We’ve all seen it before — Democratic candidates running in rural districts try to convert Republican-leaning voters by becoming Republican-lite. That isn’t a winning strategy; it hasn’t flipped one rural district.
With our campaign, we’re doing something different: We’re showing rural Virginians how progressive policies can improve their daily lives. And it’s working!
Our campaign has the most progressive platform of any candidate in Virginia. We can’t expect people to vote for us because of who we are not. We need to give them something to vote for, something to believe in. We have to fight for policies that will make everyone’s lives better, and that’s what I’m doing on the campaign trail every day.
Here are my plans:
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Invest in digital infrastructure: We need to treat the need for rural broadband with the same urgency we once did for bringing electricity to rural areas.
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Expand healthcare: On the national level, I support Medicare for All. On the state level, I want to include everyone in the Commonwealth of Virginia who needs healthcare in Medicaid.
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Fund our schools: Rural schools need funding from Richmond so that every student has a chance; we can’t keep relying on property taxes to fund our schools.
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Enact the Green New Deal Virginia: This plan will create thousands of good jobs while simultaneously addressing climate change and restoring Virginia’s environment.
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Support a living wage: No one working a full-time job should live in poverty.
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Help small farmers: We need programs to help small farmers and farms gain access to capital to diversify their operations.
It’s time to go big and go bold! I know we can do it — we can win this district and flip a rural district in Virginia blue for the first time in years. Are you with me?
JENNIFER KITCHEN — DELEGATE FOR VA 25 FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM DONATE