Astead Herndon

Or is the bond between men itself at odds with those values?

I get what you're saying, that there's a way that like if you just show up to it as yourself, then and you don't ask that voter to check off every box on the list, then you're doing that work.

No, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I can certainly feel it when a politician feels like they're dipping into something as a means of outreach.

Or all of a sudden, when they all become Iowa fans at March Madness, I'm like, who's buying that?

I wanted to end kind of thinking about something that you've talked about openly, which is a decision process about thinking about running for president about 2028.

I referenced it a little bit earlier.

You just got to the Senate in 2024.

I wanted to know, how did you go from that point of that arrival to getting to this type of open decision-making process?

What was it in those steps in the way that made you say, hey, maybe I should take a step up here?

I get that.

But I'm saying the question of what is the unique lane and unique voice that you think you're bringing to that discussion that can't be replicated maybe by others around you.

Do you think there's one?

I can't imagine, you know, being that age and my parents sits down and says, hey, you think I should run for president or not?

You think I should run for Republican?

Senator Gallego, thank you so much for joining us.

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