What values come to mind if you think about the everyday Ohio worker?

I think of the virtues my family and community instilled in me as a child. Honesty, humility, and a welcoming nature grounded in a strong sense of community. But before that, my first image is a resilient Ohio worker defined by their dedication and commitment to hard work. Ohio's talented and hardworking workforce had been an engine of American growth.

"Had" is essential to note. More recently, from 2011 to 2020, Ohio's 2.3% growth rate ranked 48th in the nation. Our population growth has slowed to a snail's pace, we have become less educated, and our health has declined despite paying more. In 2023, U.S. News ranked Ohio's economy #37 and considered our employment outlook one of the country's worst.

It's time for a change when hard work isn't paying off. It's time to hold the policymakers accountable for the failed policies that left so many Ohioans behind. It's time to look beyond career politicians and elect economic-minded experts and leader wit a proven track record of success in business.

The Ohio nuclear bribery scandal is the largest bribery scheme ever perpetrated against the people of Ohio and one of the worst in U.S. history. FirstEnergy poured millions into political campaigns and bought the Ohio Speaker of the House, the third most prominent position in Ohio politics. Corrupt lawmakers then proceeded to waste $1.3 BILLION of our hard-earned tax dollars to bail out the failed company that put them in office.

Pay-to-play politics has real consequences. The $60 million in bribes led to a tainted energy bill, House Bill 6. As corrupt lawmakers got rich, Ohioans across the state paid for it in the pocketbook with wasted tax dollars and higher energy costs in our bills.

Our elected leaders should be role models, and our kids should not watch them get locked up. If we don’t push back on public corruption, we can expect more of the same.

In a state with more registered Democrats than Republicans, how is 79% of the Ohio State Senate and every branch of government controlled by the Republican Party? Something is not right in Ohio.

I’m a moderate and “Blue Dog” Democrat. I don’t believe labeling people in two boxes, Democrat or Republican, is fair. I believe in fiscal responsibility and efficient government spending, but I also believe the government should be a force of good for everyone it represents. It needs to make sure the American dream is fair and alive. It needs to fight for the working class to earn a living wage, and it should offer a hand-up in troubled times but not handouts. Fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I can see the good and bad of both parties.

I chose to run as a Democrat because I believe in standing up for what I know is right.

Democracy is right. Fair voting districts are right. Commonsense measures that encourage more Ohioans to vote are right. As an American, I expect those things, and I fought for those things as a Marine.

I will always take great pride in calling Ohio home, and I don’t blame the Republican Party for what my home has become. I blame power-hungry and greedy individuals who figured out how to put their thumb on the scale and give one party total control.

I believe in fighting to balance that power. The only way Ohio can get back on track is if we stop listening to the loudest voice shouting extremes and start listening to the voice that represents most Ohioans. We need a pragmatic and unifying voice that can bring Ohio together.