Running for Office While Raising a Family: Lessons from Team Mercuri

In this episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, Doug Smith sits down with Rob and Kelsey Mercuri to discuss their experiences in politics, leadership, and parenting.

Rob, a former State Representative and candidate for Congress, shares his journey through six elections, offering insights into the challenges of campaigning, the importance of great teams, and the lessons learned from both victories and setbacks. He reflects on the personal and professional aspects of serving in office and emphasizes the need for an engaged and informed electorate. Kelsey offers her perspective on the balancing act of supporting Rob’s political career while raising a family, and both share their approach to leadership, community involvement, and family dynamics.

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:04 The Demands of Running for Office

04:45 The Role of Campaign Teams

06:12 The Importance of Community Engagement

09:50 Lessons Learned from Election Losses

12:38 Staying Involved in Politics After a Loss

15:06 The Complexities of Serving in Office

17:22 Managing a Full-Time Role as a State Representative

20:30 Building Relationships Across the Aisle

23:45 The Impact of Social Media on Politics

25:12 The Need for an Engaged Electorate

27:45 Parenting Tips and Leading a Family Team

30:15 Communication and Involvement with Kids

32:00 Raising Kids with Responsibility and Gratitude

34:21 Balancing Political and Family Life

36:50 Final Thoughts on Leadership and Parenting

The L3 Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Andocia Marketing Solutions. Andocia exists to bring leaders’ visions to life. Visit https://andocia.com to learn more.

▶️ WATCH FULL EPISODE

🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SPOTIFY!

🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON APPLE

🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON ALL PLATFORMS

SUBSCRIBE TO: @l3leadership @dougsmithlive

Transcript

Doug Smith (00:01.182)
Rob and Kelsey McCurry, it is so great to have you on the L3 Leadership Podcast. We've been friends now for a long time and I've always looked up to and admired you and I'm so looking forward to this conversation and asking you everything I ever wanted to know about running for office and what it's like to be in politics and family.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (00:16.276)
Thanks for having us, Doug. We're thrilled to be here. Big fan of the show.

Doug Smith (00:20.084)
thanks. Well, hey, I just want to start off with just that. So again, I was kind of mentioning, I've just started getting an interest in politics recently. It doesn't mean I'm going to run for office or anything, but my curiosity is peaked. I want to know what it's like. I want to know what it's like to campaign. I want to know everything. And so that's what I want to talk to you about. And really, I'm just curious, Rob, specifically with you and Kelso as a family, what kind of sparked your interest to get into politics and actually run for office yourself?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (00:29.492)
Not yet.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (00:45.898)
Yeah, well, we're thrilled to be here, Doug, and share our story. This has been a real journey of the heart for us. We had wanted to serve publicly for many years, but it's all about timing and the specific opportunities, right, as one comes across those. And for us, you know, in 2016, 2017, we decided that we really wanted to be more involved in the political spaces.

We had moved back to Pittsburgh a few years before that, after an Army career and a short time in New York in financial services. We wanted to grow our family, dig deep roots here in Pittsburgh, and impact the community around us for the better. Kelsey got involved in our local church in a serving capacity. That's one great way to do that. But I was interested in serving in the public sector.

in some way. So I started to align myself with the local congressman and just to help run military coalitions. As you get more involved, opportunities come around. And so for me, it came fairly quickly after the 2018 election when Keith Rothfuss lost to Conor Lamb, and he extended an invitation to me shortly thereafter to consider running for his seat. And so that began kind of the official ball rolling and in our real

earnest, heart-seeking to decide how to get involved and eventually to run for the PA State House, which I was blessed to win two terms, and then also the U.S. Congress, which we have just come off running.

Doug Smith (02:26.294)
Yeah, you mentioned your initial interest. I'm just curious. I'm assuming that part of it was motivated because you want to make a difference. I think we all do. What is it about the political arena that appeals to you when it comes to making a difference in the world?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (02:38.89)
Well, I have said before that there are three things in my life that I've been really certain of. One was that I wanted to marry Kelsey Kieran. Two was that I wanted to attend West Point, which I was thrilled to be able to do. And then three was that I wanted to run for political office someday. And I think the reason is both family and personal. My dad was a long time school board member, ended up being president of the school board that I grew up in, signed my diploma.

Doug Smith (02:47.502)
Good choice, good choice.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (03:09.0)
And so I saw the direct impact in the community and as a family member growing up in a family that was politically involved. And then he ran for state office in our community in the year 2000. And so I was able to see that up close and personal and just kind of caught the bug. And so I knew that it was possible. A lot of people don't think it's possible to run and win an election. It just seems so different than daily life or a regular job.

But for me it was something that I always considered an honor and an opportunity.

Doug Smith (03:42.518)
Yeah. And it sounds like you just, you didn't just jump into it to running for state rep. So it sounds like you wanted to kind of get immersed in that world. I'm just curious, you know, for people who are listening to this and they're saying like, Hey, I'm kind of interested, but I have no idea outside of voting, like what I would even do. What would your encouragement be to them on the front end of this journey?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (03:59.986)
Yeah, well, the first thing is get involved in whatever way is most local and important to you. And I think you said it. You got to start by informing yourself and getting to the polls and voting. know, in our country, it's actually alarmingly low. The percentage of eligible people that participate in electoral politics by voting. So I encourage your listeners and all of us make sure you cast that vote and do it in an informed way. And when you start to do that,

I think it naturally encourages you to learn about the candidates, learn about the process, learn about the parties, what they stand for. And then other opportunities can flow from just simple involvement and engagement. One of the things that we enjoyed doing was getting our circle of friends and family involved in the political process for my races. And Kelsey actually is the...

the lone elected official right now. She's a state party member. She earned 14,000 votes in 2022 and is a state party member. And so there's lots of ways to get involved. And that was one thing that Kelsey decided to do after seeing our family engage in the political space. But there's lots of other ways to do it. There's local committees, which are elected positions. There's supervisors for the township. There's mayor of local boroughs or

Doug Smith (04:59.918)
Alright.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (05:25.002)
of bigger cities and all of those positions require the active engagement of an informed set of candidates to convince those of us who then cast votes about the ideas that they would like to implement. And that's the exciting thing about our democratic process is, you don't have to be a member of a class, you know, like the old British system to run for office or a member of a family that has a

dynasty right any one of us can step up and and help this country and the community change the way that we're governed by stepping across that thin line between those of us who are governed and those of us who are governing and so I would encourage anybody really to figure out how you participate in that process and get involved.

Doug Smith (06:10.221)
Hmm.

Doug Smith (06:16.972)
Yeah. And then obviously the decision to kind of jump into running for state rep. I know you mentioned you said timing matters and you you had, mentioned Keith Roth, this, you know, said to run for his seat. Is that something you can also just anyone can decide to run for or like when you say timing matters, like if I'm trying to process like, I want to run for something. Like what do I need to be thinking through before we even jump into campaigning and everything else I want to talk.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (06:38.984)
Yeah, so like the Department of State for Pennsylvania has a list of all of the dates that are required and what's required for you to get on on the ballot for any number of positions. And so there's a catalog there that you can go on and look and see how many signatures do I have to get of registered Republicans or Democrats or independents to get on the ballot. That's the first thing you have to do. And in Pennsylvania, that happens right in the coldest months of the year. So it's a quick gut check because

Doug Smith (07:04.558)
Hahaha

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (07:07.09)
If you want to get on that primary ballot, which in presidential years is usually in March or early April, you've got to be out in January and February getting door to door signatures from registered members of the party. So that's the first thing you have to do. Then once you're on the ballot, obviously have to raise money. You have to convince friends of yours to help you spread the word. You have to get websites and Twitter accounts and all those sorts of things. There's a whole industry built around it.

And navigating that industry is also a skill set that one has to develop too to understand who is selling you a bag of goods and who actually would be a good partner with you as you navigate the process. So fascinating world, but it was and is continues to be something that we've been really pleased to be a part of.

Doug Smith (07:55.606)
Yeah. So now I want to, yeah, the whole campaign process, everything you kind of just threw out there. I want to dive into all of that. So you talked about the signatures. how many, do you remember how many signatures you had to get when you went for state rep?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (08:05.962)
They rep you need 300, but you always want to get about double what's required because if, for instance, somebody makes a mistake and they're actually not a registered Republican, for example, in my case, I ran as a Republican. And so that signature would have been invalid. And if the opponent contests that you can have a judge strike it through. So you want to get about double as a rule of thumb what's required. So it's 600.

Doug Smith (08:11.031)
Okay.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (08:31.946)
And then to run for Congress, need multiples of that in the different counties that you're running to represent.

Doug Smith (08:41.262)
And so I'm guessing like you just started off with friends and family, right? Like, Hey, well, you signed this, you signed this, but eventually like you're saying, did you have to go door to door? What did that look like for you and your team? And what was your team? Was it just you and Kelsey going to door to door? Like, yeah, walk me through what you guys had to do.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (08:50.62)
No.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (08:54.134)
this team, Yes. Well, Kelsey and the family were and continue to be, you know, the best team and we have a team concept that I think we're going to talk a little bit about too, in terms of how we approach everything that we do. for, you know, running for office, yeah, you got to start with your core family team, which we believe strongly in. And this was a calling on my life that I felt strongly about.

Doug Smith (09:06.402)
Yes.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (09:20.84)
and Kelsey has been gracious and just so supportive of as I've walked that call. So we wanted to spend time confirming the call, which we did through a lot of prayer and discussion. And then once we got that green light to go, we went full steam ahead, talked to family members who were happy to support and dedicated tons of time. Our volunteers, which were in the hundreds of volunteers across the congressional campaign and in the state race, stepped up.

And really it's a commonality of values and a desire to see, you know, our region improve. And we kind of created a framework of our why and then how we would execute on that mission. And it was really about improving the lives of people and families in our region. And we are a family in our region. And so we knew that, you know, the ideas that we were representing and going to implement.

through the campaign and public office would directly impact our family. And so we were highly motivated to do it. We raised in this last campaign over $2 million, given generously from thousands of supporters. And then we earned over 210,000 votes on election day in November. And so just the massive support from so many people and incredible volunteers has been really humbling.

Doug Smith (10:50.798)
Yeah. So I'm a fundraiser, right? So, but you know, I'm fundraising for a nonprofit that serves the homeless. I'm curious, what, is fundraising like and running a political campaign? I mean, is it a lot of you having one-on-ones and literally asking people for money? Is it more of the community trying to get to go to the website? Like, what does that whole world look like for you?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (11:08.298)
Yeah, there's kind of two different approaches, at least in political fundraising. And the first thing to know is that it's limited running for federal office. And so if you have one big fundraiser or funder, sometimes in the nonprofit sector or even running for state office or statewide, they can really make an outsized difference. For example, running for governor in Pennsylvania or running for state rep, somebody could give you $100,000 and really make a big difference in your campaign.

But for federal office individuals are limited to a much smaller amount, which is still a lot of money But it's down to thirty three hundred dollars this election cycle And so you have to do a lot of individual fundraising calls where you're spending, you know six plus hours a day Dialing for dollars where you're calling through established lists of people who have given to prior candidates Or who might be sympathetic to your cause

And so it's a lot of kind of hitting the pavement, convincing those generous people that you're worth their investment and the race is winnable. And then stewarding those dollars really, really well so that you have what you need down the stretch. The biggest thing now is the campaigning is it comes down to a lot of TV and name ID. And that's why in Pennsylvania, anybody who's listening in Western PA,

We were pummeled collectively with US Senate ads, presidential ads, congressional ads, texts, everything. everybody was really relieved, I think, on election day, whether or it one because that was over.

Doug Smith (12:38.478)
texts.

Doug Smith (12:45.966)
Hahaha

Doug Smith (12:50.87)
Yeah. So I'm also curious, just like, what, does your schedule look like? So your family, man, I look up to it again. We're to talk about your family. I your family so much, but you know, you talked about fundraising. How much of it is actually being out in the community, shaking hands, going to events? I mean, are you putting in during campaigns, you know, 15 hour days every day for six months? Like, does this just take over your world? I'm curious.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (13:13.214)
Well, I'd love to hear Kelsey's perspective because I know my schedule was very atypical and it was busy, a lot of hours put in, but Kelsey probably could provide as much or better insight into the typical schedule. Well, Doug, it is a full court press and I think increasingly as you run towards election day, but we knew that we were really to run for Congress, I think in July, June of 2023.

I guess it was, and we had been perfectly considering that since the election in 2022. And so for a year and a half, we knew that we were all in to run for the seat. And so you're often, you know, connecting with people in the community and raising funds and building coalitions. So it made me giggle just a little bit as we turned the corner in October when people are like, that campaign is really ramping up. And I thought, dear goodness, it's been going for quite some time.

Doug Smith (14:05.496)
haha

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (14:05.916)
I also think the beauty of Rob's role as a state representative is that we were running a non-traditional work rhythm anyway. You know, this is not a nine to five and we often say like, are we on, are we off or does it depend? As I can imagine, you and your role have those opportunities. My ministry role was a non-traditional, the army was a non-traditional and so we're here to serve the community when the community needs served. So we're often attending community events.

Doug Smith (14:13.262)
Mm.

Doug Smith (14:30.51)
Mm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (14:33.182)
obviously not just to fundraise or to campaign, but to be in the community, to experience what the community was doing and what they were celebrating and how we could get to know the people who are residing there, what was important to them and how we can make a difference together. So, but the schedule was pretty busy. We have gracious children. We also have kids who I think are really proud of dad, but also have social schedules of their own. They work and they play with friends and all of the things.

Doug Smith (14:56.387)
Hmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (15:01.706)
It was a busy schedule. We figured out how we could spend time and snag time at various points of the day, but it wasn't always around the family dinner table, I will say. Yeah, and just well, so just to piggyback on what Kelsey was saying and to give the families of elected officials credit, it is sacrificial. And I know, you know, we live in a country where we have high expectations for our public officials and many of them and too often they don't live up to it.

Doug Smith (15:11.438)
Yeah. good.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (15:31.306)
and we see the scandals on TV or in the newspaper. But there are also hundreds and hundreds of really hardworking, dedicated public officials who are doing it for the right reasons, who are doing it because they believe in what they're doing and the cause that they're fighting every day for. And their families are right behind them, sacrificing, whether it's traveling to Washington, D.C., or traveling to their state capital, or enduring the scrutiny of late night

School board meetings and I remember seeing that from my dad and his sacrifice So I think it's important for us as Americans to realize like we we value the country we have we are the greatest country in the world We've got the best system our founders were really Genius in the way that they set this up, but it takes flesh and blood people to bring it to life It takes real Americans everyday people To wake up and to go to work in a state capital or the US Capitol

and work really, really hard, far away from home to get things done to move us forward. And I think that may be an underappreciated fact, but I'd to acknowledge that that is what's happening right now all across the country.

Doug Smith (16:39.245)
Yes.

Doug Smith (16:44.672)
And honestly, Rob, and I'm saying this to you both, I think that's one of the reasons I've been interested in politics recently is because getting to know you both as I have, and again, it's not like we're best friends and hang out every day, but seeing that you can actually lead well in your family and at home and politically has just been very, inspiring to me in the way that you guys live and lead your lives. And I love what you talked about. It is a sacrifice for the family. And Kelsey, I'm interested in your perspective. There is a price to pay with this.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (17:00.603)
Yes.

Doug Smith (17:10.722)
I'm just curious from your perspective as a wife and a mom, what's been the impact of campaigning on your family and how have you all held it all together and not lose your family in the midst of all this?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (17:21.32)
Yes, well, it's definitely been, I think for us, a lifetime of our marriage, of just learning how to honor each other every day and how to recognize that a call in our lives is more important than our own preference. And I think that we really did a lot of hard work and head work, as Rob said, to consider the call. We did a six-month leadership cohort where we were really just evaluating. And thank God for us in our 40s, you know.

Doug Smith (17:35.79)
Mmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (17:48.03)
We were not in a middle midlife crisis. We had people who were in their sixties just trying to discern God's call in their life. And it was really just this deep dive into leadership. And we had a chance to say like, you what has been developed in us and how can we use it for someone else? When we realized that, you know, Rob was being called to influence in this lane, you know, that became our why. And our kids understood the why and the what. And then we're gracious to allow us to walk the path that we really thought we were called to be on.

So there's been a lot of grace in our home. The experience of serving as a local representative has been rich. I think our kids have just seen a, had a front row seat to seeing how communities function best and how they care well for each other. Coming close to people and learning about their priorities and their passions, you know, allow us to hear someone else's story and gain perspective. So I think it has been rich.

I think our kids have also developed a flexibility muscle that maybe other families haven't yet had to experience. But I think they're better off for it. I mean, think we do a lot of flexibility. We recognize that time together and the quality of time sometimes is best and better than the quantity of time that we have. So we've been able to maximize moments. Rob's taken the kids as much as we can to different events. And so each of our...

Doug Smith (18:49.495)
Hmm

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (19:09.65)
each of our children have had the pleasure of accompanying him to certain things. And I think, again, gaining perspective, hearing someone else's story, putting someone's needs before their own, recognizing what service looks like, these are all lessons that we know will be incredible tools in their toolbox. Yeah, absolutely. We had the opportunity to see our kids sit on the edge of their seat at my first swearing in after, you the first campaign I think is always, well, I don't know always, but often the hardest.

Doug Smith (19:25.88)
Hmm.

Doug Smith (19:34.755)
Wow.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (19:39.218)
everything's new, fundraising's new, know, asking for votes is new, you know, and for the family, the time away is probably an adjustment, right? For us, it got easier with the successive campaigns we ran and we've run now six between primaries and generals. But after winning that first time, after a three-way primary and then a very contested general election during COVID, by the way, which wasn't there when we started.

but was there throughout. then having the kids and obviously Kelsey and I together in the state capitol, which is a beautiful building in Harrisburg and sitting on the edge of their seats, Mackenzie, Delaney and Kieran while I swore the oath of office was a special moment that I'll always treasure and meant a lot to me because it was a team effort. you know, Amy Cooney Barrett, US Supreme Court Justice, she said,

Doug Smith (20:09.059)
Oof.

Doug Smith (20:27.758)
Come on.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (20:38.6)
I remember notably during her Supreme Court hearings, during her nomination process, that she kind of lived by the ethos and encouraged her own family to do hard things and that there's value when you're mission driven and you're called to it and equipped for it to step out and do something hard because you come through it that much better and having learned and contributed a long way. So we feel like that was one of the most, you know.

Doug Smith (20:50.531)
Hmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (21:06.09)
standout lessons that we all have learned and I know our kids will take that for their entire lives.

Doug Smith (21:11.918)
I love that. And I would certainly want to pick your brain more. I'm parenting it a little bit. You talked about doing hard things. I still want to just go through the campaign process. So we talked about fundraising and getting volunteers and getting your face out there. But we haven't talked about the fact that you also have an opponent who is greatly interested in you not winning. you've talked about all of the ads that we saw. man, what? 99 % of them were negative. And I remember listening, I was listening to interview with Fetterman, John Fetterman and Joe Rogan.

And Federmu was just talking about, haven't actually lived until you've had people spend a hundred million dollars to attack your character and your family. And he just talked about waking up with his family after everything that he went through and just seeing ads with his family, attacking him, saying things that weren't true. And it just really gave me a lot of compassion and empathy. And I remember seeing a negative ad against you saying like, Rob McCurry is dangerous. And I'm like, have you ever met Rob? Like he's like the, it just made me laugh, but I'm just curious. But apparently that's a really strong tactic.

that has actually helped a lot of people get office. I'm just curious, what's it like having a political opponent? How have you actually processed whether or not to attack someone's character, policies, et cetera? What's that whole world like?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (22:20.234)
Yeah, it's a great question. It's a fundamental question because you want to win, right? You run win so that you can serve and effectuate the change that you're running to do. And so, you you have to play within the sandbox that is established by the courts about what's legal. And you certainly in this day and age, you have a lot of latitude in terms of how you characterize your opponent and their ideas.

And so Doug, you're referencing some of the things that we see, which I believe are less than savory about our current political moment. And it's really the mudslinging, the name calling, which is a base kind of human tactic. If you think about it, go back to grade school, right? It's name calling, it's hurling insults that is the currency of our day in politics, but it's nothing new.

Doug Smith (23:07.822)
Hmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (23:17.43)
This is the way that people try to get advantage over each other for all of human history. So what I would say is we have to understand that that's the game that you're entering when you take on running a political campaign. But we committed to making certain that anything that we were producing and supporting and putting out there was content that was factually accurate and

ethical and by that I mean that it doesn't seek to undermine the character of a person by its very Intense and sometimes some of the ads that we see go to that below-the-belt unethical in my view approach so, you know, we undertook that and We always wanted to have a battle of ideas

Doug Smith (23:48.632)
Hmm.

Doug Smith (24:06.764)
Yeah.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (24:16.23)
on policy and rather than stooping to denigrating the other person. We've always done that for six campaigns. We've won five and lost one and no regrets, right? I think the key is after you get to the end of it, whether you win or lose, can you look yourself in the mirror, know that you tried your best, that you put your heart into it and whatever the...

result is that you understand that you did everything you could. We feel that way and I think it's important that anybody who's seeking to get into the space understands that you want to look from the end of the race backward and not regret anything. And I think for us that meant let's make sure our character is intact at the end of the race and that our family is intact at the end of the race. And those two things

Doug Smith (25:02.476)
Hmm, so good.

Doug Smith (25:12.664)
Come on.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (25:13.61)
are not worth sacrificing for anything really. So that's how we live the day to day. And I'll tell you, mean, at certain moments, both of those things are tested, whether it's making decision about going to a campaign event or a family event, whether it's a basketball game or a football game or a recital or an anniversary. And then secondly is how to...

Doug Smith (25:29.228)
Yeah.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (25:43.114)
how to combat against your opponent. And that may be that somebody has some salacious information that they dug up and they want to publicize it. Or they want to encourage a third party group to take out your opponent through some negative ads. And I think we really realized that the win for us as a family and individually was

following the call into the lane and running well. And we knew that as long as we stayed above the fray that way, that we would feel good about the result, or lose. And so we still feel that way and I would advise anybody thinking about getting in, make sure you decide that upfront about what your boundaries are and the ethical moral framework that you're willing to play in, in terms of your political ads.

Doug Smith (26:41.144)
So good, I love how you said, you know, your family's never worth losing and neither is your character. And I couldn't agree more. I do hear the argument, and I don't know, mean, it's not necessarily people I've talked to personally, but I do hear an argument of like, it's really hard to get into politics, especially if you're a person of faith, because eventually you start to compromise your character. Eventually you start to compromise your faith. And I don't know how true that is. It could just be something that people say, but I am curious. Have you seen that?

You know, even after you've won elections, when people get into the game because they have to try to please so many people, do you see people start to compromise and lose their character and ultimately lose their families? Is that common or is that just something people say?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (27:16.104)
Yeah, I wish it wasn't true, Doug, but I do see that in the space. There's a lot of unfortunate reality in terms of broken marriages, broken homes, lost relationships, and sacrificed character and morals as kind of the trail of tears of many political races that I've encountered and seen. But there are also shining examples, of illustrious political careers.

that are great examples that we could point to where individuals never lost their character or seldom did. mean, nobody's perfect, but you you could look historically to guys like Abraham Lincoln and he didn't win every race, certainly, but he always upheld this high standard of morals in both policy and campaigning and the way he spoke was really exemplary. And again, he didn't win every race, but history.

looks back on him as an exemplar of character in policy position and in the way that he campaigned. know, modern day politics, you don't have to look far to find other examples. Mike Pence is somebody who also did not win every race. He actually lost three congressional races in Indiana in a row before he won his first congressional race. And, but he always was somebody who kept.

Doug Smith (28:38.199)
Whoah.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (28:43.882)
a high standard of ethics in his races. And he did that all the way through during his time as vice president as well.

Doug Smith (28:55.202)
I'm curious, when you see the people that do fall or their character, you know, they lose their character, they lose their family. Would you see patterns that are common? Like, do they fall in love with themselves? They fall in love with power and influence. Is it just trying to please so many people that you get lost in the crowd? Like what, what are the common traits that you see of people who aren't able to keep that character?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (29:14.036)
Yeah, I mean, I think, that it is similar to other areas of influence, whether it's high positions in corporate America where, you know, money follows the role and, you know, difficult decisions come with, you know, where to put the money and whether to be ethical about it. In politics, it's the purview of power and influence.

And so that's where people get a stray in politics is trading favors for donations or overstepping the ethical boundaries of the office. And so you do see those kind of mistakes being made. And again, so it's important, I think, to think about the framework and that you're gonna put your character and your ethics and morals ahead of any political advantage.

because as soon as one gets into office, there are many people who would like to come close to you and offer you things. And that happens in any society because we're all part of the human family and there's advantages to be gained by if you can get a promise from an elected official for your pet project or if you can get money siphoned away. And so I think it's important to understand that that's the landscape of politics is.

influence over policy, lawmaking, direction of resources, and then create those firm ethical boundaries that you have. So, you know, there's a good quote that the character's destiny for not only individuals, but also countries. And I think that follows in this business is that if we have people of high character, we're going to be headed on a good trajectory. But if we lose that,

Doug Smith (30:54.723)
Hmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (31:07.838)
then we've lost a lot.

Doug Smith (31:10.614)
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And honestly, thank you for even just sharing that. It's awesome to know that there are hundreds of examples of people doing it right. Although you certainly don't hear about that in the media. Everything negative gets highlighted. And thank you both, again, just for leading the way in character and development of your family. It's just awesome to look up to. I want to go back to campaigning. So talk to me, we kind of talked about the campaign process. I want to talk about election day.

You've been through six elections, Kallis in the last election, I saw a picture of you like 6am, hey, I'm here, I'm gonna be here all day. And then actually watching the results at night, walk me through election day. I can't even imagine what that's like when you're running.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (31:48.43)
it's so much fun. I'm an extrovert. We love people, but I think it's just the culmination. It is the finish line. And I think it's a super exciting thing to realize like we've come to this day, everything that we've been doing is building to this moment. And we get a chance to kind of run through the finish line with a lot of love, a lot of joy, and a lot of gratitude. And what we found is that it is not warm in November in Pennsylvania.

Doug Smith (31:50.648)
Hahaha!

Doug Smith (32:16.162)
Ha

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (32:16.798)
You know, it's a really neat way to meet people. It's a really neat way to, again, be in communities, connecting with people, thanking people for not only investing their dollars, but then trusting Rob with their vote and with the future of the region and with his ideas for how to make it better and improve the lives and futures of our neighbors. So it's a really fun thing to do. Our family, our parents are incredible. They've stood at more polls and have knocked more doors and have written more postcards.

Doug Smith (32:45.262)
Yeah

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (32:46.11)
you know, call more people than would ever be asked of them. And they are delighted to do it. So everyone on both sides of our family just has a role to play and everyone kind of knows their role. You know, if I'm the kid companion and I'm driving around the kids and they make their stops at all the locations and bring food, or if I'm handing out things at the polls, or if I'm, you know, reserving the room in the evening for us to watch the results, it's a super fun day. And I think our approach and posture has just been one of gratitude.

thankful to be in the position to have the opportunity to run, grateful for the neighborhoods that we've had a chance to, you know, be invested in. And then just, you know, trusting God with the outcome and whatever it is, it's, it's been a really, it's been fun. It is also exhausting, Doug. I mean, people, I remember in 2020, for the November election, I happened to be at our local high school and people were there and this was before like early voting and mail-in voting was really a thing.

Doug Smith (33:32.851)
Hahaha

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (33:44.562)
And they were wrapped around the building twice to stand and cast their vote. So I think I also recognize that we have it good in this country, really, really good. And for us to be able to participate in the process as a voter is just an incredible honor and privilege that I never want to squander. So I think there's just so much wrapped into the experience of the day. Super fun.

Doug Smith (34:09.94)
Rob, yeah, what's it like for you? You're the man.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (34:12.27)
well, as a candidate, you know, there are a lot of demands on Election Day, but also running up to it. And so, you know, I think it's easy to underestimate the physicality that's required, meaning, you know, up on your feet for 10 to 14 hours a day for seven days in a row leading up to Election Day. And just the sheer physical nature of it. So you have to be

And I can only imagine running a national campaign or a statewide campaign, how much that is multiplied, right? Good staff, good teams are incredibly important. And I think taking an opportunity and saying to our amazing set of teams, not just Team Mercury, the family, but also our staff on the campaigns, our volunteers across all of these elections and our wonderful district office teams that we've been.

associated with. We've just been blessed to have incredible teams supporting us all across all those endeavors and you can't do it without those kind of great people. And it's like a family reunion, you know, you have to treat everybody that comes to the polls like you've always known each other and they may look at you weird but a big handshake and like hugs and things like that to welcome them to the polls and make a great impression. And when you do that it just

It's like a lot of fun. I'm not a natural extrovert like Kelsey, I know for sure. And so I have to kind of pull it out of myself a little bit more as a natural introvert. But I think it's a lot of fun once you get going and figure out that, you know, you're a part of something really important. That's a contest too. So you have to be kind of naturally competitive, which Doug, I know you are. And you know that there's a result at the end of the day and you're

striving towards a win at end of the day.

Doug Smith (36:10.102)
Yeah. And let's talk about outcomes. you've, you've had six elections. You talked about your five and one and unfortunately most recent race you lost. And I'm just curious, you know, after being five and the undefeated champ, what, what have you been thinking and processing since November? What was it like when you found out you lost? I'm just curious, what lessons did you learn through that process?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (36:29.546)
Yeah, well, I say we know we knew going into it that it was an uphill climb in, you know, largely in Allegheny County, which is a big part of PA 17, which is the congressional district that I ran in that that it was an uphill climb. But we also thought it was possible to to climb that mountain. And so we were disappointed at the results. Certainly we had a lot of folks who were invested in our race, as I mentioned, you know, our many donors and those who voted for us and volunteered with us.

And so, you know, managing that disappointment, I think personally, but then also in our wider community of supporters has been something that continues to be an ongoing process. You know, talking to folks, taking the calls, making sure that folks know that not only did we appreciate their contributions and their efforts, but that this isn't the end of the journey by any stretch. This was part of the journey and that there's still a contribution both on the part of me as a candidate

but also the team who strove for victory and stood for our values. And there's a lot to be proud of, right? So that's our position and our hard posture on it. And we also know that there's future opportunities to stay involved, either directly or indirectly. Immediately, you have to think about the next election, In our state, we've got a municipal election coming up. So you're gonna have...

school board, you're going to have a township supervisor, you're to have county council, and judges across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to think about. So we plan to stay involved and stay active and support great candidates and causes to continue to walk the talk of what we've been telling everybody, which is get involved, stay involved. That's the best way as an American citizen to

to be a good steward of what we've been past, which again is this great system, which inherent in that system is this opportunity, but it doesn't happen by itself. We've got to make sure to breathe life into American democracy and make the hard choices of good sound policy so that our kids and grandkids, this is really why we are doing it, is to make our community better and our country better for our kids and grandkids.

Doug Smith (38:57.134)
I love that. And yeah, I'm glad to hear the journey's not over and I'm super excited to see wherever God leads you both to go in the future. And I'm very excited about that. But you have won five elections as well. And now I'm curious. So everything we've talked about in the past 45 minutes has been just leading up to even just winning an election, which is enough for a lifetime, it feels like. But then you actually win, you get into office and you you talked about your first time being sworn in. Like what is it actually like when you are a state representative? Is this a full-time job?

What does that look like? it hard? it easy? Yeah, I'll just leave it open-ended.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (39:30.474)
Yeah, well, everybody remembers that like video from when you were a kid in elementary school, or at least in the eighties when I was in elementary school, where like you see the bill, right, running around, like getting passed between the House and the Senate and then signed by the president. And it's nothing like that, right? It's like opening up the hood of a very complex engine and just like seeing this really complex system.

Doug Smith (39:45.494)
Okay

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (39:56.866)
of influences and mechanisms and lobbyists and interest groups and donors and staff members. And it's all, it all works together and it functions, but you have to learn how it works and you have to learn how to be a part of that system. Fascinating process, kind of like you're saying on the other side of running for office actually, you know, after taking the oath and forward.

big learning curve and the thing is that as a representative for State House you represent 65,000 constituents all of whom you want to be responsive to if they have questions issues you know whether it's they need a motor vehicle license renewal and having a tough time or they've got a terrible situation with a family issue or you know some sort of custody issue or whatever it is

And so you've got to create a staff that is responsive to both constituent issues and that you're active in the General Assembly to both understand what you're voting on, which is complex, because there's a whole body of law, right, back to the charter that the king gave William Penn, right, is that we've been passing and revising laws since the Constitution of Pennsylvania was revised in 1967.

and then everything that goes on top of that. So it's super complex. That's why a lot of lawyers end up being politicians is because they understand the body of law that's already written. I'm somebody who believes in limited government. And so I think that a lot of our natural rights endowed by our creator with natural rights, that those should kind of supersede the duty of the lawmakers to add on to.

Doug Smith (41:28.654)
you

Doug Smith (41:34.124)
Mm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (41:48.278)
what we already have. So I like limited government that secures rights and things like that. So yeah, put all that together. It's a busy job and fast paced as it should be because you're trying to represent all those people well and move agendas forward. Last thought for me, one thing that I found highly helpful was involving local experts to help inform

me as a policymaker. So when I first took office, it was the middle of COVID. We had a mental health crisis and our kids in education systems were across the state failing. And so I formed councils or task forces across each of those areas, local business leaders, local mental health and substance use professionals, and teachers and educators and school board members to try to advise.

so that I could kind of stand on their shoulders and then better understand the issues. And that was really helpful.

Doug Smith (42:52.77)
Wow. I am curious, like once you're in it, you know, the media, I mean, clearly on social media, everything seems so divided and it would seem like it would be an impossibility for anyone to reach across the aisle and actually talk to someone and be friends with someone who believes differently than they do. Is that what it's actually like when you're in it? Or is that just something that the media kind of blows out of proportion?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (43:13.726)
Yeah, I think that the media builds on a reality, but I think the reality is different than what you might think. So inside the chamber, what I found, and I can only speak to being inside the PA General Assembly, was that, you know, while there are personal differences and certainly policy differences across the aisle, that the personal relationships between Democrats and Republicans in the Pennsylvania chamber can actually be

very cordial and friendly and that there's a lot of personal rapport that is built over time in that chamber. What I think is magnified by the media and sometimes maybe over magnified is that the people that the representatives are representing don't want certain policy positions to be compromised.

And in that there are vast differences between oftentimes people who live in rural communities and people who live in urban communities and the way that they see certain issues, whether it's gun control or whether it's entitlement spending or abortion, you name the tough issue. So I think the way we solve it is less about the individual legislator being cordial and making friends with those across the aisle. But it's actually the community members.

getting to know each other's perspectives. That's what brings about change because then you can take your case as a legislator who just made a friend across the aisle in the chamber out to your constituents and say, look, they've got a valid perspective too and they want what we all want, which is a better future for our kids and grandkids, safer communities, healthy families, and spending within our means. We all want that.

Doug Smith (44:42.03)
Mm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (45:07.39)
but we have different ways of thinking about it. So I think it's important to bring that up, Doug, because that is a way for us to frame the partisanship that we see. And it starts in places like Twitter, where you can see immediately when you engage on Twitter the vast differences and sometimes the uncivil nature of people that are engaging on Twitter.

Doug Smith (45:30.83)
Yeah. For the time that we've left, I'll just leave this open ended. Is there anything else, either of you that is on your heart that you would like to share about just leadership and politics? Uh, and then Kelsey, I'll probably lightning round you. want your best parenting tips after that, just to give you a heads up so I don't throw you off. But, um, yeah, anything else that comes up for you?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (45:42.514)
Yeah.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (45:48.99)
it's just an honor of a lifetime, I think, to serve the community. And I think Danielle Strickland, she's with the Salvation Army. I heard a talk of hers a couple of years ago, and she said that heroes are people who use who they are and what they have for others. And I think that we all have something, we all are someone, and we all have something in our hands that can be used to help someone else. And so...

Doug Smith (46:04.706)
Mmm.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (46:14.322)
That's been quite an honor and I think a a lasting impression that we want to leave with our own children. You know, what am I going to do when I grow up and who am I going to be? Well, who are you and what you have in your hands that can help someone else? And so, you know, we want that to be, you know, something that they take with them and serving in a political role and public role is as a great way to do that.

Doug Smith (46:41.516)
Rob, anything else from you?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (46:43.146)
Mean my big encouragement Doug and I so appreciate you carving out time and Helping I guess your followers and listeners under better understand the political spaces and what it takes to run for office I have so much respect for system that we have that we've inherited from the founders. I want to see it protected And defended and and I want to see us as a country really move forward That was always how our grand and what I wanted to see and the principles that I that I let on

And I think and I'm confident that we've got a bright future, but it does take an engaged, informed electorate. And that means every one of us within the sound of this podcast, thinking for a moment about what can I do to better understand what's going on in our country and our community? And how can I actively get involved to make it work a little bit better? If we all do that.

I think we'll have huge strides as Americans, both in unity and in progress.

Doug Smith (47:45.71)
So good. And if someone's listening to this and they want to follow you all and just say, you know, hey, I'm interested to see where Team McCurry goes. I want to follow them. If they run again, support them. How can people connect with you and your campaign and what you're doing?

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (47:56.606)
Yeah, quick Twitter handle, Mercurie4PA is where I'm most active now. We're on most social media channels as well under both of our names, Robert, Kelsey, Mercurie. And Kelsey is doing as much as either of us in terms of community engagement and just continuing to do what we have always done, which is live and work and play in our community, contributing to our church and local business economy with small business owners as well.

and we're going to stay active in the public spaces as well. So yeah, we'd love to connect with anybody on any of those platforms.

Doug Smith (48:33.78)
and we'll include links to all of that in the show notes as well. So if you want to connect there, go ahead. And hey, we only have a few minutes left. I'm not going to do a typical lightning round, but I always tell you all, and this is the real selfish reason I wanted to interview you both, I admire your family so much. I always tell you that I want my kids to grow up and be like yours. I know we share the whole family team perspective on how we lead, but what's worked for you when it comes to parenting and leading your family team? And give us your best tips in the next three to five minutes.

Rob And Kelsey Mercuri (48:59.914)
We're so grateful to know you and Laura and your beautiful family. We're also so grateful for families who have gone before us because I think knowing who you're following and who you can invest in is super important. So we're grateful to be in relationship and friendship with you. I think that what we talked about with our kids early and often were just important things. We brought them right into it. You know, why are we doing things? What are we doing? And how can we do it together?

Doug