Disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law, corruption and greed at the highest levels, a system tilted toward the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of regular people, farmers on the brink, workers left behind, families struggling to pay their bills, people cowering in their homes in fear, and healthcare costs that keep rising.
Like many people, I was growing more and more alarmed at the abuses of this administration and appalled at the lack of courage among members of Congress to stand up to the out-of-control president and his administration.
When Renee Good was killed in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, I was horrified.
Armed, masked, nameless secret police killing people on the streets of America. The images shocked me. This was the stuff of authoritarian regimes, not the United States of America!
Seeing all these abuses, I knew that I needed to answer the question to myself and future generations, “What did you do, Maria?” when you saw all this happening. What did you do? So I decided to run for Congress.
The Government Is Supposed to Protect Us
The Constitution is a promise. It is the promise that the government works for the people — that it protects us, defends us, and answers to us. It is the promise that no one will be disappeared from their car, their home, their workplace, or their church without cause, without due process, and without accountability.
That promise is being broken.
What happened to Renée Good was not an isolated incident. Across this country, people are being swept up by agents who operate in the shadows — no names, no badges, no legal process. This is not law enforcement. This is not America. This is what happens when a government stops protecting its people and starts preying on them.
One Person Can Only Do As Much Damage As Others Allow
It would be easy to point to one person in Washington and lay the blame there. But the truth is harder than that — and more important.
Our system was designed with checks and balances for exactly this moment. Congress has the power — and the duty — to stop executive overreach. The courts exist to uphold the rule of law. The Constitution itself is the guardrail.
What we are witnessing is not just the actions of one person. It is the failure of everyone in Washington who has the power to act and has chosen not to. The bystanders who stay silent. The enablers who look the other way. The institutions that are bending when they should be holding firm.
The Constitution Made a Promise
My family came to this country after being persecuted in a communist country — discriminated against for their beliefs. They arrived here with nothing but hope, and here they found a country where the law protected everyone equally, regardless of wealth, class, or where you came from.
That is the promise of America. That is the promise of the Constitution.
Renée Good deserved that promise. Every person on the streets of Minneapolis deserved that promise. Every American — regardless of where they were born, what they believe, or what they look like — deserves that promise.
And I refuse to stand by while it slips away.
I Took an Oath.
I have taken an oath to the Constitution twice — first as a lawyer, then as a City Councilwoman. It was not a formality. It was a commitment.
The Constitution does not only protect the people we agree with. It does not only apply when it is convenient. It was not written to be agreed with — even its authors didn’t agree with all of it. But they understood that a nation of laws requires honoring the whole document, because the moment we start picking and choosing, we are no longer a nation of laws at all.
In Congress, I will treat the Constitution as what it is: the supreme law of the land. I will hold the executive branch accountable. I will not look the other way. I will open the files, follow the facts, and work for justice — for Renée Good and for every American who deserves a government that protects them instead of threatens them.
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Across this country, people are standing up. Millions are marching, organizing, showing up — because they know what is at stake. They are not standing up for a party. They are standing up for the America that made a promise to all of us.
The America of liberty and justice for all. The America where regular people have a voice, a chance, and a government that works for them. The America where no one — not even the most powerful person in Washington — is above the law.
That America is worth fighting for.
That is why I am running.
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