Presidential Campaign Announcement 

I am running for President of the United States because we must directly confront our problems. My party, and this country, have avoided directly confronting our problems for many years, and the results have been disastrous. Our country has done the equivalent of using Band-Aids in place of major surgery. Somehow, we have “gotten by”. But because the public has borrowed over $20 trillion, the day of reckoning is upon us. My goal is to change the very nature of the debate.

For the first time in a generation, we must directly confront our problems.

I plan to enact this in five ways:  

First, it does not make sense that the Republican policies set forth by the Speaker of the House, the former President of The United States, and future Presidential candidates all do nothing about Social Security. We need a complete plan that directly confronts the problem of Social Security, of which is in arrears by approximately $43 trillion. I adopted a plan from Doctor Larry Kotlikoff, a worldwide expert in Social Security. This plan will bring the undefined unfunded liability down to zero.  

Second, we must change our policies to stop stealing from our children. The generational stealing from young people must cease. Instead of directly dealing with issues, we have postponed them to the next generation. This ends now. With dept to Gross Domestic Product hitting 100%, there is nothing to leave. The United States of America is financially bankrupt. 

Third, I am constantly ruminating on the travels that I took to create the film Fixing America in 2011. I still see the faces of the people all across this country; those who just want a decent life. They think that the whole system is rigged. They feel disconnected, and they feel like they are alone. Normal, middle-class families don't know where to turn. I have a difficult time even watching my own movie because of the haunting images of so many people struggling, feeling disconnected, falling behind, and not knowing what to do. All of this comes from the misguided policies in Washington D.C., of which have mostly been to the benefit of the politically connected and to those who are already wealthy.  

Fourth, this next period in the United States calls for a financial expert. We do not need another lofty businessman, nor another career politician. We need someone to guide this country in the right direction. I believe that I am the only person running who has the financial background, the backbone, and the track record that proves that I will do exactly what I say. What many people now call the third rail of politics, I have entitled the “Laffey Lane”. But that is what we need now: Someone who has the proven talent to convince others, and to change votes. I have a talent, through the power of my ideas, to convince people to change their minds. Today, most people simply go with the generic platform set by career politicians. They believe that those politicians have but one vote to yield. But that is not enough for our country to be successful. Much of my life has been spent convincing other people to do what is necessary to fix a problem, convincing them of things that they originally thought they would never do. I have succeeded in these objectives in both the public and the private sector. In a nation divided, a talent such as mine is required.  

Fifth, I am able to get to the heart of problems, and I focus on them until they have been fixed. I take on large issues first and am not sidetracked along the way. People who have seen me work know that I focus on the biggest, most pressing problems; that I directly confront those problems; that I make the hardest decisions in order to solve the problems; and that I solve every hard issue set in front of me. For better or worse, it is all that I know how to do.  

While I was in the public sector, I worked with a great team. In the quickest turnaround from effective bankruptcy in American history, with bond rating going up eight notches in 3 ½ years, we resurrected Cranston, Rhode Island. This has never happened in the history of American politics. Now, we see the United States going into a serious crisis. No one is stepping up to tell people the truth about how messed up the policies are in this country. Those representing the older people in this country, me included, may have to take a little less so that the younger people can have a lot more. Why do you think that in the last 20 years, nearly all right/wrong direction poll results indicate that we are heading in the wrong direction? It is because we truly know that we are destroying the future; the younger generation. 

I intend to take this grassroots campaign directly to New Hampshire and then to other states so we can convince people that the Republican party must change the way that it conducts business. I am the outsider. Lest there be any doubt, grab a copy of my book, Primary Mistake, and read it. I remain the only elected Republican running for higher office to be attacked by the National Republican Party. While I was mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, I became known as, “The Man with the Bullhorn”. This bullhorn is ready to be used again. It must be taken to all 50 states, but first we will travel to New Hampshire.  

I believe that I am the only candidate who is uniquely positioned to discuss and fix our terrible education system. I was educated in the public schools. I am a graduate of Bowdoin College and Harvard Business School. I taught the top finance class at the University of Rhode Island for three years. As the Mayor of Cranston, I have dealt directly and successfully with an antagonistic school system. While raising my six children, I have sent them at different times to a Montessori school, a private school, a public school, and a charter school. Some may wonder where I have been for the last eight years. My daughter Sarah was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. My wife, Kelly, had to take care of her. I have personally taken time out of my career to stay home with my three youngest children, as my wife and daughter were often at the hospital. As a father, you do what you must, not what you want to do. Ask my children and my students what they have learned from me. They have learned the best, from the best. I have led them toward success, and I have taught them how to be successful. I wish to do the same for all students in this country. 

I also believe that I am uniquely qualified to discuss healthcare in this country. Through my siblings I saw an enormous amount of social welfare spending. My experiences as a father have caused me to spend far too much time in hospitals. My daughter Audrey had seizures that have been cured, and my daughter Sarah is still battling cancer. I have seen the millions of dollars of heath care bills, and have interacted with the families suffering at both the wonderful Ronald McDonald House and in the Children’s Hospitals of Colorado, Philadelphia, and Boston. I know why so many people go bankrupt over the lack of health care: The expense of basic healthcare is great, and there are millions of misspent dollars. We need to manage our healthcare in a way that lets everyone have Sarah’s experience, with good doctors and swift treatment. I have moved around the country for her, and our doctors have been nothing but wonderful.  

One of our biggest problems in this country is the mishandling of money. America’s middle class has been destroyed by the combination of bad trade policies and the Federal Reserve’s ignorance of the middle class in favor of the rich and elite. I am the best person in this race to both understand the Federal Reserve, and how it must be fixed for our nation to survive. The elites, and the candidates they represent will not like it, and will try to fight it. But I do not leave them room to say I don’t understand it. To the reader, I would like to speak to you personally. I am not running for President because I want to better my own life. I have a wonderful life. I have six wonderful children, a beautiful wife, and I am content with what I have. However, I see that others do not have a wonderful life, even though the United States could very easily do a lot better. I have had enough with waiting around, waiting for someone to do something to change this nation for the better. I have had enough with the Federal Reserve knowingly causing inflation, which causes suffering throughout the country. I have had it with the “talking lane” of corrupt American politicians. We must directly confront our problems. I do at stevelaffey.com. I list my accomplishments here, and I want you to stand with me. 
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I want to be clear about one last point: This is not a campaign against one person. This is a campaign for specific issues so that if we can solve them, our children can live a better life. I have traveled the country twice, once with my children for 3 1/2 months in 2008, and once making a movie that involved stopping on the sides of roads and talking to real Americans. As a man told me on the side of the road in Kentucky, “I just want people to do the freaking job we put them in there to do".  Those words have stayed with me for almost 12 years. You may think that because of my absence from politics these last years, that I am coming to a knife fight with a rock. But sometimes, the rock hits its mark before the knife can. I am the best person for this job. Thank you, and with your help, we can and will fix this great country.  

Steve Laffey Ends Presidential Campaign
Colorado Politician also Resigns from Republican Party

FORT COLLINS, CO - October 6, 2023 - After eight months on the campaign trail, that featured campaign stops from New Hampshire to Iowa, Republican Steve Laffey is ending his bid for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The former Mayor of Cranston, RI is exiting the race and taking immediate action. After more than 40 years as a registered Republican, Laffey is resigning from the party, effective immediately.

As he exits the race for the White House, Laffey has released the following statement: “The times truly have changed. For over a decade, I have grappled with profound shifts in our political stance and in the Republican Party’s core views. I was kept out of the limelight ever since the heart-wrenching day in 2015, when my daughter Sarah was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Today, as I choose to end my campaign for President of the United States, I reflect on my dedication to the Republican Party. For 44 years, ever since I was a teenager, I stayed faithful to the Republican Party. From establishing a conservative newspaper at a liberal college, to running for public office as a Republican in Rhode Island—a notoriously Democratic state--, to even remaining a Republican after I was attacked by the National Republican Party (NRP) after running for the U.S. Senate, to writing a book concerning the rejuvenation of the Republican Party, I had always felt that the Republican Party’s principles reflected my own. I have always stood by those principles that make up the foundation of our nation. I truly believed that the Republican Party stood for justice, transparency, and for bettering the lives of the people that live in these great United States.

However, what I've witnessed since 2015 has made it clear that our political sphere has deviated far from its ideals. The Republican Party has become a laughingstock. From a celebrity-driven race for the Presidency, to disturbing events in the House of Representatives, it has become painfully apparent that the Republican Party no longer exists. What used to be a Grand Old Party is now simply a placard for anyone to say anything, no matter how hurtful, and no matter how false. Donald Trump is certainly the significant factor in this rapid movement towards authoritarianism and away from the core principles of freedom and economic growth. As the first candidate to challenge the dominance of Trump's influence, I believed that there was a yearning in the Republican heart for a candidate free from his shadow. However, the past eight months have proven me wrong.

Both sides of our split media claim to value confronting problems head-on while reporting their version of the truth. However, it often seems to be more in favor of sensationalism over substance. Serious policies and honest debates have taken a backseat, and it's disheartening to witness candidates utter falsehoods without fear of accountability from those in the media that should be calling them out. The most shocking moment was the nonchalance displayed towards President Trump’s conviction of sexual abuse, further spotlighting the broken moral compass of our times. As an evangelical Christian, the fact that this moment did not galvanize all Christians against Trump is a failure so profound that it is unforgivable. When Trump took to St. Anselm’s College the next day for a Town Hall event, I was the only one to call for the St. Anselm’s event leaders to resign. Let me repeat myself: The only one. From everyone else, there was only silence. Has it not been proven countless times in history that silence is what brings a nation to its knees?

My campaign was perhaps one of the last strongholds offering sincere solutions to our country's pressing issues. Unfortunately, as has been abundantly clear in the last few months, the idea of celebrity has destroyed any candidate with substance or a true desire to help others. During my time in the race, I have watched candidates lie to get into debates. I saw complete sycophants and turncoats run for President. Some told voters that they still loved Donald Trump and thought he was a great President, while others only turned their backs on him when they didn’t gain employment with their endorsements. Disgusting.

As the first candidate to challenge the dominance of Trump's influence, I believed there was a yearning in the republican heart for a candidate free from his shadow. But the past months have proven me wrong. The media, which claims to value confronting problems head-on, often seems to be more in favor of sensationalism over substance. Serious policies and honest debates have taken a backseat, and it's disheartening to witness candidates utter falsehoods without fear of accountability.

The title of my first book, "Primary Mistake, How the Washington Republican Establishment Lost Everything in 2006” (Penguin Books 2007), was an effort to restore the Republican Party's direction. My next book may be aptly named "Secondary Mistake, I Came, I Saw, I Wept”, as it's become abundantly clear that the chasm within the party and our political system may be beyond mending.

In reflection, I realize that my past endeavors, from Rhode Island to Colorado, have been colored by my earnest belief that genuine effort and good governance would be recognized and rewarded. But politics, it seems, is a game of recognition, not of merit. I have failed to get the American public to take corrective action before it is too late.

My 2006 Senate race failed. My movie, Fixing America (2011) failed to change the course of our country, and now, as the real crisis is upon us, I have failed again. The poor and the middle class will suffer even more due to my failure. To my investors and friends, I am sorry.

Today, as I conclude my campaign and resign from the Republican Party, I hope that someone, somewhere, will pick up the torch and guide our great nation back to its true essence. But for now, it's time for me to step aside. I pray that the burden of the millions suffering will be lifted from me. It has not happened yet.

“It's a good question to be asking right now, What'll you put up with, what'll you allow?” Jackson Browne, Until Justice is Real.

The Laffey campaign would like to thank the media and all supporters who have followed along on our journey. This may have started as a grassroots campaign, but it truly grew into a strong examination of our political system.

For interviews with Laffey contact:
Mike Fahey, Fahey Communications
781.500.9398
mike@faheycomm.com​