What is happening to our country and our democracy is breaking my heart. Those of you who know me well know that it is action that gives me hope. The greatest tool for action I possess is the background I cultivated in my teaching career. The last thing I published was titled “Empowerment through Talk, Creating Democratic Communities.” I have always been guided by the belief that it is through how we listen, talk and learn from one another that we construct a better community & governance.
I want to rebuild our politics and reinvent the structures that have been impeding and fraying the very fabric of our communities. To do this, I started giving workshops on how we talk to one another across the political divide, that many of you have attended. I am of the belief that we can save democracy, one conversation at a time. It is through our stories that we widen our understanding of what we do not fully know.
As an educator, I’ve spent a career investing in the lives of others around me, listening, negotiating, inspiring growth & change, and finding a path forward that met the needs of children, families and the community in which I served. Isn’t this what a good representative does?
As a representative it isn’t my story that matters. It’s yours.
It’s the stories of the people you love, the neighbors you care about, the community in which you live and how state and federal policies impact each of us for better or for worse. We need representation that sits down in conversation with constituents and listens. A representative that brings people together, without the contempt of labels and assumptions that are tearing us apart. A representative that isn’t beholden to power, entrapped by lobbyists or silenced by party politics, that does the work of the people.
I want to run a different type of campaign. One that focuses on restructuring our town halls and reinvents the relationship a representative has with her constituents. I am going to continue my workshops on conversations around how we talk to one another about policy, in a context of civil discourse. I’m going to continue my short videos, my invitations for “small talks,” and outreach across the political divide. These are challenging times, emotionally and financially for many of us. Our policies are intentionally and actively removing wealth from the middle and lower socioeconomic class, trying to distract us with division. There is a deliberate war on empathy in America. It is a war to divide American society, profit off that division to get away with nefarious ideologies, while our democratic norms are being compromised, institutions privatized, and our private information mined. The “monetized industrial complex" is at work, creating silos and causing us to “other” one another. Don’t be lured by the these “Pied Pipers.”
Talk to your family & friends.
Love your neighbor,
Smile at the stranger.
Let’s take back our public discourse.
I have decided to run for Congress in D2 MO, Ann Wagner’s current seat. I will run as a “Constitutional Democrat,” as this best reflects the approach I take to policy and service to country.
Every conversation we have, every life choice we make, is embedded in our founding documents and ideals - Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as we strive toward a more perfect Union. Our policies should reflect these principles, as well. In 2026 we will celebrate democracy's 250th anniversary. We need to make sure our Constitutional Democracy is actually there to celebrate. Join me to ensure it will be. Help me build the committee.

Let’s create a movement.
Let’s talk.

Coming soon . . .

VONDRASFORCONGRESS.US
joan@vondrasforcongress.us

Meanwhile, join me for a workshop, or contact me through joan@towntalks.live