Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
My reasons for seeking reelection are the same now as when I first sought office: to serve my community and move our nation forward. I ran then and stand now as an independent problem solver for the 10th District. Since first being elected, I’ve always worked to be an advocate for our community, representing the district’s priorities and values and bringing tangible results back home. I am proud to be a Representative that knows the people and communities for whom I work, and who is seen as someone that is ever present, caring, and approachable. I may run as a Democrat, but my constituents know that I represent everyone, that I will go to bat for them, and that I will always work to build a better future for our kids and our community.
In the 119th Congress, I will continue my strong track record of working across the aisle to deliver results for the 10th District.
I will continue my to work bring down costs for families, building up and building out our middle class. Earlier this year I helped pass bipartisan legislation in the House to expand the child tax credit, restore the R&D tax credit and strengthen the low income housing tax credit. It is now held up by Republicans in the Senate. Hopefully it will pass before the end of this congress, but if not I will return in January and redouble my efforts. And I will continue working to lower the tax burden for families and small business owners, and ensure the US stays competitive in a global economy.
I will also support legislation that will solidify abortion rights and full access to all reproductive health care services for all women across America. The Supreme Court’s archaic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has led to a cascade of abortion bans across the country – and actions even targeted at restricting IVF and birth control.
I will continue my work to prevent gun violence. Our community knows too well the devastation that senseless gun violence has caused. Our children should not have to grow up preparing in their very first weeks of school for a shooting. I refuse to accept that this is just something we will have to learn to live with.
And I will work with all who are willing to join in addressing climate change and its impacts such as what we saw last week in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
I am grateful to have been elected by the people of the 10th district and I once again ask our community members for their vote.
How has your district been impacted by the migrant crisis and what do you think should be done?
Like communities across the country we have seen an influx of people seeking refuge arriving in the 10th District. I have been inspired by the way so many people in our district have stepped up to help these people with basic needs. At the same time, I was profoundly discouraged earlier this year when Republicans in the Senate, at the urging of President Trump, abandoned bipartisan compromise legislation crafted by Senators Lankford, Sinema and Murphy, ensuring that Congress would not take important steps to help address the crisis.
Our immigration system has been broken for more than a generation and we need to both modernize our outdated immigration laws and strengthen our border security. I was proud to help introduce bipartisan legislation in 2013, a bill that passed the Senate by a 68-32 vote, only to see it blocked by then Speaker John Boehner. In 2017 and 2018, I worked with colleagues in the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to try to pass legislation to help Dreamers after President Trump ended DACA, but was stymied by then Speaker Paul Ryan.
I hope that next year, with Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker, we will be able to pass the Lankford bill and send it to President Kamala Harris’s desk. The Vice President has already indicated that she would sign that bill.
What do you think immigration reform in Congress should look like?
Since coming to Congress, fixing our immigration system has been a priority. Our immigration system has needed comprehensive reform for years—including border security, modernized immigration laws, and the capabilities and capacities to apply and enforce the laws. We must create a reasonable and legal pathway for aspiring immigrants—people, who like so many generations of people before them, bring the drive and skills to help grow our economy and enhance our nation.
As I noted above, I was disappointed when legislation I helped introduce in my very first year, a bill that passed the Senate with a bipartisan 68-32 vote, was blocked by then Speaker John Boehner. And disappointed again this year when the bipartisan bill negotiated by Republican Senator James Lankford with Democratic Senators Kirsten Sinema and Chris Murphy that would have made significant strides in addressing our immigration challenges was killed by Senate Republicans at the urging of Donald Trump.
Just to be clear, Senator Lankford is one of the most conservative members of Congress. The bill he drafted and then refined with Senators Sinema and Murphy is tough but fair. It invests in technology and people to enhance border security. It fixes our asylum system, raising the asylum screening standard and providing resources to clear the backlog to effectively screen applications within 90 days versus up to 10 years.
Vice President Harris has said she would sign that bill as President, and I will do all I can to help get it to her desk next year. We need to end the political jockeying and focus on our national needs.
How important is bipartisanship to you and what issues have you worked on across the aisle or with people who don't uniformly share your beliefs?
I ran for Congress in 2012 because I believed we needed an independent problem solver who was committed to reaching across the aisle to get things done. I believe legislating in a bipartisan way leads to better policymaking that is more likely to stand the test of time–and so I have sought to build strong relationships with both Democrats and Republicans throughout my ten years in Congress.
In 2017 I was proud to help form the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and remain an active member of the group to this day. I am also co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus. I have consistently been rated one of the most bipartisan members of Congress by the Luger Center Bipartisan Index.
Reaching across the aisle, I have passed multiple pieces of legislation. That includes bipartisan legislation with Rep. Mike Bost that helps schools acquire panic buttons for classrooms, offering a more immediate way to notify law enforcement and first responders should there be a school shooter incident or medical emergency. President Trump signed this legislation into law in 2018 as a part of a major spending bill.
A bipartisan provision I authored was included in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act enact that has bolstered America’s efforts to combat Iranian aggression, creating an integrated strategy with US allies and partners in the Middle East that develops capabilities to avert Iranian missile and drone attacks
What action, if any, do you want to see next on abortion access after the Dobbs decision?
I believe that people should be free to make their own personal health decisions within the privacy of their conversations with their doctors and their families—full stop. I am extremely concerned about Republican efforts across the country to restrict a woman’s right to choose, and in fact criminalize her health decisions.
I am committed to restoring reproductive freedom for all Americans – the Dobbs decision two years ago turned back the clock on decades of policy that protected women and their freedom to choose the care that is best for them. I am hopeful that next Congress we will have an opportunity to consider and pass legislation that will protect abortion care for women all across the US – I will of course vote for such legislation.
I am also committed to protecting access to essential health care that is under attack by Republicans, including birth control, and fertility services like IVF.
Did Joe Biden legitimately win the 2020 presidential race?
Yes
Should the United States provide Ukraine with money in its fight against Russia?
Yes
Should the United States provide Ukraine with aid in the form of military supplies?
Yes
Should the U.S. provide Israel with money in its fight against Hamas?
Yes
Should the United States provide Israel with aid in the form of military supplies in its fight against Hamas?
Yes
Should there be a law requiring background checks on all gun sales?
Yes
Should Congress pass a federal law banning semi-automatic assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines to help address gun violence?
Yes