HEBRON, Md. – Across from a field of corn and a cemetery in the quaint town of Hebron, is the humble home of a military veteran. Inside, Robert Smith sits at his kitchen table and navigates his way through the electronic forms he filled out to hopefully become the next president of the United States.
“You have all these lobbyists in Congress,” Smith said. "They care about their own pockets. They don’t think about just everyday Joe.”
Smith said he is a common man running for the common people. His political stance is socially conservative and fiscally liberal, which is why he said hehe is filing as an independent. But Smith’s bid to become president is not a story of one man’s pipe dream, because he knows he is a long-shot candidate.
"Maybe it ends here. I don't know I'm hopeful." Smith said.
Instead, it is a story about one man embracing what makes America, America. It’s a lesson he learned while serving in Iraq in 2007. Smith said seeing people killed simply over their religious views changes one's perspective.
“You come back here and you want to kiss the ground and it makes you glad to be an American. I love my country," Smith said.
According to the Federal Election Campaign Act, in order to be considered a candidate for federal office, an individual must raise more than $5,000. However, Smith has not raised any money at this point.
As he sits at his kitchen table, staring at the iPad he used to file his paperwork, Smith has no reservations, nor does he have any misconceptions. Smith just hopes someone hears his message: that America needs to remember where it came from.
