Wheeless: In Congress, I’ll work to protect ‘American Dream’

I’m Tanya Contreras Wheeless, a candidate for U.S. Congress in Arizona’s Congressional District 4, and I am running for Congress to save the American Dream.

Why? Because I’m a product of the American Dream and it’s under attack.

My nana immigrated to the United States from Mexico at a young age with my great-grandparents, who were migrant workers that immigrated legally to the U.S. They came, like so many, looking for opportunity and a better life. They settled in the West Valley where I was born to teen parents.

My parents worked hard in blue-collar jobs, and money was always tight. I began working at the age of 14, mopping floors in a bakery. I put myself through college and became the first person in my family to graduate from college and then law school.

This is the American Dream and it is the best of what our country represents. The idea that you can shape your destiny through hard work, and that you are born free with God-given rights makes our country wonderfully unique. I want to preserve that for my children, your children, and future generations.

To do that, we must enact policies that promote safety, opportunity and freedom.

Safety. We must push back against Biden’s failed border policies. It’s basic common sense to know who is entering the country, but with open borders, that’s not possible. The feds have apprehended 23 criminals from the terrorist watch list. How many got away?

Fentanyl is now the number one killer of adults aged 18-45 and cartels are bringing it into our country at record levels. Not to mention the trafficking of vulnerable women and children. This has to stop. We must secure the border and, more importantly, enact policies that let our border patrol agents do their jobs.

We must also ensure safety in our neighborhoods by defending, not defunding, the brave men and women of law enforcement.

Opportunity. We need schools that work for every child. I support public schools, that’s where we sent our kids, but I also support choice for parents to choose the learning environment that is best for their children. Places where they can focus on fundamentals like reading, math, and science whether it be public, private, charter, or in the home.

We also need to cut taxes and red tape for small businesses. They are our job creators and the backbone of our communities. They will lead us into the economy of the future, but only if innovation and entrepreneurship are unleashed and not stifled by government bureaucrats.

Freedom. There is no value more American than freedom and the belief that we are born with inalienable rights. The lockdowns of businesses, schools, and places of worship over the last two years brought into stark focus how quickly the government will take away our rights. However inconvenient it may be to some, the Constitution matters. Our rights matter. I will always fight for both.

These are the values I will work to promote in Congress. As I’ve done my entire career in the private sector, I will work with anyone interested in solving problems, but I will never sacrifice my principles or stop fighting for our rights. I will bring a fresh voice to tough problems and every decision I make will be done with Arizona families and preserving the American Dream at the forefront of my mind.

My nana has passed, but I like to imagine her smiling down on me when I become the first Latina ever elected to federal office from Arizona. The American Dream indeed.

Editor’s note: Republican Tanya Contreras Wheeless is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives representing Congressional District 4.