I was born in Cuba, a land of immense beauty but stifling silence. In college, I studied Hydraulic Engineering, a field dedicated to building systems that help communities thrive. But I quickly learned that you cannot build a healthy society where people are forbidden from speaking.

Because I chose to stand up for my classmates and my future during those early university years, I became a target for political prosecution. My family was forced to make a heartbreaking choice: stay and live in fear, or leave everything behind for a chance at a life where words didn't lead to prison. We chose America.

Arriving here felt like being born again. For years, I worked hard, embraced my neighbors, and cherished the simple freedom to dream. But in 2016, the atmosphere began to change.

I started hearing a familiar, incendiary rhetoric, the kind that uses marginalized groups as scapegoats and attacks the dignity of human beings. I recognized the echoes of the authoritarianism I fled as a young woman. I realized then that I couldn't just enjoy my freedom; I had to defend it. Democracy isn't a spectator sport, and I knew I couldn't stay on the sidelines while those same shadows crept into our own halls of power.

In 2021, life led my family to Cowpens. We didn't just move here; we fell in love with the Upstate, the kindness of the people, the strength of the community, and the place we now proudly call home.

Today, I’m not just a candidate; I’m a stay-at-home mom managing the same reality many of you face. Every week, I sit at my kitchen table stretching our family budget to cover the rising costs of groceries and gas. More importantly, I am a mother to a child with special needs. I see firsthand the gaps in an education system that is being asked to do more with less while the government makes cuts to the very services our children rely on.

I am running for the House of Representatives because District 29 deserves a representative who understands that politics isn't about rhetoric, it’s about people. It’s about the mom wondering if her child will have the support they need in the classroom. It’s about the neighbor who wants safe roads and a fair shake.

I escaped a system that used power to divide us. I’m running to build a system that works for us. I’m Marina Franco, and I’m asking for your vote to keep our community strong, our schools funded, and our freedom secure!