Age
55
Education
Masters in Engineering from Tulane University
Hometown
Jacksonville Beach, FL
County
Duval
Instagram
@grageforflorida
Campaign Phone
315-382-1979
As your Representative, I want to ensure America's borders are secure through smart, efficient enforcement, while maintaining a fair and humane immigration system that respects due process. I believe in the following measures:
Smart and Efficient Enforcement: Securing America's borders through modernized, efficient law enforcement measures rather than solely focusing on reactive tactics.
Due Process Protections: Restoring and maintaining legal due process within the immigration system to ensure all individuals are treated under the law.
Humane Legal Framework: Developing a system that respects human dignity, specifically ensuring that enforcement policies do not exploit or mistreat families.
Yes. I believe climate change is not just an environmental issue, but also a practical pocketbook issue that drives up inflation and threatens middle-class economic security. Climate change is a significant financial threat to both the local and national economy.
Specifically in Florida, rising insurance and housing costs are major economic burdens. Intensifying climate directly impacts the instability of the property insurance market, which leaves homeowners vulnerable to skyrocketing premiums or the loss of coverage.
Also, the economic cost of ignoring climate change is severe. Examples of intense storms like Hurricanes Ian, Helene, and Milton left a significant financial burden on the community. I support building resilient infrastructure upfront because trying to rebuild communities after a disaster is far more expensive.
Two of my top primary legislative priorities for my congressional campaign are tackling the affordability crisis and restoring government accountability.
To me, "Freedom of Speech" is a fundamental civil liberty that serves as a cornerstone of active democratic engagement and government accountability. Free speech is less of an abstract legal concept and more as an active civic duty that everyday citizens must exercise to protect their communities.
I advocate for a strong legislative branch that acts as a check on executive power. Congress must utilize its authority to audit federal agencies, implement policy, and demand transparency.
I vow to continue to fight for the protection of individual liberties and I believe democratic rights should be accessible to all citizens, rather than limited by costly legal requirements or administrative blockades. I vow to continue my commitment to protecting federal voting access, specifically advocating against the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. Any strict administrative hurdles are modern methods of voter disenfranchisement.
I strongly believe that the federal government should step in to bolster state budgets, particularly in states like Florida that rank near the bottom nationally in public school funding. My plan is to-
Leveraging Federal Grants: I support aggressively pursuing and securing federal education grants to supplement local funding.
Targeting High-Need Schools: I believe federal dollars should prioritize low-income, underfunded, and high-need public schools to prevent them from closing down.
Expanding Trade Programs: Endorsed by the AFL-CIO, I actively push for the federal expansion of trade education, apprenticeships, and vocational training.
High-Demand Alignment: I advocate for federal support of workforce development initiatives that equip students with tangible skills required for high-demand, local industries.
Age
29
Education
Bachelor of Science Degree in Game Design and Development from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Hometown
Wilmington, Delaware
County
Duval
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/alexhazenforcongress/
We must create a clear pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, DACA recipients, and individuals with Temporary Protected Status. This process must be safe, clear, and reasonable for those who are undocumented. People should not be afraid to come out of the shadows to follow the law and contribute fully to the country they already call home.
We also need to invest further in our immigration processes. We need to hire more immigration judges, create clear timelines for citizenship, and provide universal legal representation in removal proceedings. I would propose shifting the budget allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immigration reform.
Once we strengthen the immigration process, enforcement can then be done fairly. That includes holding companies liable for exploiting and preying on immigrants with sub-par wages and unsafe working conditions. Only then can we expand the use of E-Verify and enforce penalties for abuses of the system.
Climate change is real and driven by fossil fuel emissions and is a clear financial threat to our economy. This is especially true for Florida.
Extreme weather like hurricanes and flooding cause massive amounts of property damage, disrupt supply-chains, and destroy crops. The result: increases to insurance premiums. And that is why Florida has some of the highest insurance costs in the nation.
Today, renewable energy is not only cleaner. It is often cheaper and easier to generate than fossil fuels. It’s time to modernize our energy infrastructure and accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Healthcare
Healthcare is a human right. Right now, insurance companies profit more from denying care than approving it. We already pay more than our fair share. That money could fund Medicare-for-All, covering check-ups, emergencies, dental, mental health, and vision. Invest our tax dollars directly back into our care, not corporate profits.
Tech Regulation
Technology has outpaced our laws. Social media has reshaped how we see ourselves, and AI is disrupting jobs at a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution. We need to ban harmful social media design patterns and pass stronger AI regulations and job protections to keep workers safe as this technology reshapes our economy.
Freedom of speech means freedom of belief. It's the right to speak your truth, write your story, and criticize those in power without fear of government retaliation. The freedom to love and hate. It means you can't be punished for what you believe, that books shouldn't be banned, and that journalists can't be silenced for what they report.
But freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences. It's not freedom from criticism, and it's not freedom from accountability especially to one other. It simply means that sharing and expressing ideas is protected from government punishment.
As a game developer by trade, it also means the freedom to create worlds and stories for others to experience. Stories that inspire, that break our hearts, and that let us share our human experiences with one another.
Congress has the constitutional authority to create and fund federal agencies while the president has the power to appoint leadership for those same agencies.
Oversight should be the right of Congress. Agencies exist to carry out their role and budget set by Congress. However, Presidents have increasingly used executive orders and appointment powers to sway how agencies operate.
I would propose introducing new legislation that would try to mitigate needing documents that many US citizens don't have access to or won't carry with them. So allowing Real-ID driver's licenses.
Push to have provisional ballots be allowed for anyone who may have been flagged for documentation issues and allow them to resolve the issue within a certain time frame.
Fund new social programs that help lower-income and underserved communities track-down and re-aquire documents needed to prove citizenship.
Propose a separate optional ID system (similar to SSID) and electronic database that can be used to pull, track, and document documents relating to citizenship so that people don't have to worry about managing multiple physical documents to prove citizenship for voting.
The federal government has two essential roles to play in education. First, it should help ensure every community has access to affordable education at every age level. Second, it must guarantee that students are learning the skills needed at each stage of their journey to be successful in life.
On accessibility: There should be a free and public option from pre-school through college. Special education programs deserve to be fully funding. And every student deserves a well-funded public school in their community.
On skills: Our youngest students, K-6, need strong foundations in reading, math, and critical thinking. Older students, grades 7-12, need to advance their basic education along with education needed to survive: Financial literacy, digital literacy, home economics, and civics education. College students should have the ability to tailor their education towards a profession that aligns with their passion.
Age
61
Education
B.S., Minnesota State University–Mankato • Management Information Systems (MIS) • Management
Hometown
Dawson, MN
County
Laq Qui Parle
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/heggestadforcongress/
LinkedIn
https://admin.thevoterguide.org/candidates/FRFPWYXK/responses
Campaign Phone
952-240-6132
I support comprehensive immigration reform that creates a fair, orderly, and humane system. Our current process is outdated, unpredictable, and fails both families and employers. We need clear rules, modernized processing, and legal pathways that reflect today’s economic and humanitarian realities.
I believe that if you work hard, follow the rules, and contribute to your community, our system should make a pathway available to you. That includes earned pathways to citizenship, updated visa programs that meet workforce needs, and efficient, well‑resourced asylum processing so cases are decided quickly and fairly.
Reform should also strengthen border security in smart, effective ways — using technology, staffing, and modern infrastructure — while ensuring that enforcement respects due process and human dignity.
A functioning immigration system makes our country safer, our economy stronger, and our communities more stable. That’s why I support reforms that are practical, humane, and ro
Yes. Climate change is a significant financial threat to the U.S. economy, and Florida is one of the clearest examples of why. Rising temperatures, stronger storms, and higher insurance costs already strain families and businesses. But one of the most serious long‑term risks is sea‑level rise.
If sea levels continue to rise in Florida, saltwater can push into our aquifers — including the Floridan Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to millions of people. Once saltwater enters those aquifers, the water becomes undrinkable without expensive treatment. In the worst‑case scenario, communities could be forced to import drinking water, which would be devastating to Florida’s economy and to household budgets.
Climate change also threatens infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, and military installations. Addressing it isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s an economic necessity. Investing in resilience, clean energy, and modern infrastructure protects both our environment and economy.
My first priority is expanding access to affordable, stable healthcare by modernizing how we insure Americans. I support decoupling insurance from employment so people keep their coverage when they change jobs. Instead of employer‑based plans, every American would buy individual coverage through a regulated, competitive insurance market—similar to the Swiss model. Employers would redirect current benefit spending into wages or premium support, creating portability, stability, and true choice.
My second priority is rebalancing our government by restoring Congress’s constitutional role in lawmaking and oversight. Too much authority has shifted to the executive branch and federal agencies, creating instability and policy swings that hurt families and businesses. Strengthening Congress improves accountability, transparency, and long‑term governance.
To me, freedom of speech means the government cannot punish or silence people for their viewpoints. The First Amendment protects our ability to question government, debate public issues, and express ideas without fear of censorship. It safeguards speech we agree with and speech we don’t, because once government starts deciding which voices are acceptable, everyone’s rights are at risk.
I am concerned that the current administration appears to pressure or discourage certain viewpoints, including those expressed by well‑known comedians and writers. Any administration limiting expression chills public debate and weakens democratic accountability.
Freedom of speech does not guarantee freedom from criticism, but it does guarantee protection from government retaliation. Defending this right is essential to a healthy constitutional system.
Under the Constitution, Congress has the primary authority to oversee federal agencies. Congress creates the agencies, defines their powers, funds their operations, and is responsible for ensuring they follow the laws it passes. Oversight is a core Article I duty and an essential check on executive power.
The President manages the executive branch, but that authority does not replace or diminish Congress’s oversight role. No administration should pressure or threaten members of Congress — including with primary challenges or political retaliation — to weaken or avoid oversight. When that happens, it undermines the separation of powers and the accountability our system depends on.
Strong, independent congressional oversight is essential to a balanced government and to ensuring federal agencies remain accountable to the people.
If documentary proof of U.S. citizenship becomes required to register to vote, we must ensure no eligible citizen is disenfranchised because they cannot afford or easily access documents like certified birth or marriage certificates. This burden falls especially on women who changed their names, seniors, low‑income voters, and people born in rural or segregated hospitals where records may be incomplete.
If the government requires a national ID or citizenship document, it must also provide a free, accessible way for every citizen to obtain it. No one should have to pay to exercise a constitutional right. I support federal funding to help citizens obtain missing documents, mobile units for rural areas, and a no‑cost national identity credential if such a requirement is imposed. Voting must remain free, fair, and accessible to all eligible citizens.
The federal government has an important but limited role in education. At the pre‑school and K‑12 levels, it should focus on equity, safety, and ensuring every child—no matter their ZIP code—has access to strong public schools. Towns and cities are proud of their schools, and federal funding helps them function at a high level with safe facilities, qualified teachers, and great learning environments.
At the higher‑education level, the federal role is to make college and technical training more affordable by expanding Pell Grants, supporting community colleges, and modernizing financial aid. Across all levels, the federal government should be a partner: setting fair standards, protecting students’ rights, and providing resources while respecting state and local control.
