Let’s make Washington fight for small business and working families again.
Reinvigorate the American Dream
Republican Candidate in SW Washington State
Why I'm Running for Congress
By Antony Barran
The American Dream used to be simple: work hard, play by the rules, and build a better life. But for too many people today — especially small business owners and working families — that dream feels out of reach. I’m running for Congress to help bring it back.
I’ve spent the last 35 years building businesses — not just for myself, but for the people I’ve hired, trained, and mentored along the way. I’ve signed paychecks, created jobs, and fought through economic ups and downs. I know what it takes to grow something real.
Small businesses aren’t just part of our economy — they are our economy. For most of the 20th century, small businesses were the engine of job creation, upward mobility, and local stability. In fact, two-thirds of net new jobs still come from small businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The truth is simple:
The middle class was built by small businesses — and if we want to rebuild the middle class, we have to rebuild small business.
This isn’t theory. When small businesses thrive, they create jobs, offer paths to ownership, and circulate money locally. They give people the chance to rise — to go from employee to manager to owner. That’s what built the middle class in the first place.
In fact, during the 1950s to 1980s — the peak years of middle-class growth in America — small business formation was at an all-time high. Entrepreneurship was booming, local businesses were expanding, and wealth was spreading outward instead of just upward. The ladder of opportunity wasn’t just a metaphor. It was real — and it started on Main Street not Wall Street.
But today, small businesses are being left behind. They face rising costs, outdated rules, and little real help from Washington. We invest billions in big corporations, but barely support the family-run shops, tradespeople, farmers, and entrepreneurs that fuel our communities.
That has to change.
Government should be a partner, not a problem. We need to cut red tape, expand access to capital, lower taxes for job creators, and put real support behind the people who actually build things.
We’ve tried top-down economics. It’s time to build from the bottom up — just like we did when the American Dream was alive.
I’m running to bring that kind of thinking back to Washington. To fight for small business and working families. To reignite the only engine that’s ever built the middle class.
If you believe in building again — from the ground up — then join me.
Let’s reignite the American Dream, together.
—Antony Barran
Republican Candidate for Congress, WA-3
THE MISSION
The Middle Class Built America.
Small Business Built the Middle Class.
The only way to rebuild the American Dream is to invest in the people and businesses that built it in the first place.
In 1980, small businesses made up nearly half of all U.S. jobs. Today, it’s closer to 30%. As small businesses have declined, so has the middle class.
Our government has become a maze of red tape, regulations, and out-of-touch policies that hurt the people doing the work. It’s time for a new approach — one that puts small businesses, working families, and local communities first.
About Antony
Business Builder. Job Creator. Community Champion
Antony Barran isn’t a career politician — he’s a business owner who’s spent the last 35 years building companies, creating jobs, and solving real-world problems. From oyster farms and food halls to digital agencies and economic development work, Antony has helped grow businesses that fuel communities.
Now he’s running for Congress in Washington’s 3rd District — to bring common sense, private-sector experience, and a relentless focus on results to a government that has forgotten who it’s supposed to serve.