‘Stay tough.’ How a late House speaker’s words still inspire congressional candidate Sarah Elfreth.

In the darkest moments of her campaign for Congress, Sarah Elfreth listened to a message from a man who died five years ago. “Stay tough,” House Speaker Mike Busch said in a lengthy voicemail after she announced her campaign for state Senate in 2017. “You’re the future of the Democratic Party.” Elfreth listened to the recording on the day that her main rival in the Democratic primary, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, announced he was millions ahead of her in fundraising.