A Congressional Candidate On The Way To The Convention

0:00Well, many Republicans are gathering in Dallas for the midterm Republican convention. And there are a number of speakers that are going to be there. Obviously, Donald Trump, he will have closing remarks. Night one, JD Vance, I'll also will be there. It's got Bessent, Todd Blanch, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Much of the cabinet will be there as well. You have elected officials that are going to be there and also candidates. And Michael Bouchard Jr., who's running for the 10th district here in the state of Michigan, will also be there. And I believe he's in root currently. Captain Michael Bouchard Jr. joins us on the other end of our line. Good to have you back. Guys, how are you? It's great to be with you. What do you hope and to get out of this? What are you expecting when you get to Dallas for this event? Well, you know, I think leaders lead. And if you want to change a conversation and you

1:00want to get something done in a conversation, you have to be a part of the conversation. So I'm excited to go to Dallas and talk to a bunch of the leaders from across the country about what can we do to make Americans' lives better? What can we do to make the people in my districts' lives better? And so I look forward to having those discussions and being around them this week. And when voters in McComb and Oakland counties talk to you, Mike, are they more concerned about the national political battles or these everyday issues we're dealing with, such as prices and jobs and public safety? You know, I've got to be honest with you. It's a mixture of both. I would say some are worried about socialism, but a lot don't want the finger pointing. They don't want the back and forth. They want real solutions that's going to lower their health care. It's going to lower the cost of energy that is going to give them better school opportunities for their kids. I mean, those are really what people want to focus on the end of the day. And how do you bring that to the people in your role as running? Yeah. Well, so there's a couple of different policies that I believe in that I'm championing.

2:02And the biggest one is less government regulation. I typically tend to believe that the answer to a lot of our problems are less government, less taxes, less government overreach. And I think some people on the other side of the aisle believe that their answer is more government. I think that's basically just a philosophical difference. But so I'm going to be focusing on lowering costs, building up our economy, bringing back more skilled workers to Michigan. And so that also is security. I mean, that was my background in the military for a very decades. So then the day it's about delivering results for the people in this district and not playing parts in politics. You know, we talked today about this idea of Donald Trump being involved in these in these races, right? Obviously he had a heck of a track record in his weighing in on the primaries. But now you're in a different scenario. And there are people around the country that are wondering if Donald Trump's support or his involvement in these races is going to be beneficial or not. How do you view that?

3:04Well, you know, it goes back to what I was talking about earlier. If you want to have a say in the conversation, you need to be a part of the conversation. And so I'm glad that I'm able to have that conversation with the president about what policies I think are working, what we need to keep pushing forward on the road. And so the fact that I've started that relationship now, I think puts me in a unique spot to be able to go to DC and continue those conversations on day one after November. You know, some Republican candidates in these competitive races have decided not to attend. Why do you conclude that appearing at the convention is right for your campaign? Yeah, well, you know, I can't talk about other people. But I guess what I would say about mine is it goes back to what I've been saying. If you want to be a part of the conversation or you want to have a say in the conversation, you need to be a part of it. So I want to be I want to have the chance to talk to American leaders. I want to have a chance to talk to American people. I want to bring results back for my district. I'll go anywhere. I'll talk to anyone.

4:06When it comes to delivering results for my district, I have no ego in this. I just want to deliver results. And that means that we need to be a part of that conversation. This is a new idea to have a midterm convention. And you have said you want to be a part of the conversation. So I feel like you're in on this midterm idea. What do you think is a win that voters can get behind and vote when they go in November? Yeah, we need to deliver real policies. Like I said earlier, we can't just point fingers. And don't get me wrong. I guarantee you there's going to be a contrast made between what my side believes and what the other side of the aisle believes. They're definitely going to be a clear contrast. But then today we also have to deliver real policies that are going to deliver for the American people. And so I'm looking forward to hearing a lot of different ideas how we can put Americans first. And that's what I believe we want to be hearing. Do you think that you mentioned socialism on the ballot affordability on the ballot? Things are too expensive. Obviously, those are some of the concerns of voters. But

5:07do you feel like at this point as we as we sit here today that the support for Republicans are going to be there, the excitement, the enthusiasm to get out to vote is there. I think this part of what this convention is about. It's about reminding people where we were two years ago. Reminding people where the Biden administration had taken us and what Republicans have delivered this far. I mean, we talk about no tax on touch, no tax on overtime, job tax, care products, a secure and closed border. And these were all drawings under the Biden administration. And again, I don't want to get finger pointing, but we do need to make a clear contrast of what is one side offering, what is the other side offering. And so this midterm convention is going to be about reminding American people where one side wants to take the country and what policies Republican Party is standing for. It is going to make the lives better for everyday Americans. And Mike, after this convention, what do you think is going to be your clearest argument you'll bring home for why voters should send you to Congress?

6:11Yeah, my experience to my plans. I think you look at what I'm running on. It's my background. It's results I've delivered all across the world with the military. And then my opponent has a record of being very soft on crime and staying for some beliefs that are just very, they just don't make sense. I mean, socialized health care, government funding for gender transition surgeries for minors. These are things that I have a philosophical disagreement with her in. And so again, that contrast is something we're making down the road. But at the end of the day, it's about delivering results for the American people. And so my plan is going to put them first and deliver on that. Michael Bouchard, we appreciate your time. As always, thank you. I look forward to talk with you post Alice, see how things went. We appreciate your time. Yeah, you got it. But again, I think this is this is up to his point. Part of this is to drum up support, is to get that excitement going again because one of the real concerns, and I think it's a valid concern, is our people are Republicans going to get up to vote traditionally? They haven't.

7:13Yeah, no. And how our vote is going to respond to, you know, the fact that Trump is back, right? I'm an a light part of that. But then some part of his administration, they don't. That's it for us. We'll see you tomorrow.