We can become a great community, but only when we ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities.  There must be equality and justice for all.  We need to tackle the many injustices persisting across Virginia.  But we can't just throw money at our problems.  What we need is good old-fashioned teamwork and tenacity.  We can only get the job done if we work hard together and keep at it.  I'm ready to roll up my sleeves Virginia.  Let's get to work!

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequalities and injustices people face, and the collective response to the pandemic must be fair and inclusive of everyone. Gender equality, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights and economic justice... must all be front and center.  But in doing so we must also protect our fellow workers and their jobs, the livelihoods of farmers, and basic freedoms.  We are a nation and a state of many peoples, with varied histories and global origins, yet we stand together as one people, one nation, one Virginia.  We do not all look alike.  We do not all think alike.  Yet we share the same land and breathe the same air under the same flag.  When we watch the Olympics this summer, we will ALL be cheering for the red, white and blue. 

I believe in Virginia’s public schools.  And I believe that every kid in HD-88 should have the same access to an equitable, world-class education - no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or how much money their parents make.  We’re not living up to that promise.  Great schools and teachers made a difference in my own life - and I know they can make a difference for the thousands of children in the Virginia.  But only if the schools and teachers are equipped with the necessary tools and funding, especially coming out of the pandemic. 

Funding for public K-12 education is both inadequate and inequitable.  Plus, we ask so much of our public school teachers, paraprofessionals, and school staff.  But instead of treating them like professionals - paying them well, listening to them, and giving them the support they need - we impose extreme accountability measures that punish them for factors they cannot possibly control.  Watching the interaction between teachers and my own children, and their struggles to ensure a good education, has given me a higher appreciation for educations.  We need to raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia's history.  We also need to address the state's educator shortage, lower the ratio of students per teacher, fix the crumbling schools, and diversify our educator workforce.

There are many children going without, especially those in Special Education.  Even with federal and state mandates to provide these students with mental health services, it just doesn't happen.  That's why we also need to more heavily invest in Special Education and Mental Health programs in our schools.  

The pandemic hit small businesses pretty hard with many having to close, especially restaurants.  We need to rebuild our thriving network of small businesses.  Let's begin with short-term support measures such as relieving tax burdens on small business.  We can also extend debt finance and help small businesses attract and retain employees.  These are certainly needed and should be continued.  At the same time, it’s important to invest in long-term structural policies, such as digital and financial inclusion, as well as entrepreneurial skills capacity development.  We need to find ways to provide access to credit for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and we need to help small businesses deal with regulatory requirements.  I will support funding for entrepreneurship programs and back community banks and credit unions.  Let's unleash the full purchasing power of Virginia's government to support small businesses.

We also need to dig deep and find new ways to help small local businesses grow. Ideas like more small business matchmaker events where small businesses from Fauquier County, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, and Fredericksburg can meet with federal agencies and big companies with federal contracts who are looking for partners.  The more small businesses grow, the more jobs there are for everyone. 

We need to focus on creating economic opportunity for all Virginians.  If we support small businesses, improve education and workforce training, and invest in new industries, the Commonwealth economy will prosper, Virginians will prosper, there will be more jobs.  All Virginians should have access to good jobs that put them on the path to economic success.  No family working full time should live in poverty.  I support strengthening workforce training programs, skills-training programs that prepare workers for good-paying, in-demand jobs.  We need to expand access to high-quality career and technical education programs and help prepare Virginia workers for jobs in the modern economy.

Small business drives job creation and economic growth in Virginia.  As I already mentioned above, I support policies to help them grow and thrive by increasing their access to capital and lowering barriers to entry for entrepreneurs.  We also need to advocate for companies that provide opportunities for veterans, military families and people with disabilities.  Let's concentrate on helping and protecting hardworking Virginians.

Agriculture and forestry comprise the largest industry in the Commonwealth, contributing more than $90 billion to the economy and supporting more than 440,000 jobs.  We need a robust farm safety net that strengthens crop insurance, expands agricultural export markets, and bolsters local food networks to allow more businesses and consumers to buy from local farmers.  We must continue to fight the unfair Chinese ban on Virginia poultry that has persisted on and off, and find ways to help small and mid-sized Virginia farmers and agricultural exporters sell their goods abroad. 

There seems to be a growing disconnect between urban and rural areas.  It's time we build a better bridge between the two.  Let's start by giving farmers the tools they need to become more effective advertisers for their products.  This can empower farmers, provide tools for connecting with other farmers and help farmers more effectively find more consumers.  There is an audience that is interested in agriculture but doesn’t have a connection to farmers.  I will work to provide that connection. 

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world - yet our harshly punitive system isn’t making our communities safer.  We must bring justice back into our Justice System by dismantling bias and unfair laws.  Four words are etched above the Supreme Court: "Equal Justice Under Law."  That’s supposed to be the promise of our justice system.  We must take a multidisciplinary approach to crime prevention, and invest in systems of care and intervention.  We can do this by providing educational opportunities and extensive wraparound support for crime survivors and victims, and by building a strong bridge between law enforcement and communities.  Virginia's leadership has started passing legislation to reform our criminal justice system.  I'm going to work hard to ensure that is continued and expanded.  It must represent fairness and eliminate racial inequities.  I will work to ensure that Virginia's criminal justice system is fair and equal.

Health care is a basic human right.  Virginia implemented Medicaid expansion in 2019, and nearly 500,000 Virginians have gained coverage as a result.  But really, that's not enough.  We should be working to ensure ALL Virginians have access to quality, affordable health care coverage.  We need to address racial, gender, and geographic disparities in access to coverage.  We need to find ways to lower health insurance premiums, protect reproductive rights, and combat rising prescription drug prices.  When it comes to healthcare, we still need to do much better.  I will work to ensure this basic human right becomes just.

My father is an Air Force veteran and I was a military brat. Some of my friends are retired military, one a  retired chief petty officer who served 20 years in the U.S. Navy.  He then turned around and served 11 years as a civil servant supporting the U.S. Marine Corps.  So I do know the sacrifices that our service members and their families make for our country.  Too often the day-to-day sacrifices of military families go unseen and unremarked.  We need meaningful action and policies that support our military both during and after service.  In the last 20 years of conflict, more than 7,000 American service members have lost their lives, nearly 60,000 have been injured, and countless more live every day with the invisible wounds of war.  The federal government is supposed to care for active duty service members and their family, for veterans and for military retirees, but Virginia can do a lot, too, to support our heroes.

Virginia likes to think of itself as a military friendly state, but that is not necessarily the case.  There are nine states that do not tax military active duty pay whatsoever.  Virginia is not one of them.  The Commonwealth only exempts the first $15,000 of military basic pay.  There are 22 states that do not tax military retirement pay.  Virginia is not one of them.  There are 13 states that have special provisions for military or public pensions.  Virginia is, again, not one of these states, but Maryland is.  Virginia only exempts property taxes if a veteran is 100% disabled.  However, there are many states that provide property tax relief for disabled veterans that are less than 100% disabled.  In Alaska for instance, you only need to be 50% disabled to get these benefits.  It's time Virginia becomes a true military friendly state and does more for its veterans, for its heroes. 

The I-95 corridor through Stafford and Fredericksburg is one of the worst commutes in America.  We need solutions that will rebuild our roads and improve our public transportation options.  If there is one thing the pandemic has shown us, it's that working from home works and keeps cars off the roads.  I will be focused on mitigating this. 

Unlike most southern states, Virginia is showing others what a state should do to ensure a person’s race, color, or language aren’t barriers to exercise the ability to vote.  It’s among the most cherished rights of citizenship in America.  We need to continue to protect these rights.  This year the Commonwealth is redistricting, redrawing district lines for both Virginia’s congressional and state legislative offices.  These lines are being drawn by a 16-member politician commission, with eight legislative members and eight citizen members.  Hopefully this will stop the gerrymandering.  We must eliminate gerrymandering on all sides of the political spectrum.  I will work to ensure fair elections and voter equality.