FOLLOWING LINCOLN’S PATH

I announced my presidential campaign Monday, committing to restore equal opportunity for every American.

History provided a chance to reflect on that cause. On Tuesday, we marked the 150th anniversary of the assassination of the man who made the Republican Party the party of opportunity — Abraham Lincoln.

Each generation after Lincoln brought America closer to its ideal of equal opportunity. This spread of the American Dream, which is about one thing more than any other, is about giving your children the chance to do things you could not do, and open the doors that were closed to you.

Our current president ran for office on calls of unity, claiming the mantle of Lincoln. While his intentions were genuine, his presidency deepened our divisions. His ideas tell us that becoming better off requires someone else becoming worse off.

Lincoln constructed the Republican Party around the idea that we are one America, united by the belief that there is no limit to what we can accomplish when given a fair shot. One country — for Lincoln’s time, for all time.