Kitchen Table Conversations with a Future Congressman

I have the unique gift of sharing a life and a home with someone running to represent the 6th Congressional District, Peter Barlow. When Peter first approached me about running for Congress I was unsure what to think. Running for public office is an enormous commitment and would drastically alter our responsibilities and relationship to our community. Now, though, after many conversations around our kitchen table I know exactly what I think: Pete is the person for the job, and I support him wholeheartedly and energetically. Peter said to me many times during our early morning and late night chats that now feels like a time to be courageous. With all of the division in our community and all of the dismantling of our much-needed federal programs, Pete told me, again and again, that this was a way for him to be brave. Peter did not make this decision lightly and I can assure you he is dedicated to being a congressman that represents the multitude of voices and needs in our community.

I could use this space to try to sell you on Peter’s platform, but I won’t. You can read it here, if you’d like: pete-barlow.com. What I will do is tell you about who he is, as a person and as a partner. He is energetic, he is hardworking, and he is kind. He is beyond proud of the life-long roots that tether him to the Shenandoah Valley. He has a deep love for this community and sees the uniqueness and value of this home that we all share. He has the upmost respect and trust in his neighbors, even when they are people who may have voted differently than he. Pete is not afraid of disagreement- he sees this only as an opportunity to deepen relationship through conversation and debate. Disagreement, to him, is the opportunity to understand one another on a more honest level, to understand ourselves, and to weave a richer relationship. He wants to listen to and honor wherever it is you are coming from. He values both tradition and progress and knows that sometimes they contradict one another. He knows what it means to push through (and grow beyond) hard times. His boundless energy and commitment to his relationships carry him through adversity. He has deep working-knowledge of federal policy, processes, and standards, and he is the kind of patriot that I love: he deeply believes in the potential of our federal government to enact good policies that make our communities stronger and safer.

As a partner: he listens, he cares, and he adapts. He understands that what it takes to be in relationship is to be dynamic to the needs of those to whom you are committed. I strongly believe that as a Congressman, in relationship to our community up and down the Valley, he will listen, care, and adapt to all of our needs. He sees being a Congressman as the most important and fundamental committed relationship that he could be in- aside from, of course, our marriage.

Lovingly, Pete‘s wife, Hannah