Conservative Senate candidate reaches out to youth demographic, receives support from several Loyola students

seat incumbent Sen. Barbara Mikulski in this fall's Maryland general election, he will be making a call to some friends on Loyola's campus.

Students Joe Smith, Mike Estève and Dan Clemens were instrumental in convincing the Baltimore business owner and deacon to run for higher office. They met at a tea party rally in Baltimore's Inner Harbor last April.

Vaughn had previously been approached and asked to run for the position. He is a minority business owner, a military veteran and a cancer survivor. He has also founded an organization to unite victims of Hurricane Katrina and has worked with MESA, a pro-gram that aids minority students in the areas of math and science.

While he was still uncommitted to running at the time of the rally, meeting the three young men from Loyola inspired Vaughn to announce his candidacy. The students had helped organize the rally in response to bailouts from the federal government and the passing of the costly stimulus package.

Vaughan spoke to the crowds who had assembled, despite pouring down rain. Mike Estève described the reaction: "There was a sincerity and earnestness about him that the demonstrators felt immediately. Numerous attendees sought him out during the event to support his campaign."

Vaughn has made fiscal responsibility and better representation of taxpayer inter-ests focal points of his campaign. "I can honestly say that I have never met an individual more sincere in his commitment and genuine in his values than Corrogan Vaughn," said Mike Esteve.

Since declaring his decision to run, Vaughn has continued to keep youth as a central focus of his campaign, and recently spoke at Towson University. The men from Loyola have remained involved with his campaign along the way.

To find out more about Vaughn, visit www.vaughn4america.com or youth4vaughn.com for details.

Mr. Vaughn recently granted The Greyhound an exclusive interview concerning his campaign for U.S. Senate against Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

How did working alongside Loyola students in last summer's Tea Party movement play into your decision to run?

"Well, I was approached and asked to run on March 8. I fasted and prayed on the decision and while I was fasting, this tea party came up. I was very impressed by freshmen students taking a stand on both local and national issues - 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds try-ing to make a difference."

What do you think the youth community, particularly those on college campuses, has to offer that other demographics don't?

"A lot of politicians have taken the 18-25 youth demographic for granted, think-ing they're apathetic. I don't see apathy there. With each generation we just have to reach out and teach. We need to provide them with hard and factual evidence for our posi-tions."

You're a deacon and have gained a following in the church community; what ad-vantage do the churches provide that some political action committees don't?

"Faith-based movements are the strongest group in shaping our nation. Our Founding Fathers were moral, godly men. The churches always have a big impact on who are to become our moral leaders."

You stress traditional family values. As a leader, what can you do to promote these values, especially considering the types of recent personal scandals of well-known politicians?

"Just living right, by example. We do have to understand, though, that each and every person, because they are human, have frailties. You also have to emphasize for-giveness in these cases."

How does your experience as a small business owner influence your economic be-liefs?

"You learn that you have to be responsible for everything you do, not just how you use your money, but other peoples' money. What I would do as Senator is work on both the national and state level to make Maryland a more business-friendly state. Our state has abandoned small business, minority business. Black and Decker is relocating. At one point we had 23 of the Fortune 500 companies."

As a cancer survivor do you think this lends you a unique perspective on the health care debate?

"I've read both of the health care bills, the House and the Senate, and the best thing that could happen is that they're defeated. They pander and pad the pockets of spe-cial interest groups. For example: regardless of health, there would discrimination based on age when it comes to getting treatment. Also, when I look back at my situation with the brain tumor, had I gotten that tumor under the proposed bill, I would have been moved to more of a hospice than a healing situation. I have a problem with both health care bills for many reasons."

As a Republican, what have you found successful in conveying yourself as biparti-san, particularly to the traditionally Democratic African-American community?

"A big problem that we have in politics is when we talk about race. I'm a Colum-bian, a Cherokee, a Blackfoot Indian, and I'm an African-American, but at the end of the day if people ask, I tell them that I'm an American. I don't characterize myself as one or the other. I think the media makes too big of a deal out of race."

How has Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts inspired candidates like yourself in traditionally Democratic states?

"I applaud Scott Brown for what he did in winning the seat in Massachusetts, but what I want people to understand is that, like in Massachusetts, the seat I'm running for is no one's seat but the peoples' seat. It doesn't belong to Barbara Mikulski."