I do not speak for the publisher or the editor of this newspaper. They have never told me what to say in this column, and if they differ with me, they can write their own columns. I speak only for myself.

Moreover, this is the fifth publication for which I have written a regular column, and never before have I endorsed a candidate for public office. That’s because candidates aren’t always what they appear to be. I’ve occasionally cast my ballot for someone who seemed to be a paragon of virtue and good sense but who later turned out to be creepy, crazy or crooked.

This has nothing to do with liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. The creepy-crazy-crooked crowd spreads itself pretty evenly over the political spectrum.

But this time I don’t have to depend on appearances. I know and have worked with one of the candidates in the Nov. 5 Republican runoff in the race to succeed south Alabama’s Congressman Jo Bonner, who resigned earlier this year.

Bradley Byrne and I served together for several years on a church board. He is a wise and faithful Christian. We often dealt with heated questions and large egos. Bradley’s voice was a calming one, working for reconciliation and mutual understanding but without compromising Christian principles. Bradley listened attentively and spoke reasonably.

But it’s hard to get elected to anything nowadays without insulting your opponent. It’s a Catch-22 for politicians: if you want to do good, you must get elected, but to get elected, you must do bad, which is to say, trash your opponent. “Nice guys finish last,” as Leo Durocher famously said.

Both Bradley and his opponent Dean Young have done a bit of trashing. Bradley has accused President Obama of “failed leadership” while Young has taken shots at Bradley’s Christian faith.

Criticizing the president is fair enough. You expect that in political campaigns. I too have been disappointed in President Obama (although I’d say the jury is still out on Obamacare). But no one should have to defend his faith. (I should note that after Young’s attack on Bradley’s faith appeared on his website, he quickly withdrew it, probably because of the outraged response to it.)

As I write this, Congress has just agreed to reopen the government and end the threat of a default on the nation’s debt payments. But it went down to the wire and many ordinary Americans are suffering because of it: crates of imported goods are stacked up at seaports; cooks, janitors, and office personnel at government facilities were laid off; vacationers were denied entrance to national parks; corporate earnings fell; interest payments on credit card debts spiked. There’s much more. Some families and small businesses will be years in recouping what this has cost them.

The government shutdown also hurt America’s standing overseas. We became the butt of jokes. We have egg on our face. The shutdown denied President Obama the funds to represent our interests abroad. Chinese President Xi Jinping has quickly put together a visit to Asian capitals that President Obama had planned to visit until the government shutdown forced him to cancel out. The more we do this kind of thing, the more power we give to those who do not wish us well.

All this was the work of approximately one-fifth of the U.S. House of Representatives who, through parliamentary maneuvers, socked America in the gut. Saner heads prevailed in the end, but not until after much damage was done.

Dean Young’s website carries the slogan “It’s time to stop the Washington nonsense.” I agree, and that’s why I’ll vote for Bradley Byrne in the G.O.P. runoff on Nov. 5. Bradley would bring a voice of reason, responsibility, and patriotism to a House of Representatives that sorely needs such a voice.

This is not to say that I agree with everything Bradley stands for. I have read his position statements, and I wish he weren’t so conservative (and I’m no wild-eyed liberal). But no one gets everything he wants in politics (something I wish the entire U.S. House understood). A candidate’s stand on specific issues is less important than his character, good sense, and love of country. Bradley Byrne for Congress.

Richard H. Schmidt is a retired Episcopal priest, editor and author who lives in Fairhope. He can be reached at courier@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.