I've been so blessed to be part of a family that has dedicated its life to public service.

You focus on the things that you can control, and that's what I'm doing.

Treating people fairly and with civility is not a bad thing... It would be good for our country if political leaders actually took that to heart.

And we should be a welcoming nation. Our identity is not based on race or ethnicity, it's based on a set of shared values. That's American citizenship.

There's a fine line between stubbornness and the positive side of that, which is dogged determination.

I was blessed to have a mother and father that recognized the value of education.

Public education must be viewed from the lens of providing each child with the learning environment that best meets his or her needs. If we can send a low-income child to a parochial school, knowing that his odds of attending college will increase as a result, then that should be our mission.

If we don't empower families to be able to have a quality education, then their children - for the first time in American history, truly the first time - will not have the same economic opportunities.

I'm getting nervous to be called a centrist. Breaking out in a rash.