But let me tell you this gender thing is history. You're looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues.

Part of the problem is voters know relatively little about Romney. And some of what they know about him complicates his task: Romney has a history of flip-flopping on issues he's extraordinarily wealthy and he can be tone-deaf about what moves voters. He just doesn't seem comfortable in his skin.

If you look at U.S. history through religious history there is very much a motif that shows the importance religion has played in the U.S. We're a very religious country and it affects the way we look at various political issues.

You can't make assumptions when you're dealing with health issues.

Security is still the most important issue facing Washington state residents and millions of Americans - the security of having a job of access to affordable health care of a quality education and of protecting our homeland and defending our nation.

Thankfully President Obama has stood firmly behind women's health care issues by supporting coverage for contraception and reaffirming commitment to organizations like Planned Parenthood.

People were concerned about national security and that precluded us from having the opportunity to break through on the issues that we cared most about - the economy education and health care.

We immigrants can sometimes sound a little hysterical about this because we come from places that have tried this and we know where it leads. Anybody who's lived in countries with socialized health care knows that it becomes the dominant political issue.

But the dollars spent on economic incentives and new investment strategies are wasted unless we seriously address the two most important economic issues in Kansas: education and health care.

I look forward to working with our leadership team to advance the causes of smaller government lower taxes eliminating terrorism and providing affordable health care among other issues.