Over the last several years, as many of y'all know, there's been a noticeable influx of people moving into deeply conservative areas from states like California, New York, Michigan, Illinois and Colorado.

Many are leaving places they believe have become too expensive, too dysfunctional or too politically extreme. They move to conservative communities like many of ours because they like the lower cost of living, safer neighborhoods, stronger sense of community and traditional culture.

But there is another group that seems determined to bring the same politics they left behind with them. I saw that firsthand this year.

In my local county commission race, there were three available seats. Heading into the primary, there were essentially only three candidates positioned to fill them, including a Democratic Socialist candidate.

That candidate had moved to the area from out West roughly two years earlier and was openly embracing socialist ideas, attacking what she called “Christian Nationalists,” criticizing the people of our region and promoting positions on social issues that are far outside the mainstream here. She was very active through TikTok and Facebook, pairing up with an even more psychotic pro-atheism socialist Congressional candidate here. They have every right to voice their opinions and spew thoughts that I disagree with. That's their right.

Why move to one of the most conservative areas in the country if you hate the values and people already here? ... Well one of their podcasts let it out of the bag. Some of these socialists and democrats are so organized on the ground level, they are moving to Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, and more of our states on purpose because their "remote" job allows them — and it allows them to embed and spread their insane ideology. In essence, they are working to slowly takeover like those from a certain religious ideology in Europe and parts of our country.

In all of this, I discovered if someone else could qualify through the write-in process and put themselves on the general ballot, there might be an opportunity to prevent this dangerous socialist ideology from officially embedding within office in our local county.

I’m not a politician. I never planned on running for office. I've always been intrigued by and followed politics, particularly at the national level. I’m fiscally conservative, believe strongly in constitutional rights, want better educational and economic opportunities for local residents and believe office holders should actually reflect and respect the people they serve. After lots of thought and prayer, I formally filed as a write-in candidate one hour before the deadline. Turns out, nobody else had filed for my district. I was the only shot.

It was more work than I expected. As most of y'all know, write-in campaigns require voters to know exactly what they are doing. The name has to be entered correctly — mine isn't easy so there's one strike off the bat. Secondly, on our newer voting machines, people literally have to punch it in letter by letter using buttons on the left and right side, and having to hit the next page to get the second half of the alphabet, and back, without a traditional keyboard. That required a lot of education and engagement, especially with our seniors — many of whom thought they still wrote it down on a piece of paper. That experience alone gave me a completely different appreciation for campaigning. If running for a local seat required that much time and energy, I can only imagine what a serious statewide or national race demands.

When the smoke cleared in May, I had thankfully received enough votes to qualify for the general. Over the last couple of months, I stayed true to myself. I ran a clean race. I let my values stand for themselves. And I listened to anyone and everyone who reached out.

The general election was last night. I finished as the top vote-getter and won one of the available seats. The Independent finished second, the other Republican third and the Democratic candidate finished close behind.

And that last part is the reason I wrote this "Dear Facebook" novel for some of you to attention to.

She had lived in the area for approximately two years and still managed one of the strongest performances a Democratic candidate has ever had in a local race here. At the same time, Democrats won races in nearby counties that have historically been overwhelmingly conservative.

Voter apathy is real. Only around 16% of eligible voters in my county participated. You can knock doors, make calls, talk to people for months and hear hundreds of promises that someone is going to vote. When Election Day comes, many simply don't show up. And the other side will. Nearly 70% of registered Democrat voters DID vote in our county elections this time. If you're a Republican, that number alone should alarm you.

Local elections matter enormously and people should stop assuming conservative communities will remain conservative simply because they always have been. Here, people are relocating and fast and our demographics are changing. Organized groups are showing up, there are more protests, networking and voting while many longtime residents have become complacent because they assume their community will always vote the same way. It won't.

People can complain about political change after it happens, or they can participate before it happens. I was concerned and stepped up. I'm glad I did. Now my responsibility is to serve well and prove that the voters made the right decision.