Everything starts and ends with affordability.
IN THE 19TH DISTRICT, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PARTY YOU BELONG TO — PEOPLE ARE STRETCHED THIN. RENT IS UP. GROCERIES ARE UP. HEALTHCARE COSTS MORE. GOOD-PAYING JOBS FEEL HARDER TO FIND AND EASIER TO LOSE. WHEN FAMILIES CAN’T AFFORD TO LIVE THEIR LIVES, EVERY OTHER POLITICAL ARGUMENT STARTS TO FEEL DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY.
My campaign is grounded in one simple truth: if government isn’t making life more affordable for working people, then it’s not doing its job.
FOR TOO LONG, THIS DISTRICT HAS HAD REPRESENTATION THAT FOLLOWS PARTY LINES BUT DOESN’T DELIVER RESULTS.
THERE HAS BEEN NO MEANINGFUL EFFORT TO BRING INVESTMENT HOME, NO SERIOUS PUSH TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR WORKING FAMILIES, AND NO RECORD OF FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABILITY IN A WAY PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY FEEL.
OUR DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY REPRESENTED BY AN ANTI-UNION REPUBLICAN WHO VOTED AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR STRIKING WORKERS, A DIRECT ATTACK ON THE ABILITY OF THE WORKING CLASS WHO MAKE UP THE BACKBONE OF THIS DISTRICT TO MAKE A GOOD LIVING. I STAND WITH THE WORKERS. ALWAYS HAVE, ALWAYS WILL.
I’M RUNNING TO BRING A RURAL, WORKING-CLASS VOICE INTO THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. I UNDERSTAND TIMBER TOWNS, INDUSTRIAL JOBS, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON. I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DEPEND ON STEADY WORK AND TO RAISE A FAMILY HERE. REPRESENTATION SHOULD MEAN BRINGING RESOURCES HOME, FIGHTING FOR JOBS, AND STANDING UP FOR WORKERS, NOT JUST WEARING THE RIGHT PARTY LABEL.
IN OLYMPIA, RESULTS DEPEND ON RELATIONSHIPS AND VOTES, AND RIGHT NOW THE VOTES ARE WITH THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE. SENDING ANOTHER REPUBLICAN TO CAST PREDICTABLE NO VOTES DOESN’T GIVE THE 19TH MORE INFLUENCE; IT SIDELINES US FROM THE CONVERSATIONS WHERE DECISIONS ARE ACTUALLY MADE. AS A RURAL DEMOCRAT, I SHARE THE VALUES OF WORKING FAMILIES HERE AT HOME AND I WOULD HAVE A SEAT INSIDE THE CAUCUS THAT SETS THE AGENDA. THAT ALLOWS ME TO ADVOCATE DIRECTLY, NEGOTIATE FROM WITHIN, AND BUILD THE SUPPORT NEEDED TO BRING RESOURCES BACK TO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON. THIS ISN’T ABOUT IDEOLOGY; IT’S ABOUT LEVERAGE AND MAKING SURE OUR DISTRICT HAS SOMEONE IN THE MAJORITY FIGHTING FOR US.
