STATE CAPITOL, CO - At a news conference today, Rick O'Donnell delivered the following statement in announcing his candidacy for Congress:

Good afternoon. I am Rick O'Donnell and today I announce that I am running for the United States House of Representatives in Colorado's new Seventh Congressional District.

Charles Dickens once wrote that "In love of home, the love of country has its rise." And long before there was a Seventh Congressional District, this community was my home. I was born in Lakewood. I was baptized in Golden. I chose years ago to make my home as an adult among the hard-working, law-abiding, middle-class Americans who today are my friends and neighbors in what is now the Seventh.

I decided to run for Congress after much thought and prayer. My family's support was important, and something one of my sisters said to me in the weeks after the September 11 attacks moved me to action. She said that this is the first time our generation has been asked: which comes first, you or your country? I've had the honor to serve my state, and now I hope to earn the opportunity to serve my country and this district.

The past several years, I've worked hard to make Colorado a better place to live. As Director of Governor Owens' Office of Policy and Initiatives and Deputy Chief of Staff, I've offered innovative solutions to bring accountability to our public schools, to give local communities more tools to plan for growth, to reduce our transportation traffic jams, and to provide needed tax relief to hard working families.

Again and again I've seen first-hand how our efforts to improve the quality of life in Colorado are hindered by the federal government - hindered by politicians who put special interests ahead of the public's interest. As a Member of Congress, I will be guided by the same values and principles that inspired America's founders and are reflected in the leadership of American heroes such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

I believe each of us is endowed by our Creator with a special purpose, and that only with freedom will we find opportunities to use our God-given talents and realize our full potential as a community. Of course, it is difficult for these better angels of our nature to flourish if children aren't learning because schools fail; if the elderly and sick cannot get medicine because it is too expensive; or, if entrepreneurs are unable to create jobs because of the heavy burden of government regulation and taxes.

Friends, when George W. Bush ran for President, he often talked about prosperity with a purpose. Today, as America defends its freedom against terrorism, I think we could also say freedom is only meaningful if we use it for something more than just our own selfish pursuits.

We have the right to feel safe within our borders. I will support our President until every terrorist who seeks to harm America is brought to justice. I will spend my time in Washington preserving our freedom. We must ensure that places like Rocky Flats and the Commerce City oil refinery are safe from terrorist attack. I strongly support building a missile defense shield and vigorously protecting our Bill of Rights - especially the Second Amendment.

But with rights come responsibilities. That is why as a Member of Congress I will work tirelessly to protect the dignity of every person - especially the most vulnerable in our society - the sick, the elderly, the unborn and the poor. We must make prescription drugs and health insurance more affordable. I've run a small business and know how difficult it can be to afford employee insurance. I've talked with seniors who cannot afford medicine on a fixed income. But more government regulation and bigger government programs aren't the answers. We must bring competition and choice to health care in America, so consumers are in charge, not bureaucrats or bean counters.

We must encourage entrepreneurs to create jobs and to stimulate our economy by providing permanent tax relief, restraining federal spending and returning quickly to a balanced federal budget. Jobs and wealth are not created by government, but by the free market under the rule of law - which means all businesses must be held to the highest standards, especially when it comes to employee pensions and the rights of shareholders to know the truth about the performance of their investments.

Friends, this is a new Congressional district. It calls for a new generation of leadership. Strong political parties, like strong communities, are never afraid of change, and they are never afraid of new faces. I am a fresh face with a new vision - one that I am going to take to the grassroots of this new Congressional district. Together, we will build a coalition so that our ideas are heard and acted upon in the nation's capital.

Now, I've read the newspaper stories about how several of the candidates for this district are trying to be anointed the front-runner. It is ok with me that I am not the inside-the-beltway favorite. Last night, Californians sent a message to the insiders in Washington D.C. by voting for Bill Simon to be the Republican candidate for Governor. That message is simple: Just as we don't want Washington telling us how to live our lives, we don't need Washington to tell us who our candidates will be. The choice of who represents us is still ours to make. That choice represents the very core of our democracy.

So I start out as the underdog. That's OK. I know I am younger than the other candidates - but I was always taught to dream big and work hard. That is why people like Governor Owens selected me for positions of major responsibility. One by one, voter by voter, I will present a vision for making Colorado and the community we have long called home a better place to live. I am excited to be the candidate of the grassroots, of citizen activists who want to be a part of the political process in the new district, not the candidate of smoke-filled backrooms.

Already people are coming together. Many are just regular citizens of this new district, hungry for a new face and new ideas. Others have long track records as elected officials serving the citizens of this new district, including former Representative Debbie Allen, former County Commissioner Polly Page, and former school board member Terri Rayburn. There are hard working businessmen in Adams County like Bob Frost and Tim Booker. And there are homemakers and mothers like Libby Szabo and Pam Benigno. These are just a few of hundreds that have already joined our campaign. Together we will reach out to the grassroots to build a better Colorado and a better America.

Thank you and may God bless Colorado.