ISSUES
State government should do its job and work for you, not special interests and corporate donors. North Carolina needs elected officials whose top priority is making your life easier, not enriching themselves.
My vision for District 18 is simple: affordable living, strong schools, safe communities, and responsive, commonsense leadership.
ECONOMY
From grocery costs to gas prices, energy bills to rent and mortgage payments, it’s getting harder for North Carolina families to make ends meet. One of the General Assembly’s top priorities should be lowering the cost of living, and there are real, practical ways to do it: reducing the tax burden on working families, investing in affordable childcare, holding energy companies and large corporations accountable when they exploit consumers, and expanding access to affordable housing. Our elected officials should focus on putting more money in your pocket—not in the hands of the corporations and special interest groups that fund their campaigns.
At the same time, we must invest in strengthening our economy and workforce for decades to come. Supporting small businesses, promoting working conditions and employees’ rights, expanding workforce development programs, and creating more apprenticeship opportunities through our community colleges will help connect people with well-paying jobs while ensuring employers have access to the skilled workforce they need. Building a stronger economy requires both immediate relief for families and long-term planning for future generations.
EDUCATION
As a proud graduate of North Carolina public schools, I know firsthand the opportunities that a strong public education can provide. Public schools are the backbone of our state, and every child deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of their family’s income or ZIP code. That’s why I believe we must make meaningful investments in our schools, our teachers, and our students.
We must fully fund our public school systems, and that includes paying our teachers what they deserve. Our teachers are expected to do more with less every year, managing overcrowded classrooms with limited resources while earning salaries that have failed to keep pace with inflation. If North Carolina wants to recruit and retain excellent educators, we must offer competitive pay and provide them with the support they need to succeed. I oppose the unchecked expansion of private school vouchers, which divert taxpayer dollars away from public schools toward private institutions that are not held to the same standards of transparency or accountability. Too often, these vouchers benefit families who already have the means to pay private school tuition. Public dollars should go to public schools, plain and simple.
We’re seeing the effects of these policies play out in real time. For example, last year, the Granville County Board of Education voted to close Wilton Elementary, the county’s highest-performing public elementary school. That’s unacceptable.The state has a responsibility to fully fund public education and prevent disruptive decisions like these that harm our communities.
HEALTHCARE
No North Carolinian should have to choose between seeing a doctor and paying their bills. Access to affordable healthcare is essential not only for individual families, but also for the strength of our workforce and economy. The General Assembly must protect Medicaid and Medicaid expansion—not only because they provide coverage for those who rely on them directly, but because expanding access to preventive care reduces strain on emergency rooms and helps lower healthcare costs for everyone.
We must also address the healthcare deserts that exist in too many parts of our state. No family should have to drive an hour to deliver a baby, receive emergency care, or see a primary care doctor. North Carolina should invest in healthcare infrastructure that meets the needs of both rural communities and rapidly growing suburban and urban areas where existing providers are struggling to keep up with demand.
Lawmakers should also revisit our certificate of need laws and get rid of the red tape preventing hospitals from being built. Here in District 18, residents and local advocates have spent years pushing for a hospital in Wake Forest to better serve Northern Wake and Granville counties, only to be repeatedly blocked by the current certificate of need process. The General Assembly should modernize these requirements so communities with demonstrated need can attract new providers and expand access to care.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Every North Carolinian deserves to feel safe and secure in their communities. In the legislature, we must increase funding for our local law enforcement and ensure we are treating them fairly, with adequate salaries and retention benefits. The same goes for our correctional officers and state highway patrol officers, who are grappling with high vacancy rates. We must also work closely with our courts and law enforcement agencies, including our District Attorneys, to ensure that our communities are safe.
VOTING RIGHTS
North Carolina is the most gerrymandered state in the country, and that is inexcusable. Protecting the integrity of our elections is essential to maintaining a healthy democracy. North Carolinians deserve legislative districts that reflect their communities, not gerrymandered maps carefully drawn to favor the Republican majority. More than 85 percent of North Carolinians support independent, nonpartisan redistricting because they understand a simple principle: voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.
I also believe that every eligible voter deserves the opportunity to make their voice heard. That’s why I’m fighting to protect early voting, preserve polling places on college campuses and in underserved communities, and to ensure the State Board of Elections has the funding, staffing, and resources necessary to administer secure and fair elections.
INFRASTRUCTURE
For too long, our rural communities have been overlooked while resources and investment flow elsewhere. I will fight to ensure that every part of our district receives the infrastructure investments they need, including improvements to roads, broadband access, water and sewer systems, and economic development. That includes protecting our natural resources in these areas, like Smith Creek and Kerr Lake. Right now, we’re seeing water disputes over access to Kerr Lake, as well as conflicts between developers and local communities affecting our natural and green spaces. I will work to protect these natural areas and ensure that overdevelopment does not come at the expense of our local communities.