As I have been for over six months now, yesterday I was out going door-to-door in the district. On this Halloween morning, I happened to stop at a farm house in Benzie County. Here’s how this voter summed up our meeting in an e-mail:

“Halloween 2006: no trick or treaters again. … Just yesterday, I was thinking we had a better chance of Granholm or DeVos stopping by today for a handshake than a trick or treater.

“Wouldn’t you know it, this morning a pickup with 2 guys is in the back driveway. … I went out there thinking it might be the guys who are supposed to come and take some of our pond fish or someone looking at the property.

“No, it was Dan Scripps, running for State Rep. next week. Asking if I wanted to talk about anything, all I could say was that I was surprised he found our place.

…

“Anyways, the last time I voted a straight ticket was in the late 60s, Democrat, and only my 2nd straight ticket in 36 years, next week, will be Republican, with the exception of Dan Scripps. Our only Halloween trick or treater gets my vote in his bag.”

These are the stories that make all the work of a campaign well worth every minute and keep me racing to the next door. They are also humbling and serve as a constant reminder of the responsibilities of public service. All I can say in response to this Halloween voter is that I will work hard every day for you and the voters of this district, and I’ll never stop fighting for local people.