I was born to a blue collar family in North Denver. For over 40 years my mom worked as a clerk at Joslins Department Store and my father worked at a meat packing plant. I worked my way through college and had always taken an interest in politics. I have been a conservative for as long as I can remember. Having run for 9 elections (counting both state legislature and US Congress) and been elected all 9 times, my record speaks for itself.

I have always believed that there are two kinds of politicians: the person whose first decision is which office to run for, and the person who has an agenda and seeks an office to carry it out. I consider myself to be the latter. Since I have been in the US Congress, there are 2 things that have been most important to me. The first is being the author of the Sudan Peace Act, which helped bring an end to the 24 year civil war that left over 2 million people dead and another 4 million people displaced. The second is that I believe I have created a national debate on immigration. It is something nobody wanted to talk about, but I have pressed the issue hard and brought it to the forefront of political discussion. It has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. Rather, it deals with culture, ecology, economics, and the true meaning of citizenship.

The thing I am most proud of, in my life, is helping to raise two wonderful boys and see them become great fathers. The part of my life that brings me the greatest joy is watching my grandchildren (5 boys, ages 2-11) learn and develop.