As reported in many news outlets, I strongly considered a run to replace David Cicilline in the US Congress, but I have decided to keep my gunpowder dry for future use in my home district.  My priority and focus at this time continues to be my pending Federal Court case regarding the State of Rhode Island’s Covid response, and my private practice in oral and maxillofacial surgery.  My pending case will provide a platform to evaluate the Rhode Island response to the Covid pandemic, both good and bad.  Even the exiting head of the CDC last week warned the American people to “be on guard against misinformation and the politicization of science.”  She further stated Americans should make health decisions based on “their own risk assessment and their own personal risks, but not through politics.” Rhode Island leaders intoxicated with emergency powers put forth a tyrannical Orwellian public policy and that unscientific narrative had to be challenged.

However, Rhode Islanders still need a change of representation in DC.  And you should know that there is a plan to elect a Representative who shares the core cultural values of the majority of Rhode Islanders; a Representative with a real-world approach, who will strengthen our capacity to pursue prosperity; and who will respect and preserve our Constitutional and God-given rights.

The next Congress(wo)man from Rhode Island must represent that majority.  A Democrat will almost certainly be elected – but it doesn’t have to be yet another progressive elitist who is out of touch with reality.

So, now is the time to execute a mass “cross-over” voting strategy.  I encourage CD-1 registered Republicans and Independents to vote for a moderate candidate in September’s Democratic Primary, which could feature over 20 candidates who will split the 30k or so expected votes.  Just a few thousand ballots could make the difference.

Why now?  For decades, our state’s Congressional delegation has been beholden to special interest and radical-left agendas that do not serve the best interests of most Rhode Islanders.  By handing out billions of our hard-earned tax dollars in support of far-left causes and weakening our nation’s economic security, they have also supported radical race and gender theories that divide our populace and infringe upon parental rights.

In near unanimity, our Senators and Congressmen have supported massive tax-and-spend policies and regulations that caused historically high inflation levels, raised energy prices and limited our choices as consumers, and that sought to impose upon us a perverse cultural agenda that very few of us believe in.  Especially impacted are low-income urban voters and Rhode Island’s diminishing middle class.

For example, here’s a simple question that I challenge every candidate in this election to publicly answer:  Should men compete in women’s sports?

Progressive candidates will not give you a straight response, because they are so compromised by their misguided desire to virtue signal to the woke left, instead of seeking to represent the interests of the majority of common-sense Ocean Staters.

Here’s the straight answer, and you don’t have to be a medical professional like I am.  It’s a simple common sense and biology-based answer:  NO.  Men have unfair athletic advantages over women.

A well-executed cross-over voting strategy can ensure that Rhode Islanders have a Representation in Congress who supports our deeply personal choices – not persecute us for exercising our constitutionally protected freedoms.  My surgical practice was shut down for six months by government progressives because I made an evidence-based choice about the Covid-19 vaccine; a choice that ran against their non-scientific, pretend narratives.

If you are, or know of, a Congressional District-1 voter, I ask you to strongly consider making yourself eligible to vote for a moderate Democrat candidate in this September’s Primary.  The nonprofit organization I chair has a webpage – RIFreedom.org/CrossOver – with easy instructions on how to disaffiliate.  But you must act by August 5^th.  While I will not advise who to vote for, there are indeed a few moderate Democrat candidates worthy of your cross-over vote.  Do your research, then follow these instructions.

Rhode Island deserves a different kind of Representative in DC; someone who will protect your family budget, preserve your freedoms, keep American strong, and respect the historical and cultural values of our state’s many constituencies.

Dr. Stephen Skoly is a maxillofacial surgeon and is Chairman of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity