A New Deal for A New Age

I’m running for Congress because Western North Carolina deserves leadership that puts working people first.

For too long, Republican leadership has pushed policies that leave our communities behind. They’ve slashed taxes for the richest among us while telling the rest of us to make do with their crumbs. They’ve left us with out-of-date roads, struggling schools, unaffordable healthcare, and a fraying society. They’ve undermined public schools, blocked access to basic care by refusing to expand Medicaid, and let corporate interests drown out the voices of ordinary voters.

That’s not what democracy is supposed to look like. And we deserve better.

I believe in something better.

I’m an old-school Democrat rooted in the values of faith, fairness, dignity, and opportunity. I believe government can and should be a force for good—a partner to working families, not just the privileged few.

That’s why I support a 21st-century New Deal — a bold vision for rebuilding the working class and strengthening the foundations of American life. Here’s where I stand:

• Public Education is the heart of opportunity. We must fully fund our schools, support our teachers, and make higher education and skilled trades training accessible to all.
• Healthcare is a basic right. No one should go bankrupt because they get sick, and our rural communities shouldn’t be left without doctors or hospitals.
• Workers deserve fair pay, safe conditions, and the right to organize. We must raise the minimum wage. There is dignity in all work, and all workers deserve the dignity of a living wage.
• Small Businesses are the backbone of our communities. We must support them with fair access to capital, fewer bureaucratic hurdles, and smart investments that help local entrepreneurs grow and hire from within our own communities.
• Social Security is our inheritance. It must be protected so our seniors can retire with dignity and expanded so future generations can share in the promise our great-grandparents made to us with the Social Security Act of 1935.
• Homeownership should be within reach for working-class people. Our generation deserves the same homeownership opportunities as our parents and grandparents.
• Congress and the Courts must be accountable. That means banning corporate dark money, passing tough ethics laws, and overturning Citizens United. It’s time to ban congressional stock trading and end the Congress to lobbyist pipeline.
• National Service can renew our civic spirit and give young Americans a chance to build skills while serving their country. Programs like Americorps should become a cornerstone of a new civic spirit and give young people the chance to fund college through national service.
• Infrastructure is more than roads and bridges—it’s the foundation of a thriving, connected, and equitable society. To meet the needs of the 21st century, we need bold federal investment in broadband, clean energy, public transit, water systems, childcare, and elder care. Just like the original New Deal, we must build for the future, creating good jobs while closing the gaps that leave so many of our mountain communities behind.
• Government should be responsive, transparent, and nimble enough to meet the needs of real people, not bogged down by bureaucracy or held captive by special interests. Our communities deserve public institutions that work for us.
• A Fair Tax System is a moral responsibility. In the book of Luke Jesus says, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.” It’s time for millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations to pay their fair share so we can invest in the schools, infrastructure, and healthcare our communities need. A just tax system is not about punishment, it’s about shared responsibility and the common good.

At the heart of my politics is a simple belief: we owe something to each other. “Love your neighbor as yourself” isn’t just a personal ethic—it’s a public one. It calls us to build a society where no one is forgotten, where we take seriously the truth that “whatever you did for the least of these, you did also unto me.” That means looking out for working families, caring for the elderly, lifting up the poor, and creating opportunity for every child, no matter their ZIP code.

This is what a New Deal ethos is all about: not just policy, but a shared promise. A promise that we won’t walk past our neighbors in need. That government will be a force for good—active, compassionate, and rooted in the dignity of every person. That’s the kind of leadership I believe Western North Carolina deserves—and the kind I’m ready to fight for.