MACHE Graduate Running for Legislative Office

Growing up in a Christian home school family, my father, Daniel Kihlstadius, instilled in me the importance of getting involved in the political process. He would bring me along to go drop flyers in neighborhoods, make phone calls to remind people to go vote, and take me to the Caucuses so I could learn how grassroots politics worked. He showed me how important it was to not just believe in protecting our God-given rights and freedom, but to actively fight to preserve them.

We live in a very unique country, one founded on godly principles, and freedom is very precious to us as Americans. But as I have grown up, and as I have gotten more and more involved, I am seeing those principles and freedoms slipping away.

When I was young, I dreaded going to drop flyers or make phone calls. But once I was old enough to vote, I realized how important my involvement really was. Thanks to my dad, and the flexibility of home schooling, I was able to participate in political activities. There is something unique about home schoolers, we have a sense of ambition and drive that is harder to find among those who attend public school. There is a different perspective on life that I believe makes home schoolers more inclined to pursue more academically rigorous activities and opportunities in life.

In my case, got involved in my local Senate District, serving on the Executive Committee and volunteering on many campaigns, not just on the local level, but also on statewide and national campaigns. I had the opportunity to be the Volunteer Coordinator for the Second Congressional District to recruit volunteers for the Republican Party of Minnesota’s booth at the Minnesota State Fair for four years. And I also served as the Burnsville City Chair for the McCain/Palin Presidential Campaign in 2008. It was that year that I met my now husband, Rob, while we were both working on campaigns. He was field staff at the Republican Party of Minnesota, and I was the faithful volunteer coming to help at the office every day. We were both Christians and Republicans-it was a match made in heaven, and after a season of courtship, we got married May 15, 2010.

Two years later, we both work at the Minnesota State Capitol as Legislative Assistants to two Republican Senators. Little did I know that my political journey would lead me to where I am today. In March of this year, our State Representative, Kurt Bills, made an announcement that he was taking on the challenge of running for U.S. Senate. This was leaving an open seat in our district. I started to get the sense that I was supposed to take up the torch and run for the open seat. After much prayer, discussions with my husband, and talking with political colleagues, I knew God was calling me to step up and run for office.

Since I announced my candidacy for State Representative in House District 57B in March, it has been an exciting new season in my life. I have met so many wonderful people, learned more about the issues facing our state and my district, and I have been challenged to trust God even more. This is not an easy task, but it is absolutely worth it. As a Christian, and as a Republican, I cannot sit idly by and watch our country continue down the wrong path. I am willing to do what I can to protect our freedom and fight for what I believe in. As a home school MACHE graduate, I encourage you to do your part. Get involved in a local campaign or cause you believe in, and join the fight to preserve what our founding fathers established in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

by Anna (Kihlstadius) Wills