I've been fortunate to lead a fascinating and well rounded life. Here is but a small sample of the interesting story of my life:

I was born and raised in the heartland, Des Moines, Iowa. My parents, Richard and Mary Ryan were both union members at a paper company in Des Moines for the brunt of my childhood. Me, my two brothers and our parents lived a humble existence on the East Side of Des Moines in a two bedroom bungalow throughout our upbringing.

At the tender age of 10, I became politically active when I met Senator Tom Harkin and Presidential Candidate Gary Hart at an anti-nuclear proliferation rally. From that day on, my life has revolved primarily around political activity.

Toward the end of Operation Desert Storm I enlisted in the United States Navy. I served honorably for three years as a Yeoman Third Class Petty Officer. While stationed at NAS North Island in San Diego, California, the Navy afforded the opportunity for me to attend college at Chapman University while active duty.

Through the Montgomery GI Bill, I continued my education during my tenure in Civil Service for the Department of Defense until I finally became a full time student at Drake University in Iowa. Though a divorced single mother, I was awarded a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 2000; the first person in my family to attend and graduate college.

Upon graduation from Drake University, my daughter and I moved to Washington, D.C., joining the struggle for Women's Rights as a non-profit fund raiser for five years.

In 2005 I accepted a position as a campaign manager for the Eric Streit for US Congress campaign and subsequently moved to Paducah, Kentucky. While on the campaign trail, I met my husband Carl McNew. Carl, also a Navy Veteran, is a full time student at the local Paducah Law School. In August 2007, we were fortunate enough to be blessed with a baby daughter.

While Executive Director of a small non-profit movie theater, and the sole financial provider for our family of four, I had an encounter with Senator Mitch McConnell where I attempted to ask him a question about the War in Iraq. Senator McConnell ignored my question and slipped into his waiting SUV without incident. The following day I was warned that the Senior Republican Senator had instructed his staff to call community professionals and non-profit organizations and threaten funding for Paducah River Front projects if I was not fired from my position. Within a week, I was without a job because a corrupt politician had thin skin and used his influence to hold the city of Paducah hostage, subsequently forcing them to render a constituent jobless.

I was very fortunate throughout the ordeal with the Senator to host a wonderful band of supporters who also believe in the First Amendment. They saw that I was not afraid to ask a corrupt senator a blunt question about an unpopular, unplanned and unending war.

Newly jobless, and without any prospects in the economically distressed Jackson Purchase area, my friends and family encouraged me to run in the uncontested race against "Exxon Eddie" Whitfield; the very race in which I was the campaign manager for Eric Streit during the Primary Election two years previously. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that "Special Interest Ed" is part of the problem in the "Culture of Corruption" the Republicans have created in Washington, D.C. Power and Money are their only concerns, NOT the worries of their constituents, which was plainly evidenced by my treatment and by the treatment of the people of KY-01. So, I entered this race with the goal of returning the First Congressional District to a Representative Of, For and By the people - the way our Founding Fathers intended.

With your support, we can return KY-01 to Democratic Control, which was historically the case until "Special Interest Ed" duped the voters with a broken "Contract with America" in 1994. Although Exxon Eddie broke his promise to leave office after three terms, we can send him back to his home in Florida on November 4th!

Please support this candidacy and campaign by joining our e-mail network, making a contribution, volunteering and voting! With your help and support, we can END THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.!