On Friday, July 19, and then again on Saturday, my wife and I had the pleasure of hosting two exceptional people running for president of the United States. They were Julian Castro, former secretary of HUD, and Amy Klobuchar, the senior senator from Minnesota. Anyone who had the chance to meet them and hear them would feel real optimism about the state of our politics, because they are smart, focused, clear in their priorities and determined to run the best possible campaign. My purpose in writing is to say “thank you” to the folks who came out in blast furnace heat to greet these terrific candidates. All our neighbors from up and down the Valley (and those who drove up from Massachusetts and Connecticut) were engaged and welcoming, and Jean and I felt such pleasure at being able to host such a get-together. This is what it means to have the first-in-the-nation primary, and despite the heat, it was terrific.
PETER HOE BURLING
Cornish
(The writer is a former state representative, Democratic leader, state senator and DNC member.)