Under Governor Beshear, Kentucky has seen the three best years of economic growth in our state’s 230+ year history!  I look forward to working with our governor to continue bringing innovative, high-paying jobs into the bluegrass.  We all know America is strongest when the middle class is strong, and the same holds true here in our commonwealth.  Let’s keep that momentum by continuing to attract new major developments like the Ford battery plants while also supporting our homegrown small businesses.

Right now, the majority party in Frankfort is raising the taxes on services provided by small business owners while giving tax breaks to large corporations. As a small business owner myself, I know small businesses are the backbone of our economy.  Our legislators should be working to help ensure our native businesses can remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy.  Instead, they’re putting the finger of big government on the scale to tip the balance of power even further toward the top 1%.  I will work to support our local businesses and the Kentucky families they provide for through appropriate tax credits and exemptions to ensure they can thrive for generations to come.

At the end of the day, the most important thing about Kentucky jobs isn’t numbers on a graph, but rather the families they sustain.  We have a genuine opportunity with Governor Beshear in office to make real progress for our working moms and dads.  As new companies continue to expand to the Bluegrass State, we must encourage new standards of paid family and medical leave for those workers so that our families can thrive both at home and in the workplace.  Additionally, we have an opportunity to reign in overreach from the state legislature and allow local counties and communities the ability to set their own minimum wage standards that best meet the needs of their residents.

Education is the key to unlocking our children's full potential and creating a better future for all Kentuckians. The surest methods to help our children succeed are to provide early education access for all Kentucky students while ensuring they have amazing teachers in the classroom throughout their education journey. Now is the time to catch up to the national standards on teacher pay and to pilot universal pre-k within our state’s public schools.  Competitive teacher pay will keep our best educators here in the Commonwealth while universal pre-k allows parents to get back to work while their children receive earlier access to reading, social play, and learning concepts that will help them succeed academically and in life.

Additionally as your representative I will work to promote personalized learning and student opportunities outside the classroom that empower our children to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Let's ensure that our children not only graduate, but have the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking necessary to achieve their full potential and build an even stronger foundation for Kentucky's future.

My opponents and the supermajority in Frankfort have gone too far.  I believe that every American has the right to decide what happens to their own body. Roe v. Wade got it right, women should have autonomy over their reproductive health and the right to make their own decisions about continuing a pregnancy, seeking adoption, or accessing safe and legal abortion care up to the point of viability and with exceptions beyond when medically necessary.  Access to reproductive healthcare is a critical component of women's health.

As your representative, I am committed to fighting for policies that protect the rights of all women. But my opponent, Thomas Jefferson, believes that a mother has no say over their pregnancy.  His extreme stance not only criminalizes abortion for rape and incest victims, but also those who require medical intervention due to fatal fetal anomalies or serious complications that put the mother's life and future fertility at risk. This is not reflective of the values of the 45th District, where we recognize that women's rights are human rights. As your representative, I will listen to the voices of our community and fight to ensure that every woman has the freedom to make her own healthcare decisions and control their reproductive health.

There’s no denying that access to coal made Kentucky an energy powerhouse in the 20th century.  Now it’s time to focus on the 21st century and beyond.  Let's end the legislature's corrupt practice of forcing power companies to continue operating outdated and inefficient coal-burning power plants. Not only does this artificially keep our utility rates higher, it’s also costing our state jobs for new manufacturers looking to be powered by cleaner energy.   By looking to the future and promoting an all of the above energy portfolio, we can create thousands of new jobs and ensure that our businesses continue to thrive. I will fight for legislation that encourages investment in sustainable and renewable energy sources, helping our state to be at the forefront of the clean energy revolution. Together, we can make Kentucky a leader in sustainability and ensure that our environment remains healthy for generations to come. 

Substance abuse is a major problem in Kentucky, and we need to take action to address it. Our current approach of throwing users in jail is not working, and it's hurting our families and our state. Kentucky currently has the third-highest incarceration rate for women and the second-highest rate of children with an incarcerated parent. This is unacceptable.

As a state that values family, we need to prioritize community-based treatment that allows individuals struggling with substance use disorder to heal and get back to work. Not only does this approach help keep families together and reduce the burden on our foster care system, but it also supports our economy by getting people back to work. It's a win-win for everyone involved. We need to invest in treatment and ensure that everyone in our state has access to the resources they need to overcome addiction and build a brighter future.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. It's what gives power to the people and ensures that our government is truly representative. As a country, we must do everything in our power to protect and expand voting rights for all Americans.

Unfortunately, Kentucky is falling behind in this mission. We are one of only three states that has not permanently restored voting rights for those with felony convictions. As your representative, I will fight to ensure that all Kentuckians have a say in their government, regardless of their past mistakes.

Under Governor Beshear, 180,000 Kentuckians with felony convictions were given the right to vote. But we can't stop there. I will work to make sure that this right is made permanent, so that no future governor can take it away.  It's time for our government to reflect all our people, not just a privileged few.

Every person in Kentucky deserves to live their lives without fear of discrimination or unfair treatment. It's time to prioritize the rights of our LGBTQ community, who make up an estimated 144,000 Kentuckians. They are our friends, our family members, our colleagues, and our neighbors, and they deserve equal protections under the law. This includes housing, employment, and access to healthcare. The passage of a statewide Fairness Act is long overdue and would help to break down the barriers and injustices that too often hold back our LGBTQ community. It's time for us to come together and fight for a more just and equitable Kentucky, where everyone can live their American Dream. 

I grew up with a strong appreciation for the Second Amendment, having learned gun safety and deer hunting with my father. In the Army, I regularly trained and qualified with pistols, rifles, and light machine guns.  The constitution has clearly enshrined in us the right to keep and bear arms.  Simultaneously we can admit the fact that America stands alone amongst all developed nations in its levels of gun violence.  And it is absolutely heartbreaking to know that firearms have become the leading cause of death of children in our nation.

As your representative, I will work to protect the rights of all Kentuckians who legally and responsibly own guns while also working to ensure that proper background checks are performed and loopholes closed so that we can better ensure that it is mature and responsible individuals who are observing that Second Amendment right.  I can acknowledge that nothing we do in Frankfort will end all gun violence, but I refuse to give up and say nothing can be done and that the world our children grow up in can't be a little bit safer.