Phoenix – Former Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon recently appeared on "The Bridge," a video podcast hosted by veteran Force Reconnaissance Marine Travis Haley.

Salmon spoke with Haley about his plans as governor to stand up for law enforcement and defend Arizona's sovereignty. They also talked about why he's running for office and the importance of individual freedom and American values.

Salmon took a tour of Haley Strategic Partners' facility in Arizona last month after connecting with Haley at the recommendation of Greg Medford, the owner of Medford Knife & Tool, who interviewed Salmon about his proven conservative record.

You can read relevant excerpts from the interview below:

Matt Salmon On Individual Freedom And American Values:

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"I believe that government's primary role is to protect our freedoms ... There's an old adage that I learned as a kid, and it's: 'I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care.' And I think that ultimately, if people believe that your heart's in the right place and you're trying to do the right thing, even if they don't agree with you on policy sometimes, they'll forgive you. And they'll say: 'You know what, I think he's doing what he believes is the right thing to do, and that's okay.'"

Matt Salmon On Border Security And Arizona's Sovereignty:

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"I will use my bully pulpit every chance I get to push our leaders to declare the cartels a terrorist organization. Because, when we do that, we can take all of the tools out of the tool belt to solve this problem ... When I ask the Customs and Border Patrol officers, 'What do you need the most? Do you need more equipment?' 'No, we need good policy' ... It's going to take all of us working together ... We have got to eradicate the cartels from the Earth."

Matt Salmon On Law Enforcement And Safe Neighborhoods:

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"Ultimately, for a good cop that is doing their job, I want them to go home safe and I want them to know that I have their back. Yes, of course I want you to protect and serve and I want to make sure that you're out there making our streets safe and you're doing the right thing. But I also want to make sure that you know that, when you do the right thing and you protect your partner and you protect the public, you've got a governor that’s going to stand behind you on that."

You can watch Salmon's full interview with Haley here.