[The following letter was submitted to TLS by former candidate Bader Qarmout] Upon my return from Tampa Florida as an Honorary Delegate to the GOP Convention, it has become abundantly clear that we need to change the trajectory this economy and Country is on. We need to elect Mitt Romney for President and Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate. 

As a former candidate for U.S. Senate in the Republican primary, It was my honor to travel and speak to people from as far south as Salem County to as far north as Vernon. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all who supported, donated, prayed, volunteered and voted for my candidacy for U.S. Senate. I am honored to have had the privilege to seek the party’s nomination. I am also honored now to stand in support of our party’s nominee Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate.

As an immigrant to this great nation I did not take this privilege lightly. When my parents looked towards America four decades ago, they saw all the glory and promise this great land offered. Opportunity, freedom, and democracy are what attracted my parents to this nation. I ran for office to help preserve those fundamental principles by protecting our Constitution and ensuring they are available to all our children. I am now impassioned more than ever before to defend Liberty and conservative principles.

I have been encouraged to stay in and not let this be a onetime attempt. I have been repeatedly asked what I will do next. I do not know the answer, but I do know that I will continue to be a voice for fiscal and social conservatism. I will continue to push for school vouchers, Term limits, balanced budget, energy independence and job creation. I will also advocate enforcing our laws and securing our borders. We have good laws and we need to enforce them and remove criminal illegal aliens. I will advocate for lowers taxes and reduce government spending by shrinking the size of government and removing regulations that stand between business and success. All things are possible when we realize that the people are the answer and not government. 

In closing let me say that this great nation stands on the three pillars of faith, family and country. I am humbled to have had the honor to stand up in defense of those pillars and will continue to do so. Let me invite everyone to join me in wishing our party’s nominees Mitt Romney and Joe Kyrillos success in November.

Bader George Qarmout (R)

Former Candidate for U.S. Senate 2012