How I Know John Delaney Is The “Real Deal”

Guest post from Connie Klug, an Adel business developer manager and co-chair of Delaney’s Iowa campaign.

I have lived on 15A west of Des Moines for nearly 20 years, and I am a proud life-long Iowan. I am a widow with two children, both married with kids of their own – one family lives in Seattle, and one in Washington, D.C.

About 18 months ago, my son Jay, who lives in D.C., called me: “Mom, you need to have something for John Delaney at your place. He is a Congressman in Maryland and he’s running for President. Mom, I know him. He’s the real deal.”

After their father died when they were teenagers, I continued to reinforce to my sons Jay and Jacque what it took to be a “real deal.” You had to follow three basic principles: First, stay humble and remember your roots. Second, remember there is no excuse for rudeness or name-calling. Third, always do the right thing. When Jay said John Delaney was the “real deal,” I knew that meant something.

My son met John in the elevator of their shared office building over 10 years ago. At the time, Jay had just started working for a large real estate company, and he and John worked in the same building. John introduced himself to Jay, found out he was from Iowa, and they struck up a friendship. It is worth noting that Jay, with his newly minted MBA, was still a farm kid from Iowa who was just starting his career. And John, a successful entrepreneur, took the time to reach out.

John Delaney demonstrated all three of these values when he reached out to a young man just starting his career. He had nothing to gain from this. But it spoke to who he is.

Since then, I have gotten to know John and his wife April very well. April is the daughter of an Idaho potato farmer, so we have had lots of conversations about Iowa and Idaho and growing up with small town values. Both are people we can trust, which is critically important in the Presidential selection process.

In my view, this election will come down to swing voters in the key swing states. We not only have to turn out Democrats, we have to reach out to independents and Republicans who want a new direction for the country. Here in Iowa, we know voters like this – they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors. They don’t love President Trump, but they want to make sure we have a candidate that is focused on kitchen-table issues and someone that wants to get things done.

In 2020, we must bring dignity and common sense back to the White House. I’m looking for a leader that will tone down the rhetoric. I’m not looking for someone engaged in shouting, name calling, exaggerations or just plain lying. I want someone who is honest, who can talk about the issues that are important to ordinary Americans. Someone who can truly reach across the aisle. And I think that John’s record in Congress shows that.

As someone who has worked with technology for many years, I want a candidate who understands how technology will continue to affect every area of our lives. Technology determines how the many products and services we consume every day are delivered to us – including health care. It will affect how we process and evaluate information, how we communicate with others, and every area of our lives. And with 5G, this will take place at unprecedented speeds.

John Delaney understands the power of technology and not only cares about protecting our privacy rights, but also about making sure that we have access to technology that can better our lives, including rural broadband. It is not about benefiting the companies who are delivering technology; it is about benefiting us, the consumer. We are the most important stakeholder in this transformation.

My son saw something in John Delaney and I see it, too. John is a moderate candidate who has the experience, the background, the morality and the resolve to make a difference in our lives. He is a game changer in every sense of the world. He is the real deal.

by Connie Klug
Photo by Julie Fleming
Posted by 6/14/19