A Public Servant, Not a Politician

My name is Farah Baqai and I'm running for US Congress in Illinois's Third Congressional District. More than likely, you haven't heard my name before. I'm not a politician. I'm not a lawyer or the CEO of some large company. I do not come from old money and I've never run for political office before.

So who am I? I'm a regular person. I live in Mt. Greenwood, so I might be your neighbor. I'm a divorced, single mother of two children, both of whom are now in college. I was a PTA mom and a "soccer mom" (but I never did drive a minivan). Our family of three was small but full of love. I was a police officer for nearly ten years where I worked in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Chicago. I was an adult student.

I received my bachelor's in criminal justice when I was in my mid-30s. I finally completed my master's in jurisprudence from Loyola Law School last year. Achieving my degrees while raising two children and working ful-l time (sometimes two jobs) was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I will never forget the days when I'd get home from work at midnight only to have to study or work on papers. By the time I finally got some sleep, I had to be up again to make breakfast and get the kids ready for school.

I’m an immigrant and became a citizen in 1998. I am also a community organizer. I began volunteering for President Obama when he was a U.S. senator and stayed with him until he was elected president. I also volunteered for Illinois Gov. Quinn’s campaign. This is when I began realizing I too could serve the people.

So this is who I am. I'm probably more like you, the voter, than any politician you've ever seen on television before. As a "regular" person, I'm often asked why I'm running for US Congress. The answer is easy. I'm fed up. I'm tired of watching things go from bad to worse, without any say. I see the "regular" people in my community first losing their jobs, then their homes, and I wonder at what point do we lose our country and what it represents.

My question to you is: why shouldn't I run? I'm tired of complaining on the sidelines, wishing my House of Representatives actually started representing the people. I'm exhausted with simply willing and hoping. I'm annoyed with seeing politicians getting re-elected time and time again when they so long ago stopped being true public servants. Of seeing our residents struggling more and more each day. Funds being cut for our schools and community programs. So it has come to this. I have decided to be the public servant we so often do not see in our representatives. And I know I have the tenacity, motivation and commitment to see this through to the end; to make sure I fulfill my responsibility as the voice of the people. I have the strength and the ability to do what needs to be done.

In my coming blogs, I will be sharing tales from the campaign trail and sharing my views on the most pressing topics to our district. I hope you'll join me in this discussion. More so than anything else, I want to know what you have to say. What you expect from your Congressperson. And when I'm in Congress, I want to be your voice.