Homeless to House: SDBusinesswoman to Defend the American Dream in Congress

Whitney Raver is a proven leader and problem solver both in her life and in her business. A self-made success, Whitney started her journey at the bottom. Despite her step-father's regular employment as a concrete layer, she spent much of her childhood in poverty, often homeless. Things got even worse in 1998 when her step-father, the head of her household, developed chronic illness that kept him out of the workforce. Her mother left the family two years later, shortly after giving birth. As the oldest of the five children, with her mother gone and her father disabled, Whitney made the decision to drop out of school to become the family's primary caregiver. She was just thirteen years old.

"It was the right thing to do. It was the only way to keep my family together, and even as a kid I knew it's right to keep families together."

But hardship didn't hold her back. Too young for regular work, Whitney took on odd jobs to keep food on the table while frequenting the public library to keep up with her studies. As a result, all of her younger siblings learned the value of hard work, and Whitney still became the first in her family to earn a college degree. She holds a bachelor's in Kinesiology from Indiana University Bloomington School of Public Health, where she also studied neuroscience and martial arts. 

Whitney's life looks very different today. The married mother of three now owns a successful business, which she runs from her home in the heart of the Black Hills. But she's concerned to see the rungs on the ladder she climbed to her success are dissappearing one at a time, always from the bottom up. It's getting harder and harder for American families to turn their hard work into hopes and dreams. She's running for office to change that trend.

These are the experiences that shape Whitney's "no one left behind" approach to decision making. Whitney believes that we will all go further if we stick together, and that value shows in her commitment to her family and community. In Washington, Whitney will stand up for South Dakota families by working to combat climate change, championing fairer trade deals, ending the wars, and working to ensure every American citizen has healthcare and access to the highest quality education at all levels. 

When it comes to policy, Whitney will make sure no one gets left behind.

Whitney Raver is married to Mike Raver. Mike's family have deep roots in the Black Hills, spanning four generations. And that's where they've chosen to raise their three young children Liam (7), Tristan (4) and Aeris (1).