Virginia’s Governor, a Rising Republican Star, Walks a Fine Line Between His Constitutional Authority and His Love of Tradition—and the Constitution
If my father’s life story has taught me anything, it is to always put politics first.
“I’ve had my share of political fights,” he says, “but it’s been most memorable when I’ve fought so hard to help the people of one of America’s most troubled states.”
At the age of 12, my father grew up in what he describes as “a little town” in the rural central part of Indiana, where he attended school through eighth grade. As a young adult, he’d spend his weekends in Washington, DC, meeting with Congress on behalf of Indiana’s poorest residents.
As the son of a farmer, my father’s life had plenty of “country” in it. But it was also shaped by the city that dominated his life:
I grew up in Chicago, the city with the most beautiful architecture in the world and the most elegant city blocks in the world. I never walked past any one of those beautiful Chicago buildings without being struck by it in a very deep and profound way. It’s the architecture that has always made a big impression on me in my life. You take what is beautiful, or interesting, or great, or unique, and you put it in the environment and make it a way of life for people. When I was a child, I wanted to live where everything was made by hand. Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And it’s right here. Right in our own backyard. The people of Chicago give me everything that I ever wanted in the world.
The people of Chicago, then, are the most important thing that I want to be. I don’t know where I would be without the people of Chicago in my life and the people of Indiana in my life. I grew up in a country where I had a wonderful set of neighbors and a wonderful family. I never wanted to spend a day in places where there wasn’t a lot of activity. And I didn’t
