Watts for Congress 2018
Watts for Congress
Along with 122,322 other people in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, I cast my vote for Ryan Watts in the 2018 election. We were disappointed when Ryan didn’t win, but he was an excellent first-time candidate who has a brilliant future ahead of him, whatever he decides to do going forward.
For almost a year, I photographed Ryan as he traveled the eight counties of the 6th District to share his ideas and listen to the concerns of his fellow citizens. Being stalked by a photographer would unnerve most people, but Ryan was completely comfortable with me photographing him both from a distance and sometimes literally in his face. Not just happy moments, but also some difficult times. His willingness to let me into his life with a camera is a good metaphor for the openness and access that we need and deserve in a congressional representative. Perhaps we’ll get the opportunity to vote for him again in the future. If we do, Ryan will be someone who won't hide from people with different views on important issues that face us all every day. Ryan enjoys engaging with audiences and individuals with different opinions to hear their concerns and look for solutions. He knows that from diverse ideas come better answers.
If Ryan decides to run for public office again in the future, and is elected, then I know he’ll be as open and accessible to his constituents as he has been to me and thousands of other North Carolinians during the 2018 campaign.
