Why run for Senate?
I have always been curious about how things work. During the last two big campaign seasons, it was only natural for me to wonder how someone can go from being a voter to being voted for. It wasn't so much the political game that interested me, it was my lack of understanding of our political process. As I began to research the process and talk with friends, family, and co-workers, it became clear that I was not the only one in the dark about this. As I learned more specific steps, I shared them with the people around me and they shared their questions with me. It was during that research that I found stated over and over again that people need to be involved in the system. Learning how someone gets elected is as important as who get elected. Understanding our current issues and our system for addressing those issues are equally important.
What started as part of my learning, the question "What do I need to do to run for office?" became more of a conversation starter about our political system. By talking about myself I was able to stay away from specific candidates or issues. This allowed for open discourse with people about the problems, free of agenda, that face our country. It was from these discussions with others that I gained a better understanding of some of the problems facing all of us, and specifically how our government runs. More people having these type of discussions free of agendas and bias is what will lead to positive change.
I believe that change does not come from within the broken system itself, nor from people that have made it through the system playing political games. The change needs to come from everyday people that have to live in the real world: individuals that say what we should be doing in this country, not because it will help them politically, but because it is the right thing to do. We need more ordinary people elected to office. This would give more choices and more changes for actual political discussions.
What does that have to do with my decision to run for office? I want to inform people of how the system works, and how they can get involved. More than that, I want everyone to be able to vote FOR someone instead of voting to keep someone else out of office. We need people in office that are separate from the existing system. Instead of just complaining I am actually going to try to do something. I am running for Senate to show people that anyone can run, and should.
About Adam
Adam Shaffer was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. A resident of Stark County his entire life, he attended Washington High School. His parents, Ron and Jane, are also lifetime residents of Stark County. Ron had a long career in the beverage distribution business. Jane was a homemaker while Adam and his sister Allison were in school and has recently rejoined the workforce. Hard-working and fun-loving, they raised their children with equal parts discipline and love, building in them a firm sense of honor, responsibility, and community, with a lot of humor on the side.
For over ten years, Adam has worked in the Information Technology industry in positions ranging from a support desk at a start-up wireless internet service provider to working for a firm designing and building city-wide wireless networks. He is currently employed by The Timken Company in Canton, Ohio. He and his wife, Emily, enjoy their free time traveling and being with family and friends.
About this Web site
Unlike a major party campaign, Adam doesn't have the resources to hire a big design and marketing team to build his Web site. What you see here comes straight from him and a few close volunteers. Most of the text on the site are Adam's own words. Our messages are not carefully crafted by a team of "professionals." This site—and Adam's campaign as a whole—is a conversation between the candidate and the voter.
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