America is polarized, but the center is not dead

Running for office in Virginia taught me something that cable news and social media often hide: The United States is not as extreme as its politics.

Most people are not waking up every morning asking for more political warfare. They are thinking about their children, jobs, schools, safety, bills, faith, health, and the future.

It is easy to believe the middle has vanished.

WHEN POLITICS BECOMES YOUR IDENTITY, DISAGREEMENT BECOMES WAR

If we only watch cable news, scroll through social media, or listen to the loudest voices in politics, it feels like every disagreement has become a battle and every election spells the end for the country.

But I still believe something different: The American people are more reasonable than the political noise around them.

All that said, U.S. democracy is under serious pressure. Trust in government is near historic lows. Pew Research Center reported last year that only 17% of Americans