As a Marine, I served my country twice in Iraq, and saw up close the sacrifice that freedom and democracy require. South Carolina families are hurting, and were before the recession hit; what I fought to defend abroad, I'll also fight to defend at home. I want to go to Washington to improve the lives of South Carolina families — to create jobs, improve our schools, and ensure each and every South Carolinian has access to affordable healthcare.

When I was 14 years old, my father became terminally ill and our family was forced to live paycheck to paycheck. Despite having insurance, all of our money was dedicated to the cost of his care. We had been wiped out, and our formerly middle class family was left surviving off of my mother's administrative assistant salary, social security, and what my brother and I earned washing dishes in a restaurant. We fought to make it as a family, and we had a strong community standing with us. Every American deserves the support we had in our hour of need.

Families are meeting over kitchen tables, trying to figure out how to make ends meet. This has to stop. We need to invest in our state, in our people, and in our education system to create opportunities again. For too long our Representative has been focused on Washington, and caught up in the partisan games of Congress. It's time to reach across the aisle, and move South Carolina forward.

Semper Fi,

Rob