My answers to the WJXT News4Jax TV station's Election 2020 Voter's Guide. Enjoy!
Seeking which office: U.S. House, 6th district
Party affiliation: Democratic
Candidate's family: Not notable
Occupation: Adjunct Faculty
Education: PhD in Education
Political experience: Neophyte
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
Change for the Many: Restore the American Dream for All Americans
Protect and Expand Our Social Safety Nets: Social Security, Medicare, & Beyond
Look to the Future: Fully Fund Education & a Green New Deal (A Bright Future for Our Kids)
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am well-organized and disciplined. I'm a published author and academic editor with an eye for details. I work well with others and get stuff done. I'll take the same skills and work ethic to Congress. I'm an advocate for hard-working Central Floridians. I've studied our government, and I've researched financial education and our economy.
I talk with Ambassador Nancy Soderberg regularly. I take advice from experts. I adjust course and apologize when I'm wrong. We need to expect this from our politicians!
I'm a local born and raised in Daytona Beach who actually knows the district, unlike the incumbent. I will put a district office in mid-town Daytona Beach to help our underserved communities there. We won't be hiding in an unmarked office building in DeLand like the incumbent. We will set a national example for constituent service!
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Turning the tide on the climate crisis so kids and grandkids have an inhabitable earth. Restoring the American dream through progressive reforms such as universal healthcare and fully funding K–16 education.
If elected how would you address the calls for racial justice?
I will be a champion for racial justice. We need to do it comprehensively. People of color have the deck stacked against them from the beginning. In addition to overhauling the way we do policing, we need bold federal funding and action on items like healthcare, education, childcare, and housing. We need to fully staff and fund our IRS, close our $450 billion annual tax gap, repeal and replace the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, and end insane military campaigns. Wealth inequality is out of control in this country and has only gotten worse in the past few years. I support a universal basic income for all Americans (Andrew Yang's freedom dividend), which is a part of the 2016 Black Lives Matter platform.
What challenges does COVID-19 present to the office you are seeking?
COVID-19 is a wake-up call. We can't elect incompetent blowhards who lie, attack everyone, and treat a pandemic like a public relations problem. Politicians should not be for sale to the highest bidder. We need facts, truth, and expert advice, not division, hatred, and propaganda.
I would be doing big events, shaking hands, and meeting thousands of voters if COVID-19 didn't occur. We're a scrappy underdog campaign with enthusiastic volunteers all over the district and country. We've had to improvise with a big focus on social media, text banking, and contactless canvassing (items like door hangers).
We could have contained COVID-19 early if this administration would have listened to reason. Instead, it spread to every county and state, costing us trillions of dollars, tens of millions of jobs, and hundreds of thousands of American lives. Locking down our economy was a last-ditch maneuver. We didn't do it right, and it should never have been an unfunded mandate for our middle class and small businesses. When we needed leadership, we got abdication and destruction. I'm running for the congressional seat our failed excuse for a governor, Ron DeSantis, previously held. All of America, and Florida in particular, is now seen as pitiable, weak, and pathetic due to failed Republican leadership. We must never let this happen again!
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