Ken Harbaugh announces campaign for Congress
CANTON – Holding a shovel and a plastic trash bag, Navy veteran Ken Harbaugh announced his campaign to represent Ohio’s Seventh Congressional District in Congress.
“As a former navy pilot and the president of a disaster relief organization, I’ve learned what it takes to clean up a mess and get things done in the midst of a crisis – and there’s no doubt that we have a crisis in Washington today,” Harbaugh said.
As he launches his campaign, Harbaugh will spend the next eight days with fellow Ohioans in service projects across the district. They will serve meals in a homeless shelter, help clean up public parks, ride along with police officers, and work side-by-side in more than two-dozen events in the district.
“Washington is broken,” Harbaugh said. “I’m running for Congress because folks in Ohio need someone who will put them first. I’ve spent my life in service to this country. I grew up in a military family, flew recon missions as a navy pilot, and deployed as a medic to disaster zones. As president of Team Rubicon Global, I helped build an organization that has retrained thousands of military veterans to respond to emergencies around the world.”
Ken Harbaugh is the son and grandson of Air Force combat pilots. When it was his turn, he joined the navy, and led reconnaissance missions in the Middle East and off of North Korea. Harbaugh flew in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch, and others, and held a top secret security clearance. Over the past 15 years, he has become a leading authority on veterans’ issues, and a sought-after commentator on civilian-military affairs. He served as the president of Team Rubicon Global, a disaster relief organization that has retrained tens-of-thousands of military veterans to respond to emergencies around the world.
“Now, I’m setting my sights on the disaster in Washington,” Harbaugh said. “Politics as usual is not working. Bob Gibbs wants to gut funding for health care while Ohio is in the middle of an opioid epidemic. He has repeatedly voted to increase medical bills for seniors while folks here in Ohio are struggling to make ends meet. Gibbs has advocated for big business over the needs of our workers. And Bob Gibbs wants to send our tax dollars to build a wall in Texas when bridges, roads, and schools are crumbling here in Ohio. Ohio families deserve someone who will bring a common-sense approach to solving real problems, and who will hold our government accountable.”
Ken and his wife, Annmarie Kelly-Harbaugh, are the coauthors of “Here Be Dragons: A Parent’s Guide to Rediscovering Purpose, Adventure, and the Unfathomable Joy of the Journey.” Ken and Annmarie live in Avon, Ohio, with their three children.
Category: Government
