by her classmates. Such racist attacks have only intensified in recent years as the country, fueled by Donald Trump, has become more polarized. But my wife persevered, and her family was also able to realize the American Dream.
Now Tina and I are raising our three beautiful mixed-race children in the very same city and same school district where I grew up.
Traditionally, parents want their kids to be able to go further, achieve more, and form a better life than they had. Sadly, in the current climate where our public school system is under attack and the daily fear of gun violence leads to regular “active shooter drills,” we just want our kids and their friends to have the same freedoms, security, and hope that I had growing up here.
Life was better here 30 years ago.
Women had the right to have an abortion, we had an assault weapons ban, and fighting climate change was cool. But we have gone backwards, a slide that accelerated all the way back to 1864 just recently. MAGA extremists like David Schweikert are the reason why, despite the massive technological advances we’ve made as a society, residents of AZ-01 are worse off today than they were 30 years ago.
This is particularly true for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. It is time to move forward, not backwards. And that is precisely why I am running for Congress.
I am from this district, I am for this district, and I can flip this seat without sacrificing our principles. I’m not a politician, and that’s a good thing. My private sector experience as a results-driven leader with a track record of coalition-building across party lines will help me bring a fresh perspective to Washington. I’ll protect abortion rights, boost the economy for the middle class, and secure Arizona’s water future with real infrastructure investments.
With endorsements from over 20 local, state, and federal officials, along with the support of numerous activists and organizations, the leaders of today know I can deliver for tomorrow.
My entire campaign team is the same team that got Adrian Fontes elected by the widest margin statewide in 2022. I am the only candidate with more cash-on-hand than David Schweikert and I will expose him for the extremist that he is.
AZ-01 residents deserve a fighter who actually represents their hopes, dreams, and values. You have a lot of options in this race, but if you want to finally win with a real Democrat, there is only one choice.
Vote Conor O’Callaghan.
Editor’s Note: Conor O’Callaghan is a candidate for United States Congress in District 1 at the Tuesday, July 30, primary election.
