"What are you?"

"What are you?" That’s the question I’m asked often when knocking on doors, trying to get signatures on my petition so I can get on the ballot. I believe they are asking which party I am affiliated with. I met a couple of people who asked me that last week, and when I said I was a Democrat, they politely said, “No thank you,” and shut the door.

Over the next several days, I thought a lot about that question, which reminded me of a 2018 lecture Dr. Kershner gave in his theater class at Sweet Briar College on script analysis. The topic was “given circumstances.” When a playwright writes a script, given circumstances are facts that are known to be true. For example, it might say a character is Catholic or is next in line to be king, making him royalty. Each student took a turn in class and listed 10 true and absolute facts about themselves. For example, Dr. Kershner said, “I'm white, cisgendered, male, married, a professor…”

I believe a better question for people to ask me while gathering signatures is, “Who are you?” In other words, tell me about your values, why you are running, what you hope to achieve, and how that will impact my family and me. Their questions should resemble those in a job interview, because being elected to represent the people and fulfill their wishes is far more important than party affiliation. I think everyone will agree that there are some great Republicans and some not-so-great ones. The same applies to Democrats. I would like to believe that the not-so-great ones were elected because the question they were asked when collecting signatures to get on the ballot was “What are you?” rather than “Who are you?” The people voted for the party, not policies. As a result, we have a dysfunctional Congress.

Our country remains divided, and little progress is made in Congress. The national debt is spiraling out of control, and the postal service will run out of funding later this fall unless Congress steps in to save it. The Social Security Trust Fund will be bankrupt in about seven years, leading to benefit cuts for seniors. Additionally, citizens are being killed on the streets during protests, our planet is warming, causing weather swings that could threaten us all, and women’s rights, along with the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, are being taken away at both the national and state levels. Today, more than ever, you need to ask your candidates, “Who are you?”

As for me, I'm white, a trans woman, a Christian, and a fiscal conservative with plans to address the national debt, improve the postal service, and fund the Social Security Trust Fund (all of which are detailed on my website). I have been married to a wonderful woman for nearly 47 years. When evaluating federal government spending, I consider, “How are we going to pay for this?” I tend to be moderately liberal on social issues. While supporting free college and healthcare for all Americans would be ideal, we simply can’t afford it now without significant tax increases. I see myself as a centrist rather than an ultra-conservative or liberal. My goal is to lay the groundwork to fix the issues in D.C. politics and bring common sense back to Congress.

I am Gabriella Michele Bedsworth, or simply Gabriella, and I am running to serve as your Congresswoman for Virginia's 5th Congressional District. If elected, I will use my ability to work well with everyone to help pass laws that benefit the country and address problems. But first, I need your vote and financial support to make this happen. No matter where you live, you can contribute to my campaign. If you live in Virginia’s 5th District, I would appreciate your vote. Please share my website (www.GabriellaForCongress.com) with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and anyone else interested in bringing common sense back to politics. Together, we can change the status quo in national politics.