FIGHTING FOR OUR FUTURE.

Hardworking families in our district know how far a dollar has to go. Prices for groceries, everyday essentials, and utilities keep rising, while wages stay the same. I’ll fight to lower costs for families, support local businesses, and invest in training for the jobs we already have - healthcare, skilled trades, and industries that keep West Virginia running. Hard work deserves to pay off right here at home, not somewhere else.

Our students deserve access to arts, sciences, math, and foundational courses that will enable them to pursue worthwhile careers of their choice—whether they choose a college or technical path. West Virginia has thriving industries in aeronautics, neurosciences, specialized medicine, and astronomy—our youth should have access to education that prepares them for careers close to home.

Our teachers and support staff should have competitive wages, but they should also have a work environment that is safe, access to continuing education, and reasonable workloads so they can focus on teaching.

The needs of children have changed over the years. Many children are dealing with adverse child experiences from being exposed to substance use disorder, abuse, poverty, and from the effects of the pandemic. Creating permanent behavioral health positions in schools will allow teachers to teach, while students will have access to the help and support they need.

West Virginia has one of the highest percentages of both adults over 65 and Veterans. 

One of every four adults in WV serve as a family caregiver—providing more than 3 billion dollars in unpaid care a year, according to a 2025 AARP report. Yet, over the years there has been a lack of investment in services for our seniors and their caregivers, even as the need has grown. Respite caregiver services are nearly nonexistent and where they are offered, there are long waiting lists. More and more seniors are turning to food banks to make it until the end of the month already, before the cuts to food stamps take place this year. The new Medicaid work requirements will strip away necessary health care for adults that are not yet eligible for Medicare and the cuts to Affordable Health Care already have older adults hoping they can live long enough to be eligible for Medicare. West Virginians deserve better.

I have worked for nearly two decades as a social worker specializing in the aging field. I know the challenges older adults, veterans, and their families face and I will fight for policy changes to improve their daily lives.