Last weekend at the Travis County Republican Party’s candidate forum and straw poll, I got the chance to hear from, and even meet, some of the great candidates running for the newly redistricted congressional district 25. I came in supporting Michael Williams but was also impressed with several others, most notably Brian Matthews.
I’d never heard of Matthews before, but when I asked his campaign manager to change my mind, I was very impressed.
“Faith, family, freedom” is the campaign’s official slogan. That may be nothing out of the ordinary for a conservative Republican, but Brian spoke more to the Constitution and our founding principles than any other. In fact, his five-minute address at the event sounded more like a founding document than a stump speech. (I encourage you to read the transcript below. It really is masterful.)
Some might scoff that he is relatively unknown and has never held an office before, but don’t forget that Donna Campbell, an ER doctor with no political credentials whatsoever, came within eight points of ousting liberal incumbent Lloyd Doggett. If Matthews takes the primary, winning the district is definitely possible.
Matthews is all about shrinking government, protecting individual liberties and private property, and getting back to the Constitution – in short, fighting for liberty and preserving the America we know and love.
There are a lot of candidates in the race, all with different strengths and focuses. But Brian Matthews tugs at both my head and my heart – and he just might be the one for me.
Transcript: Brian Matthews’ straw poll address
Ladies and gentlemen, I am just like you: a citizen-patriot. I want you to know my heart.
Our Creator God, by whom we were endowed with “unalienable” rights, has from the beginning called men and women forward. He did not bring me, my wife and our five children to the beautiful hills of central Texas to be ruled over by an out-of-control federal government.
I am passionate about how our founding fathers, godly men, made it absolutely clear we were to have a government for the people, not a people for the government.
We are duty-bound to speak truth where there are lies and deception and to be a light to a hurting world.
Yes, we are passing through a season of spiritual and moral darkness and decline. But we must never lose heart. Why? Because the heart of America was built on the inspired, enumerated laws and principles of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
We will not dishonor those who have given so selflessly to compromise the truths of the founders’ principles and be slowly legislated into allowing the very type of government Americans have risked everything to defend against.
So what are the truths of constitutional conservatism? A constitutionally limited government, a balanced budget, a strong national defense, the right to bear arms, personal responsibility, states’ rights, private property rights, freedom of religion, and legal immigration, to name a few.
And we cannot allow ourselves to rationalize the immorality of stealing from our children and future generations through the greed of our growing debt.
We must never love heart, fellow patriots! This is an amazing time of opportunity in our nation’s history. And we Texans need to lead the way!
We are strong, courageous, compassionate and charitable. We offer a hand up, unlike the federal government, who only offers a handout.
We have hearts filled with love of faith that leads us morally toward personal and charitable responsibility. Hearts filled with love of family led by a mother and a father that will always be the stability and foundation of our nation. And hearts filled with love of freedom. The freedom of free-markets, individualism, entrepreneurship, ingenuity, job creation, and prosperity without the burdens of over-taxation and regulation that shackle real economic growth.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am just like you: a citizen-patriot with a moral guide and a constitutional compass.
My family and I live within the boundaries of this beautiful new congressional district 25. We live out every day our family’s dreams in this amazing and heaven-blessed place we call Texas, where there is freedom of boundless opportunity for my small business, where we can worship and speak openly about our shared Christian faith and our children can be raised and educated as we, their family, sees fit.
And I declare to you, just as our founders had in mind: it is only someone like you and me – not a career politician, not a lawyer, and not an economist, but a citizen-patriot. A man seeking after truth and unwavering in his adherence to first principles with God in his heart, his family and brother patriots by his side, and the Constitution in his hand.
That is the man to send to Washington to restore the founders’ vision, my vision, for America.