Chris Glasser

Chris Glasser was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University in 2021. Glasser's career experience includes working as an EMT, firefighter, reserve sheriff's deputy, Children's Protective Services investigator, and nonprofit board member.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a working-class candidate running to represent the people of Southwest Michigan. After years of public service, I have seen that our system is broken. If our society was a wheel, the spokes would be broken. Our first responders, doctors, and teachers can keep the wheel rolling, but they don't have the tools to fix the spokes. To do that, we need to increase civic engagement and challenge our government to make the necessary changes. For me, that means running for office. For you, that may mean volunteering, making phone calls, writing letters, attending town halls, and please- vote. Change is possible, but it will not be easy.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want to bring public service back to politics. As a former EMT, Firefighter, Reserve Deputy, and current Child Welfare worker, I understand the expectations that society has for us. We need to apply those same expectations to our politicians. We elect them, they serve us, and they should be held to a high standard of accountability and transparency.I believe in Social Liberty. You should be free to live your personal life as you see fit as long as you do not harm others. People should be free to express themselves, love who they love, and worship how they want to worship, We need to end the war on drugs and focus on a health approach, not a criminal approach to substance abuse.I believe in Economic Accountability. The actions of corporations have effects on their employees, consumers, the environment, and the community in which they reside. We have laws for when people hurt people, and we need laws for when corporations hurt people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about healthcare, criminal justice reform, and fighting political corruption. Healthcare because 43 percent of Americans are underinsured, including over 30 million Americans with no healthcare coverage whatsoever. Healthcare because over 40,000 people die every year due to lack of healthcare coverage. Healthcare because Americans hold $195 billion in medical debt.

Criminal Justice reform because in America, the nation of freedom, we have the largest population of incarcerated persons, both in raw numbers and per capita. Criminal Justice reform because your access to freedom depends on your ability to pay cash bail and not the level of harm that you pose to the community. Criminal Justice reform because we punish low-level crime and ignore white-collar crime.

Fighting political corruption because $4.1 billion was spent on federal lobbying in 2022. Fighting political corruption because Congress outperforms the general public in the stock market due to insider trading. Fighting political corruption because politicians can take money from pharmaceutical companies then refuse to vote for lowering drug prices. Fighting political corruption because politicians are supposed to serve the people, not themselves.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to political commentator Kyle Kulinski. Kulinski has been covering politics for over a decade and has been a huge inspiration for me. What I admire most about him is his principled approach to politics. His political stances are based off his morals and values, not from a partisan calculus. He is not afraid to go after conservatives and liberals alike when their policies and actions conflict with what is good for the public. He gives credit where it is due, and criticizes where it is due.

That is exactly what I plan to do. Politics shouldn't be a team sport. I'm not rooting "for" Democrats and "against" Republicans. I have a political philosophy that is centered around improving the lives of working class Americans. That is the only team that I am "rooting for".

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

To best understand my independent and nonpartisan approach to politics, see The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef.

To understand my approach to our political system in general, see The System by Robert Reich.

To understand some of my criticisms of our healthcare system, see An American Sickness by Elizabeth Rosenthal.

To understand some of my criticisms about our economic system, see Monopolized by David Dayen and The Privatization of Everything by Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian.

To understand my criticism of money in politics, see Dark Money by Jane Mayer.

Other notable books include Hate Inc. by Matt Taibbi, How to Have Impossible Conversations by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman, and A Theory of Justice by John Rawls.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As an aspiring police officer in high school, I had three words drilled into my head as I took law enforcement classes and participated as a police explorer: Honor, Integrity, and Respect. Good values, but I would like to make a slight change.

I believe that respect, integrity, and empathy are important for an elected official. They need to treat all of their constituents with respect, they need to act with integrity, and they need to have empathy to understand the different struggles and perspectives of their constituents.

Finally, an elected official should be principled- their actions and votes should be based on their morals and values, not on what is good for their political party or be corrupted by the influence of political donations.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe that my principled morals and values, my sense of empathy, and my skepticism, and my ability to be objective will allow me to be a successful officeholder.

I am principled, which means that if you understand my morals and values, you should be able to predict my voting behavior. It will not be influenced by partisan politics or political bribery.

I have a strong sense of empathy. One of my favorite words is "sonder", which means the realization that everyone's lives are just as complex as our own. While at the store you may just see a person pushing a cart or someone behind a cash register, it is important to understand that those people have families, friends, jobs, go to school, and struggles just like you do.

My skepticism and objectivity allows me to view things from different perspectives. As an example, I grew up as a progressive around people in law enforcement, who are overwhelmingly conservative. That led me to hear criticisms of law enforcement made by progressives and hear the responses of law enforcement. I weed out the biases and factor in the accuracy of the claims, which leads me to sometimes agree with progressives, and sometimes agree with law enforcement. It's not about which "team" I'm on, it's about the evaluation of the facts.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility is to represent their constituents, plain and simple. The majority of the time, that means voting consistently with your values and what you told your constituents. However it also means being receptive to your constituents on new or hot button topics. In those cases, it is important to listen take seriously what is being said by the people in your district.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of empowering change. My favorite quote is "Be the change that you wish to see in the world", and I want my legacy to represent that.

I want people to understand that change begins with them and that if they work together, important change can happen.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Most people my age respond with "9/11", but I have to be honest, I don't recall.

What I do remember, which didn't make much sense to me at the time, was walking down the sidewalk as a child and seeing "IRAQ" in large letters outside of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Kalamazoo. It was a strange word that I didn't know the meaning behind. Looking back, I realize that the sisters were protesting the war in Iraq, which ultimately lead to the death of over 280,000 Iraqi citizens, over 4,000 US service members, and cost nearly $2 trillion.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was detasseling corn in the summers when I was 14 and 15. After that, what I would consider my "real" first job, I worked as a Sales Associate at Five Below from 16 until I graduated high school at 18.

What is your favorite book? Why?

This is also a difficult one.I will have to say The System by Robert Reich because it summarizes some of the fundamental issues of our political system, which is at the crux of my campaign.

(Honorable mention: The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons)

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I'm not sure if I can really pick a favorite fictional character, but I feel like I've got to pick something, so I'm going to go with Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I listen to music constantly, so this is a hard one. I'll go with Flatline by Shaman's Harvest.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

A personal struggle in my life has been my weight. I have always been overweight, however I was at my best in high school when I played football and worked out five days a week. While I am usually good about working out at least three days a week, I tend to see a trend of losing weight and then eventually regressing back to my original weight. As of this writing, I am down 15 pounds, but a long way to go to reach my goal weight.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The US House of Representatives consists of 435 members that serve two year terms. That has many implications. The two year terms means that its members are constantly running for re-election. Compare that to the Senate with staggered six year terms.

The House represents districts of comparable sizes, approximately 770,000 people. Compare that to the Senate, where one Senator represents 580,000 people and another represents over 39 million people.

I believe that the fact that the House has so many members allows it to be a more diverse population, coming from different walks of life. Instead of just being full of lawyers and lifetime politicians, the House consists of doctors, teachers, police officers, and even bartenders. I think that ultimately our legislators can be more effective as an institution if they come from various backgrounds with various experiences.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that previous experience in government or politics can be beneficial, but it is definitely not a necessity. Some could argue that experience could be a negative thing in the sense of becoming entrenched in partisan politics or becoming corrupted by a life of lobbyists and wealthy donors.

A person's political or governmental experience is only as good as the service that they completed while in those positions. We have politicians with decades of experience in DC that we'd love to see gone. And there are people who have never stepped into a legislative chamber or executive office that would make excellent representatives.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

My instinctual reaction would be to say that we need to reform our disastrous healthcare system that is both expensive and inefficient, or to address our economic system that allows the bottom 50 percent of Americans to hold only 2 percent of our nation's wealth.

However what I am seeing is a failure of leadership in Washington and a deep divide occurring on Main Street. If we want to reform our healthcare system or our economic system, we need to have competent leaders and a population of Americans willing to work together and hold those leaders accountable.

At the end of the day, I think that most Americans share the same goal of wanting a better life for themselves, their friends, their families and their neighbors. And we definitely have a country full of capable and passionate leaders that can represent Americans in pursuing those goals. But we need to come to that common agreement and elect those competent leaders before we can see that kind of change.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I believe that two year terms can make it difficult for representatives. With the way that our electoral system currently is, two year terms essentially means that representatives are constantly campaigning, which can take away from their efforts as legislators.

However, I think it is possible that an effective representative can allow their votes and actions to be their best campaign tool. If they are doing things in Washington that benefit their constituents, and they make active efforts to stay engaged at home in their district, an election every two years should not be the same kind of barrier that it is for non-incumbents.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Term limits are a permanent solution to temporary problems. In the past I have supported federal term limits in the past, and I have found term limits to be beneficial in other positions in my experience in the nonprofit sector.

On the federal level however, we are trying to address the problem of our elected officials not representing their constituents. The incumbent advantage means that even some of the most unpopular politicians get re-elected time and time again. Term limits could definitely help with that issue. However, term limits would also force out some of our best elected representatives who actually do listen to their constituents and who have the knowledge, experience, leadership, and morals to be effective legislators.

I think there are reasonable concerns regarding term limits. I agree with the concerns laid out by the Brookings Institute: It takes power away from voters, it severely decreases congressional capacity, it limits incentives for gaining policy expertise, it automatically kick out effective lawmakers, and it does little to minimize corruptive behavior or slow the revolving door.

I do not support federal term limits, but I will not take an aggressive stance against it. I am willing to engage in conversations with people that look to address fundamental issues in our electoral system, which includes unpopular incumbents who do not represent their constituents getting re-elected again and again.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would like to model myself after Bernie Sanders. Political policies aside, this man has been saying the same thing for over 40 years. I cannot find another politician who has remained as politically consistent as Bernie. Many politicians allow their views and values to be swayed by political pressures or campaign contributions. Throughout his entire political career, he has been people-focused and has been a vocal opponent of money in politics and political corruption. I respect that.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

While a particular story does not come to mind, what does come to mind is the trend that I have noticed both in my professional career and as a candidate. Most Americans are hard working people doing the best that they can to provide for themselves and their families. They have not failed- the system has failed them.

Our system is not a meritocracy. It is not always the hardest working, the smartest, or the most skilled who succeed. There are people working multiple jobs, working over 40 hours a week, just to make enough to pay rent, afford food, and get health insurance. We need to reform our system so it can be a true meritocracy where people have opportunities and are rewarded for their efforts.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The entire script of Airplane! with Leslie Nielson.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

The US House of Representatives consists of 435 members, and it order to pass any legislation you need to get 51% of them to agree with you. That of course is going to require some compromise, both within the party and across the aisle.

However, bipartisanship is not in of itself a moral virtue. We have seen legislation passed with bipartisan support that was detrimental to Americans. In the end, what matters is enacting policies that benefit the majority of Americans, whether it is passed with bipartisan support or by utilizing a political majority.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Every program, even if it is free at the point of service, has a price tag. That includes providing housing, healthcare, and an education. Creating these programs require that the price tag is considered that that the proper funds are raised from the proper sources.

While the debt, the deficit, and taxation is often misunderstood, they are still important topics. While the debt and deficit should not be the end-all factor when creating programs and forming a budget, spending responsibly should always be a priority. Your tax money should be spent in a responsible way that benefits you.

In general, I do not support raising taxes on working class families. Ultimately, I want to see working class families to pay less in taxes, spend less on education, spend less on healthcare, and see their wages increase.

I believe that corporations and the wealthy can afford to pay more in taxes. The 2017 tax cuts overwhelmingly benefitted corporations and the top 1%, all while adding trillions to the debt. Reasonable tax increases on the wealthy and corporations can stabilize our budget and provide important services to Americans. In the golden economic times of the 1950's, our corporate tax rates and the tax rates on the wealthy were considerably higher than it is now. Our economy can afford to go back to rates similar to the 1950's.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

What we've seen over the past decade or so is the House using its investigative powers for political purposes. The House should focus its investigate powers on national security, government corruption, and protecting workers and consumers alike.

Chris Glasser did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.