Age
33
Education
USCGA - United States Coast Guard Academy
Hometown
Hobe Sound
County
Martin County
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/martinforfl
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-m-048184120/
Campaign Phone
772-215-3023
My overarching view is that the United States needs a safe, fair, transparent, and humane immigration system. We can be a nation of laws, while treating people with dignity.
In the Coast Guard, I saw the human side of immigration up close. I pulled people out of the ocean who had risked everything for a shot at a better life. That experience left me with a real respect for what it takes to leave everything behind, and a conviction that our system should be both secure and humane.
In Congress, I'll fight for an orderly, legal pathway to citizenship; permanent protection for Dreamers, who know no home other than this one; and an end to militarized deportation sweeps that tear apart families and gut local economies. I will also support hiring more asylum judges to appropriately support the number of asylum cases while also preventing backlogs and extended asylum parole periods.
Yes. In Florida we are living through a property insurance crisis. Families here pay three to four times the national average, seniors are being priced out of homes they've owned for decades, and climate-exposed properties have already lost billions in relative value. When storms hit, coverage often pays only a fraction of rebuilding costs.
Beyond insurance, stronger storms and hotter summers strain our roads, bridges, and power grid; we've seen blackouts in our own district. The answer is to invest in resilient infrastructure, diversify our energy sources to keep the grid stable, and stop pretending the bill isn't coming due. Every year we delay, the cost lands harder on working and middle-class families. That isn't an abstraction to me. It's what I hear at every door I knock across the Treasure Coast.
First, the cost of living crisis. It is the number one issue on the minds of Treasure Coast families. That means reining in reckless tariffs that raise the price of everyday goods and squeeze small businesses owners. We also need to confront the property insurance crisis head-on. If Tallahassee won't stabilize rates, Congress should create a federal backstop to Citizens Insurance so young families can buy homes and seniors can keep theirs. Lastly, part of addressing the cost of living crisis is ensuring quality healthcare options are available to all Americans.
Second, clean water. Our economy and way of life depend on the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon. I will fight for federal infrastructure dollars to finish the EAA reservoir, accelerate septic-to-sewer conversions in coastal zones, and stop toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Moreover, I will defend bedrock environmental laws like NEPA which are being gutted right now to benefit special interests at our expense.
I spent a decade in uniform under an oath to support and defend the Constitution, so this question is not academic for me. Freedom of speech means the government cannot punish you for criticizing it. It is how voters hold officials accountable, how a free press does its job, and how every major reform in American history got its start.
It also means defending speech I personally disagree with, because a First Amendment that only protects popular opinions protects nothing at all. What worries me now is watching officials treat these rights as a political weapon by rewarding friends and punishing critics. That is not what the Founders intended, and it is not what I swore to defend.
Both, by design! Congress creates federal agencies, funds them, and can investigate them; no agency can lawfully act beyond the authority Congress gives it.
The chief executive of the Executive Branch (the President) runs them day to day (or delegates their management), sets policy priorities, and appoints their leadership.
The Constitution splits that power deliberately so neither branch controls the government alone. Having served in the military for more than a decade—including at the highest levels of our government at the White House—I saw how this works in practice: we carried out the President's priorities, but we answered to Congress for our budget and our conduct. When one branch tries to shut the other out, whether by stonewalling subpoenas or refusing to spend appropriated funds, that is not efficiency. It is a breakdown of checks and balances, and Congress has a duty to push back no matter which party holds the White House.
Requiring documentary proof of citizenship sounds simple until you look at who it shuts out. The SAVE Act failed in the Senate this June, but its backers have vowed to keep pushing it, and I will oppose it at every turn. Millions of eligible Americans, especially women whose married names don't match their birth certificates, lack easy or affordable access to a passport or certified records. Military families like mine would face the same paperwork every time they move and re-register. It also disproportionally disenfranchises working-class Americans and rural voters who lack access to these documents too.
If a proof-of-citizenship requirement ever becomes law, I would fight for federal funding so states can issue certified birth and marriage records at no cost, document-assistance programs to help people locate their records, and acceptance of a broader range of documents, including military IDs. I would work to repeal it as well.
I am the son of a longtime Florida public school teacher, so I grew up seeing what teachers give and what they are paid. The federal government's job is to fill the gaps states leave, and that starts with teacher pay.
As the father of a two-year-old, I know firsthand the prohibitive costs of preschool and daycare. I support universal pre-K with real quality standards, because early education closes gaps that last a lifetime.
For higher education, Florida's Bright Futures and Prepaid programs show what is possible, and federal dollars should help every state build pathways like them, including two years of free or reduced-cost community college. Education is the great equalizer in our society, and Washington should treat it that way.
Age
37
Hometown
Port St Lucie, FL
County
St. Lucie
Instagram
BernardTaylorForCongress
My approach would be: secure the border, enforce the law, fix legal immigration, protect workers, support DREAMers, and create an immigration system that is fair, efficient, and accountable. The goal is neither open borders nor mass deportation, but a practical solution that strengthens security, supports the economy, and reflects American values.
Yes, I believe climate change is a significant financial threat to the U.S. economy.
Climate change affects the economy in several ways: Rising Insurance Costs, Damage to Infrastructure, Impact on Agriculture, and Public Health Cost.
Working towards universal Healthcare and addressing the high cost of living here in our country.
From my perspective, freedom of speech means that every American has the right to express their opinions, beliefs, criticisms, and ideas without fear of government censorship, punishment, or retaliation—especially when speaking about political, social, or religious issues.
Freedom of speech protects speech we agree with and speech we disagree with. In fact, the true test of free speech is whether we protect unpopular viewpoints, not just popular ones.
At the same time, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Private citizens, employers, organizations, and voters have the right to respond to speech with speech of their own. It also does not protect criminal acts such as true threats, incitement to imminent violence, defamation, fraud, or harassment as defined by law.
Congress.
If proof of citizenship is required for voter registration, the responsibility cannot fall entirely on citizens. Government must ensure that every eligible voter has a practical, affordable, and accessible way to obtain the documentation needed to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Election integrity and voter access should work together, not be treated as competing goals.
Government should make sure our education system is fully funded and has the resources it’s needs to make sure every child gets a quality education.
