Sen. Nelson has helped my family. We need him to stay in the U.S. Senate.
I know Bill Nelson.
Over the past 11 years, I’ve visited his office many times. Florida orange juice is always well-stocked in the office fridge. Colorful landscapes from across the state adorn the walls.
And the senator himself knows my family well. When my mother enters his office, he always greets her with the same solemn smile, a brief hug, and
“Hello, Christine.”
Bill Nelson is on a first-name basis with my mother because my father, Robert “Bob” Levinson, is the longest held hostage in U.S. history. He was taken captive on March 9, 2007, while on a trip to Kish Island, Iran. We have not heard from him since. The Iranian government has continuously denied any knowledge of what happened to my father and where he is today — despite overwhelming evidence that he was taken on Iranian soil by members of its government. The evidence is so conclusive that the United Nations released a decision holding Iran responsible for his “continued deprivation of liberty.” But my father is still not home.
My family often feels helpless in our search for our father, but we have never given up hope. One of the reasons we stay strong is because we have advocates like Sen. Bill Nelson. He regularly greets us when we travel to Washington to push Congress to act. He introduces us to other politicians and legislators in an effort to generate more commitment from his colleagues. He also willingly provides advice, context, and other guidance to help us strategize our next plan of action. It is precisely
because of his time in Washington, with his deep knowledge of how to get things done and use the levers of power, that we cannot afford to lose him.
I grew up with my six brothers and sisters in Florida. Our family is not political and, as adults, we don’t always have the same views on public matters. However, one thing we agree on is that we have incredible local and statewide politicians representing our interests and working on our behalf. Nelson, in particular, stands out for several reasons — his commitment, his compassion, and the actions he has taken over 11 long years to help us bring our father home. He has pressed and raised the case of Bob Levinson at every opportunity, publicly and with private contacts he has honed over years working in government. He has sponsored or co-sponsored numerous bills to support our case. This includes pressing our own presidential administrations to make his return a priority in 2009, as well as repeatedly calling upon Iran to fulfill its commitment to find and bring my father home (most recently last year). In cosponsored legislation he initiated earlier this year, he sought to impose sanctions against Iran for taking Americans hostage. These actions are only a small sample of his work.
Nelson does not self-promote and does not seek the spotlight, but he has continuously enacted meaningful legislation on behalf of citizens of his state. For 11 years, he has dutifully answered the call that my family has made of him, both in his words and in his actions. He embodies the integrity and follow-through that we should expect of our public servants. He is, in short, a good man. I feel privileged to have him representing my family in Washington, and I am enormously grateful that he has taken up our cause and works beside my family in our on-going pursuit to bring my father home.
In late 2010, my father appeared, gaunt and frail, in a video sent to my family. “Please help me get home,” he pleads. “I need the help of the United States government… 33 years of service deserve something. Please help me.”
This fall, I hope we can each look past the noise of television ads, talking heads, or provocative tweets, and look at the values of the people we are electing to serve us. If we do, it is likely that we will see the appeal of the man who my family counts on each day to provide the help my father begged for.
Sen. Bill Nelson has earned my family’s trust and our appreciation. And in November, he will once again earn my vote.