The other primary

Goochlanders, it’s time to put on your voting shoes. Next Tuesday, June 12, there will be a primary to select republican candidates for United States Senate and Virginia’s 7th District in Congress.

Although the election will determine republican candidates, it is an open primary, so any voter registered in Virginia may participate. Cross pollination during primary season is something of a tradition. Democrats who voted to ensure Walter Stosch kept his seat in state senate in 2007 and members of the GOP who cast ballots in the 2008 democrat presidential primary know all about this practice.

Many of us believe that the country is a mess and will not get better without meaningful change in Washington. Candidates chosen by party leaders on both sides of the aisle are two sides of the same coin. We cannot afford to recycle the same old faces and attitudes.

Jaime Radtke is a mother from Chesterfield County whose concern about the unprecedented growth of the federal debt caused her to seek the GOP nomination for the open Virginia senate seat. She helped launch the Tea Party to give voice to the frustrations of many and brings a vigorous new voice to Virginia politics.

Radtke believes that our Constitution provides clear and meaningful direction for governance of America. She rejects the creeping intrusion of government into our lives enabled by the whims of a populist wonk bureaucracy that uses regulation to sidestep legislative direction.

As the national debt balloons to levels few of us can comprehend, Radtke understands that if the country’s fiscal house is not put in order fast, nothing else matters.

Radtke is passionate about issues and wants to represent you in Washington. Her opponents, in contrast, are more interested in joining one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet, the United States Senate.

Unlike other candidates, Radtke understands firsthand that ballooning prices for basic items like peanut butter, cotton and gasoline mean that inflation is very real and has an impact on the everyday lives of Virginians. She knows that rising prices coupled with steady or falling wages make it harder for ordinary families to keep their heads above water financially.

Radtke understands that the way that government operates now and how it was envisioned by the Founding Fathers are very different things. She believes that the best way for America to go forward is to go back to the basic principles that created our nation. These include fiscal restraint, limited government, and upholding your right to bear arms. Radtke will work to reduce the governmental regulation that strangles businesses and kill jobs.

Last November Goochland voters replaced the same old faces with principled and dedicated elected officials who govern with honesty and integrity. It’s time for Virginia Republicans to take back control of their party by sending a clear message in this primary.

Radtke uses her conservative principles as a guide to live by instead of mouthing what she thinks voters want to hear during an election cycle.

Radtke will bring those principles to the U. S. Senate and put them into practice. Please vote for Jamie Radtke so she can work to build a better future for us all. Visit www.radtkefor senate.com to learn more about this outstanding candidate.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. On Tuesday, June 12, Goochland voters will cast ballots at their regular precincts. Please go to the registrar’s page on the county website at www.co.goochland.va.us for more information.