The American public will give you an awful lot of slack on how you voted on one issue or another if they feel like you have a reason.

You can see what happens when people don't feel they have a chance. You can see the ramifications of that.

It's my name on the ballot, and it's me running this race. I'm the one doing this. Not my father and not my grandfather and not my great-uncle and not President Kennedy.

The time for me in the Peace Corps was easily the most formative experience I've had in my life.

To me, that's what the Peace Corps is all about - the impact that simple acts of service can have across borders, generations, and time. It's a lesson I carry with me every day.