VOTE411 Voter Guide

I decided to run for office because I saw President Trump win the 2024 election, at the same time, Mayor Nichols won his mayoral race here in Tulsa. The tide in Congressional District 1 is shifting, and I have been involved in local politics for 10 years. I believe that Congressional District 1 is ready for change, and I am prepared to go to D.C. My team will work to bring federal dollars and resources to Oklahoma to support families and working people.

My campaign platform has been built on the discussions I have had with everyday, hardworking Oklahomans for the past year and a half of this campaign. Most Americans are struggling with affordability, and specifically healthcare costs, over half of children born in Oklahoma are on Soonercare (Medicaid). With the cuts in the H.R.1 legislation, we will effectively see 126,000 Oklahomans affected by this change. I support repealing specific sections of the legislation, such as the Medicaid cuts that hurt working class Americans. Another specific issue that is on voters' minds is Social Security insolvency, which is estimated to occur in 2032, if we do not address the issue now. I support the bipartisan bill by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Moreno, who call for lifting or raising the $184,500 cap to require high earners to contribute more equitably to Social Security.

The federal government should invest in housing, healthcare, and education to improve outcomes for Americans. They also need to regulate energy and the environment to protect our planet for future generations and keep costs down for Americans. Congressmen must work to bring federal dollars back to our states to deal with these issues and increase the quality of life for their constituents.

I will support raising the federal minimum wage. We have seen efforts for similar legislation and state questions here in Oklahoma, which have not been successful. However, increasing disposable income will stimulate the economy. I also believe in investing in education and workforce development; this is a long term way of increasing wages in Oklahoma and our country.

I've spent thirty years building a business here in Oklahoma, creating jobs, and raising a family, and this state gave me every chance to do it. That experience is ultimately what moved me to run, because I want the next generation to have the same opportunity I did.

What concerns me is that Washington is making that harder. It spends far beyond its means and passes the cost on to our children, who inherit the debt before they ever get the chance to get ahead. I've spent my career living within a budget and answering for results, and Congress is missing that kind of discipline and real-world experience. I'm not a politician. I'm running because I'm confident we can still deliver that opportunity to the people coming up behind us, and I intend to help make sure we do.

The two biggest challenges I hear about traveling the district are the rising cost of living and an unsustainable national debt, and they feed each other. When the government spends far more than it takes in, prices climb, and the dollar in your pocket buys less. We're trillions of dollars in debt and still adding to it, which drives today's inflation and leaves an enormous bill to pay tomorrow.

Solving it takes the same discipline any business owner relies on. We have to bring spending back in line and account for every dollar. We're now spending nearly a trillion dollars a year on interest alone, more than our entire military budget, which shows how urgent this has become. Costs come down when we produce more American energy and ease the regulations that raise prices and hold back small businesses. Just as important, we have to keep the promises people have earned, like Social Security.

The federal government works best when it focuses on a few core responsibilities and does them well, rather than trying to manage everything from Washington. On most of these issues, the states, local communities, and families closest to them are better positioned to make good decisions, and the federal role should be to set fair, limited rules and support that work, not override them.

On energy, we should expand American production, which lowers costs and strengthens national security, while responsibly stewarding our land and water. In housing and health care, prices come down through greater supply and real competition, not added mandates that push them higher. Education is best directed by parents, local districts, and the state. The consistent principle is that decisions made closer to the people they affect tend to produce better results and real accountability.

I want workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn. In my experience, wages rise most dependably when the economy is strong, and employers have to compete to attract and keep good people.

What helps most is widening the path to higher-paying work. We should invest seriously in skilled trades, apprenticeships, and technical training so someone can build a career that pays well without being told a four-year degree is the only way up. Bringing manufacturing back to the communities that lost it would add good jobs where they're needed most. And when workers keep more of what they earn, a raise shows up in their take-home pay. On the minimum wage itself, states are better suited than Washington to set a floor that fits their own cost of living. What fits Oklahoma isn't necessarily what fits other states. What I care about most is that a person who works hard can get ahead and support a family.