Colorado's 1st Congressional District Challenge for 2018

Casper and his lovely wife Cheryl are parents to 3 daughter and 3 grand daughters! They are also Christian marriage coaches and they have a weekly radio program talking about Christian marriage and healthy relationships.

I have lived in Colorado since 1989 and I have seen many changes in the state. Today Denver has been listed as the number one city to live for 2 years in a row but our inner city communities have not changed in the past 60 years.

I am running for congress because I am tired of the lying, cheating, stealing and back room deals that seem to always exclude the inner city and rural communities. Folks we can do much better and if I am elected as the next congressman in Colorado I will show the community what honest servant leadership looks like. – It’s a new day! It’s time to throw the bums out!

Credentials: Congressional Candidate, CEO, LPR Graduate 2014, Author, Speaker, Former Radio Show Host, Business Trainer, 6 SIGMA Change Agent, Financial Services Specialist, Business Analyst, Internet Reputation Specialist.

THE PEOPLES ADVOCATE

With my Pro-Voice Initiatives I will be YOUR lobbyist in DC while addressing and solving real problems at home!

MY 3-2-1 PLAN:

• $300,000.00 minimum in campaign contributions
• 200,000 direct voter touches
• 100 community Action Team volunteers

PROBLEMS I WILL DIRECTLY ADDRESS:

• Crime & Drug Violence – Bullying – Suicide & School Failure
• Sexual Abuse & Trafficking – Homelessness & VET Services
• Gentrification – Un-Employment – Better Job Skills

MY MISSION:

• Honor GOD
• Protect America and it’s legal citizens
• Fight for Life and Rights around the world

MY PROMISES:

• Promise to be an honest servant leader in congress.
• Promise to locate my congressional office in the inner community.
• Promise to hire a “Director of Community Solutions” from the inner community.
• Promise to sponsor monthly Problem, Solution Action meetings with community leaders.
• Promise to conduct monthly conference calls with community Action Team members.
• Promise to conduct quarterly open mic community listening events.
• Promise to sponsor 1 congressional intern from the community each year.
• Promise to personally conduct quarterly inner community civics workshops.
• Promise to sponsor 1 workshop student essay winner, with chaperon, each year in DC.
• Promise to support term limits & term limit my time in office.

Saira Rao and her husband Shiv live in Denver with their two children, Lila and Dar, and their dog, Hector.

"The First District is an incredible mix of urban and suburban. It’s dynamic, diverse, progressive, and I can’t think of a better place to live."

Saira has emerged as one of the country’s strongest voices for social justice, equity, and inclusion. A graduate of the University of Virginia and New York University School of Law, Saira clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia before landing a coveted position on Wall Street.

"But Wall Street wasn’t for me. I needed to be in the community; I wanted to make a social impact. To help change the narrative for our children."

TELLING OUR STORIES

After Lila and Dar were born, Saira quickly realized that children’s books didn’t have protagonists that looked like them. Recalling how isolating it was to grow up as a first-generation Indian-American, she set out to change the script for American youth.

With her college friend, Saira co-founded In This Together Media, securing initial funding with a successful Kickstarter campaign. Six years later, Saira and her team have launched a slew of young adult and children’s books that feature black, brown, LGBTQ, and immigrant kids as central characters.

"You can’t be what you can’t see."

Today, In This Together Media authors include former NBA star and the league’s first openly gay player Jason Collins; former WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings; disabled model Jillian Mercado; teen trans activist Gavin Grimm; Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors; and child author Jesselyn Silva.

GETTING CORPORATE MONEY OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Saira has been a Democratic party activist since she was a teenager; she cast her first vote for Bill Clinton. But after the catastrophic November 2016 election, it was clear that the Democratic party establishment had lost touch with the people it claimed to represent.

The Party wanted Saira’s time, her advocacy, her money, and her vote – but it didn’t want to hear her pleas about rising rents, police brutality, or healthcare access.

"Politicians let kids go hungry and seniors go without medication and Americans go without affordable housing. Why? When we’re the richest country in the world? Corporate money. Dark money. That’s why – and it’s despicable."

In late January, Saira filed as a candidate for U.S. Congress with a platform of economic justice, civil rights, and getting corporate money out of the Democratic Party.

YOUR STORY. OUR FIGHT.

Saira believes in accessibility and accountability in representation. She believes Denver deserves a Congressperson who values the stories of all constituents and will be a progressive champion on local and national issues.

"I believe that our Representatives should answer to their constituents, not special interests. Government should be about service, not power and money.

If elected, I pledge to hire a bilingual staff, expand constituent services to include job networking and support, open a satellite office for community events, and live here in the district, not in D.C.

My children will still attend local schools and my constituents, the people of the First Congressional District, will see me at the grocery store. Colorado is an extraordinary place, and those who serve it do so with privilege.

I love my community and my neighbors, and I would be honored to have your voice and your vote in my campaign."