Why I'm Running by Lt. Governor Lee Fisher

Lee Fisher will also be answering questions in the comments later. --David

The state we love is in deep trouble. The national economic crisis has hit Ohio especially hard.As I travel Ohio as Lieutenant Governor, I meet families every day who are struggling just to survive.

I know many of their stories because I’ve been on the ground with them. Fighting with them. Fighting for them.

Good, hard-working people have lost their jobs, their healthcare and their homes.  The nest eggs they counted on are wasting away.

Never in our lifetime have we seen such a catastrophic national economy.  And it’s having a terrible impact on Ohio’s families and children.

In this crisis, we have two choices: we can sit back and accept our fate, or we can work together to change it.

That’s a fight I’ve been leading all my life.

As a state legislator, I fought for the families of missing children and the victims of violent crime.  As Ohio’s Attorney General, I worked to rid neighborhoods of illegal drugs and con men who prey on the elderly and the poor.

As President of the Center for Families and Children, I worked for seven years to help men become more responsible fathers and at-risk children to get a better, healthier start in life.

And for the past three years, I’ve been asked by my friend and partner, Governor Strickland, to lead the fight to bring new jobs and new businesses to communities across Ohio.  We’ve had many solid successes, but we still need so much more.

I’ve looked into the faces of Ohioans whose dreams have been shattered.  Much of what they counted on in life has been torn from their grasp.

They don’t want sympathy, and they don’t want promises.  They just want to know that their elected officials are working hard for solutions.  And they want the government they’ve supported with their tax dollars to give them the tools to get back on their feet through their own hard work and initiative.

So after the election of Barack Obama as our President and after Senator Voinovich announced his intention to retire from the U.S. Senate, I decided that I wanted to take what I’ve learned fighting for Ohio families, and try to go to Washington to work for what Ohio families need now, more than ever.

I want to bring my years of experience to the fight that President Obama is leading to rebuild our economy and create good jobs – both now and for the long-term. 

I will support his efforts to reform our healthcare system and make coverage available to all Americans – especially those who have lost their healthcare along with their jobs.I will support his efforts to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, while promoting the green energy solutions that will create the good-paying jobs of the future. 

And I will support his efforts to help families save for college, because it’s the best investment we can make in our nation’s economic future.

When I say I’ll stand up and fight for Ohio’s families, it’s not just the words of a campaign; it’s the cause of my life.

As an elected official and a private citizen, I’ve always been an advocate for the folks who go to work everyday, follow the rules and pay their taxes.  And I believe they have the right to expect some help when hit by forces beyond their control.

There is something fundamentally wrong about Wall Street executives bailing out of this economy with huge bonuses and golden parachutes while Americans who work for a living are left with no way out.I know there’s nothing wrong with workers across Ohio who are suffering the effects of an economic collapse unprecedented in our lifetime.  But there is something wrong if the country they love -- and that many of them fought for -- won’t do everything it can to rebuild the economy so they can get back on their feet.

That’s what I’ve tried to do as a legislator and state official.  I didn’t win every fight I fought for the families of Ohio.  But it wasn’t for a lack of effort.And that’s the attitude I’ll bring to Washington as Ohio’s next U.S. Senator, if you’ll give me that chance.

I hope you’ll join our campaign to bring jobs, hope, and opportunity to families and communities across Ohio.  I look forward to your advice, your energy, and your ideas.

Please visit www.fisherforohio.com to learn more about our campaign and how you can get involved. 

The road ahead is a long one.  But, with your support, our journey begins today.