Training and Experience
Deputy General Counsel Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) • Advised senior DoD leadership on foreign military sales, international grants and loans, and Building Partner Capacity programs. • Provided counsel on matters involving foreign governments, Congress, federal agencies, and the media. • Interpreted and applied complex statutory and regulatory frameworks shaping U.S. security relationships with allies and partners. Chief of Labor Law Air Force Materiel Command • Guided leadersh
Volunteer/Community Service
President of the Nightengale/Fisher House Board at WPAFB from 2009 to 2018
I believe that our current voting systems are safe and efficient, and would not make any changes at the state level.
However, the frequency of gerrymandering in the states by both Republicans and Democrats distorts the people's votes and is harmful to the elections process. I believe that gerrymandering should be outlawed in its entirety and should be outlawed at the national level - even if it takes a Constitutional Amendment to do it.
I also believe that dark money - i.e. money donated through Political Action Committees made possible by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision - should also be outlawed. This may also take a Constitutional Amendment, since the Supreme Court decision states that corporations are individuals entitled to First Amendment protection.
I would first proposed legislation that increases the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. 32 states have already increased their minimum wage - Ohio has increased it to $11 per hour - but that's still not enough. Second, I would make it easier for workers to unionize. There is power in collective bargaining, and workers should be able to take advantage of that. Third, I would support legislation to provide health care to everyone via Medicare for All, i.e. Universal Health care. In the meantime, we have to bolster the Affordable Care Act by reinstating the individual mandate that the Republicans succeeded in removing through budget legislation. If even that is a bridge too far, I would force insurance companies to publish their rates and also publish the percentage of claims denied.
I would work to find common ground and use that to leverage common sense ideas that have been proven to succeed. I realize that some Republicans are deathly afraid of Donald Trump's outsized influence on their voters, but they took an oath when the took the job of representative, and that oath requires them to uphold the Constitution. I would remind them that they gave their word to "solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
Our national security has has always been one of this country's strengths, but this administration is systematically destroying our national reputation as a the 'shining beacon on the hill' for fledgling democracies, and as the ally that our friends can count on whenever they are attacked. After 9/11, the international alliances we had forged since WW II came to our defense and joined us in battling Al Qaeda and assisted us in fighting the war on terror. They even sent troops to assist in Iraq and Afghanistan at a cost to their own military. Now, Donald Trump is showing nothing but contempt for our traditional allies, and I believe this country is less safe because of that.
Our immigration system is broken, and needs significant overhaul. I propose an immigration system that is comprehensive, workable, and humane. One that secures the border, streamlines legal immigration, protects Dreamers, and treats every person with dignity. We need more immigration judges and more funds to document and facilitate the asylum process. ICE's treatment of illegal immigrants in this country today is shameful and disgusting. Immigrants in this country illegally are still human beings, and deserve to be treated humanely. Bear in mind that being in this country illegally is a misdemeanor. It's not even considered a major crime. However, ICE is treating illegal (and sometimes legal) immigrants as if they were hardened criminals. This has got to stop.
Training and Experience
US Army, Paratrooper, Have run many times, and worked with winning candidates doing their campaigns
Volunteer/Community Service
Big Brother for 38 years, Neighborhood President, Dem Party Precinct Captain, Served on many committees, hung over 600 free basketball nets
I trust our voting systems. The real problem is not the machines. It is money, access, and a lack of useful voter information. I support easier voting, including mail-in voting, ranked-choice voting, and an end to Citizens United. I proposed OK Democracy, a real voter information system so people can see where candidates stand, who funds them, and what they actually do in office. We have to move away from 2 party- US vs THEM rule. If citizens have to register to vote, donors should have to register to give, with stronger disclosure rules as donations get larger. Democracy should not be an auction.
The cost of living crisis is not an accident. The only thing this country has been great at lately is making billionaires and bankrupting the rest of us. I support health care for all, capping credit card interest at 18%, the same cap federal credit unions face, and simplifying tax collection for small business with a government provided payroll tax solution. You should not have to pay a tax to pay a tax. I also believe consumers should get a cut of the ad dollars their data generates online. We are being nickeled and dimed to death by fees, subscriptions, and systems built to squeeze working people.
Hyperpartisanship is baked into a two-party system fueled by big money and fear. If we want more civility, we have to change the structure. End Citizens United. Open the system so more voices can compete. Require donor registration and stronger disclosure so voters know who is buying influence. Debate should begin with a simple idea: we are all Americans, and government should work for all of us, not just donors and party insiders. I have worked across the aisle before, and I will post daily live updates from Congress so people know what actually happened and can ask real questions.
National security starts with health care for all. A country that leaves its people sick, stressed, and financially vulnerable is not secure. It also means protecting our alliances, not knee-capping our allies and acting like we can go it alone. We must protect the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, because our massive national debt is one of our biggest vulnerabilities. If confidence in the dollar collapses, our economy and our leverage collapse with it. We need competence, diplomacy, and strategic thinking. Chaos is not strength. Recklessness is not leadership. War is never the answer.
We should have secure borders and an immigration system that actually works. That means knowing who is coming in, resolving cases quickly, and enforcing the law fairly. But immigrants are not the enemy. They are part of what built this country and still help keep it running. We need to modernize legal immigration, fully fund immigration courts, and hold employers accountable when they exploit undocumented labor to drive down wages and dodge responsibility. Immigration should be treated as a real policy issue, not as a political weapon used to divide Americans. Rounding people up, with guns and masks is never acceptable.
Volunteer/Community Service
Treasure and Vice President of NAACP- Youth and College Division, Planner and Organizer of Manuel and Friend Back to school drive, Food Pantry Volunteer, Planner and Organizer of Manuel and Friends feed and house the homeless
I would strengthen our democracy by expanding access to the ballot while protecting election integrity. That means passing automatic and same-day voter registration, expanding early voting, and making Election Day a federal holiday so working families can participate. I support restoring the full protections of the Voting Rights Act to prevent discrimination and partisan voter suppression. Establishing national standards for fair, secure elections, including paper ballots and audits, is essential to uphold our democratic principles. Finally, I would push to end partisan gerrymandering so voters choose their representatives, not the other way around, ensuring our elections truly reflect the will of the people.
I would tackle the rising cost of living by focusing on what’s hitting families the hardest: housing, healthcare, and everyday essentials. That means increasing the supply of affordable housing, capping prescription drug costs, and taking on corporate price gouging that drives up grocery and energy prices. I support raising wages, expanding tax relief for working families, and lowering childcare costs so parents can get ahead. We also need to invest in American energy production and infrastructure to bring down utility bills and create stable, good-paying jobs. My focus is simple: make it easier to live, work, and raise a family, because as a father of five children I understand these challenges deeply.
We won’t fix hyperpartisanship overnight, but we can inspire collective effort by lowering the temperature through changing incentives. I would support independent redistricting, so politicians compete for voters, not safe seats that reward extremes. I’d back open or nonpartisan primaries that encourage candidates to appeal to a broader base. In Congress, I’d push for rules that promote bipartisan work and transparency, so real solutions, not political theater, are rewarded. Just as important, I’ll lead by example: listening to constituents of all views, showing respect, and focusing on results that help families, not party labels.
America is strongest when we lead with both strength and smart diplomacy. We must support our allies, stand up to adversaries, and prevent conflicts before they start through strategic engagement. I support a strong, accountable military, which reassures our citizens that leadership is responsible and trustworthy, while ensuring Congress fulfills its constitutional role in authorizing the use of force. We must prioritize national security by investing in cybersecurity, protecting critical infrastructure, and reducing dependence on foreign adversaries for key resources. At the same time, we must put our troops and their families first and avoid costly, endless wars by focusing on clear missions and responsible leadership.
We need a balanced, common-sense approach that secures our borders while treating people with dignity. I support modernizing border security with better technology and more trained personnel, which will help the public feel safer and more confident in our safety measures, while targeting traffickers and fentanyl smuggling. We must fix our broken legal system by reducing backlogs, expanding legal pathways, and providing a fair, efficient process for asylum claims. I support earned pathways to citizenship for law-abiding, long-term residents, including Dreamers. At the same time, we need accountability and humane enforcement that reflects our values as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
Training and Experience
Program Manager, Professor
Volunteer/Community Service
SHIP Counselor State of Ohio, Thrift Store, Redistributor of Medical Equipment and Supplies
First, voter fraud, despite claims to the contrary, are extremely rare and experts on election security continue to assert our system is the most secure in the world.
Recommended changes:
1. Make Election Day a national holiday
2. Oppose overly restrictive voter ID requirements
3. Ensure strict cybersecurity standards are used for all automated voted machines
4. Support Ranked Choice Voting with open primaries
5. Overturn Citizens’ United - PAC money is perceived as being a bribe.
6. End gerrymandering - Institute nonpartisan redistricting
7. Eliminate the Electoral College
8. Restrict use of AI for developing videos, audio files, etc during a campaign
First recognize the theory of of supply and demand on prices and inform constituents about the “why” prices are rising.
And we’re seeing that play out right now with the prices of gas, diesel fuel, fertilizer, beef and LNG with supply being affected by geopolitical decisions and weather, to name two primary factors.
Healthcare costs are rising because we have an aging population and that aging population seeks more medical care increasing the number of claims to rise. To reduce/eliminate the administrative burden and complexity of our current system I’m a proponent of a single-payer health care system.
1. Institute rank choice voting with open primaries;
2. Institute nonpartisan redistricting;
3. Rewrite House & Senate rules regarding Congress' rules & processes - eliminate a single party's control.
4. Follow this → I believe it is wiser to spend less time trying to figure out who’s right and more time trying to figure out what’s right. I will advocate for those policies that have merit and align with the interests of those I represent even if that means going against the party’s position.
1. Support & provide for a strong national defense
2 Employment of Force: Follow the Powell Doctrine
3 Foreign Policy: Reestablish trust, reestablish relationships and use diplomats that are qualified – not a wealthy donor to a political party.
1. Control our borders
2. Provides a pathway to citizenship
3 Increase funding for immigration courts and judges.
4. Review and modify the current Immigration and Naturalization laws in this country
Training and Experience
Neuro-Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Major in the United States Air Force, Mom of two
Volunteer/Community Service
In Military I staffed medical tents. As a civilian I'm involved with church fundraisers, volunteering at children’s schools, mentor and mentee programs, collecting/ distributing donations for local churches and community needs
Protect voting rights for all Americans and make it easier, not harder, to register to vote by passing pro-democracy bills like The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Repeal the Trump tariffs: These are making everything from groceries to healthcare more expensive. It has caused many Americans to lose jobs due to the increased costs impacting business owners.
Affordable Housing: We need a National Affordable Housing Policy that prioritizes both creating good jobs, replacing outdated bureaucracy, and fast tracking construction projects to help the millions of Americans struggling to keep a roof over their head.
Focus on helping Ohioans by addressing the childcare & eldercare crisis, placing a moratorium on Data Centers, passing regulations on AI & Data Centers, Reinstate the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s enhanced premium tax credits, fixing egregious loopholes for billionaires and corporations to ensure they pay at least the same rate that you do.
One of the best ways to reduce hyperpartisanship is to end corruption in Washington. Let me be clear, I’m not a politician. I haven’t spent my life vying for power or status. That’s why when I look across the political spectrum, it is clear that major reforms are needed to restore faith in our democracy and elected leaders. Voters are exhausted by greed and corruption. So we must be willing to clearly state that integrity matters.
In Congress, I will:
Vote to End Citizens United
Support Congressional Term Limits
Ban Congressional Stock Trading
Not accept Corporate PAC Money
Support legislation that increases ethics and transparency for the American people
Veterans, service members, and military families deserve the highest gratitude and respect our country can offer. We must ensure a high quality of life for those who are willing to protect and preserve our democracy, liberty, and freedoms. I served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as an officer for a decade and I know the realities facing military families and our veterans.
The cost of war is paid in yellow ribbons, broken bodies, and high prices. Mike Turner's enthusiasm for bombings and forever wars shows exactly why it's so important to have veterans in congress. American lives are being lost or wounded while Washington politicians are spending billions of dollars a day on a war without any strategy or concept of its repercussions.
When armed, untrained federal agents enter communities wearing masks and using deadly force, it destroys public trust and undermines local law enforcement. The deaths are the result of an administration that has shown deep disregard for the Constitution, state and local authority, and the will of the people.
This kind of violence has nothing to do with border security, and it's most definitely not making our communities safer. I believe in balancing border security with humanitarian policies. We must modernize technology at ports of entry, offer pathways to citizenship for long-term residents/DREAMers, and prioritize targeting criminals and drug/human trafficking over terrorizing community members and violating the United States Constitution.
The right to vote is the architecture of everything else. Every other right, every other fight, comes down to who gets to participate and whose voice gets counted.
The legislature has spent years making it harder for people to vote instead of making it easier, because some politicians have decided that the only way they can win is to narrow the electorate. I think that's a confession.
I support the Freedom to Vote Act. I support nonpartisan redistricting. I support getting big money out of politics. I support automatic voter registration because in a democracy, the default should be that you get to vote, not that you have to navigate a bureaucratic maze to earn it.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. And it is not guaranteed. Every generation has to choose it again.
Dayton built this country. The cash register, the airplane, the pop-top can. Innovation ran through this city like water through a river. And then somebody decided the workers who did that building weren't worth investing in anymore.
We have a cost of living crisis that is not abstract. Groceries, housing, childcare, utilities. Working families are doing everything right and still falling behind. I want a Congress that invests in workforce training for the jobs that are actually coming, that makes childcare affordable so parents can work, that stops letting corporations buy back their own stock while their workers apply for food stamps, and that gives small businesses in Dayton's neighborhoods a fighting chance against giant companies that pay no taxes.
We have to lower the temperature.
That starts with something simple but powerful: listening. Not listening to win an argument or to score a point, but listening to understand. We need more real conversations and fewer shouting matches.
The truth is that both sides bring good ideas, real concerns, and meaningful goals to the table. When we stop listening, we miss them. When we treat the other party as an enemy instead of a fellow American with a different perspective, we close the door on solutions that could actually help our communities.
The only way we come together is by remembering that we are neighbors first, and political opponents second, and that our shared future depends on our ability to hear one another.
America's strength in the world has never come from the size of our military alone. It comes from the legitimacy of our values. The moment we abandon those values is the moment we lose the thing that makes us worth defending.
Ukraine is fighting for the right to exist as a sovereign democracy. That is not a European problem. That is our problem, because the rules-based international order that has kept great-power peace since 1945 depends on countries like ours saying clearly that borders cannot be redrawn by force. I support aid to Ukraine.
The constitution says the President of the United States does not take this country to war alone. Period. Trump did it anyway. He launched strikes on Iran without consulting Congress. He decided, alone, that American lives were his to risk.
Undertrained ICE agents are terrorizing communities, kidnapping American citizens, violating constitutional rights, and using lethal tactics with almost no real accountability.
In Minnesota, ICE operations escalated into confrontations that left two unarmed American citizens dead, and the agents involved were never held accountable.
On my first day in Washington, I will introduce a bill that:
-Requires stronger training and ends the use of lethal weapons in standard ICE operations.
- Create a national civilian oversight body with real investigative and disciplinary power.
- Refocus ICE on genuine public‑safety threats instead of blanket raids and racial profiling.
- Invest in "immigration services", not raids, so people seeking a legal path have the support they need to follow it.
