Platform
Healthcare Access
Access to healthcare shouldn't depend on your bank account. Too many people in North Carolina delay care because they are worried about the cost. They wait until a problem becomes urgent, then end up in an emergency room with bills they cannot manage. This hurts families and it drives up costs for everyone.
I have spent more than two decades working inside this system. I helped build a free clinic from the ground up and now work statewide with clinics that care for uninsured and underinsured people every day. I've seen what works and what does not.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
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Strengthening and expanding community-based clinics that provide primary and preventative care
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Supporting policies that help people access care earlier, before problems become crises
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Reducing cost shifting that pushes medical debt onto families and hospitals
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Investing in healthcare solutions that lower long-term costs instead of creating new ones
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Strengthening and expanding community-based clinics that provide primary and preventative care
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Supporting policies that help people access care earlier, before problems become crises
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Reducing cost shifting that pushes medical debt onto families and hospitals
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Investing in healthcare solutions that lower long-term costs instead of creating new ones
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Increasing price transparency in healthcare by limiting cost-sharing
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Preventing medical debt by forcing hospitals to determine if patients are eligible for charitable or financial assistance before collection
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Creating a fund to offset increases in the state healthcare plan for NC employees and teachers
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Establishing a grant program to increase access to maternal healthcare
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Enshrining the right to assisted reproductive technology, including IVF
Healthcare should relieve pressure on families, not create financial ruin.
Education
North Carolina's teachers and students can't afford another term of gridlock in Raleigh. I will build a bipartisan coalition to finance our public schools and ensure every student gets a quality education. Families deserve options when it comes to education, but public schools remain the backbone of our communities — educating every child who walks through the door, regardless of income, ability, or circumstance.
For years, the Republican-led General Assembly has chosen corporate tax cuts over public school funding, and North Carolina's students and teachers have paid the price. Legislators cannot claim to care about workforce development and economic competitiveness while simultaneously starving the public school system that produces our workforce.
Teacher pay should not be a partisan issue — rural red districts and urban blue districts alike are losing teachers to other states. NC ranks 43rd in average teacher salary ($60,323) and 38th in starting pay ($44,952) — about $13,000 below the national average. Every neighboring state pays new teachers more. Running a community health clinic taught me how to bring business leaders, healthcare employers, economic development groups, and parents to the same table to get things done, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the Senate.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
Teacher Pay
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In the short term, we should match neighboring states' starting pay and make sure our salaries match the cost of living.
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In the long term, we should aim to reach the national average and create a teacher pay structure that rewards experience and advanced degrees.
School Funding
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NC ranks last in the nation for funding effort, spending ~$5,600 less per student than the national average
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Repeated General Assembly budget failures have hurt schools, teachers, and families
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I support phased, sustained increases in per-pupil funding that prioritize public investment over corporate tax cuts.
Accountability for Taxpayer Funds
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I oppose diverting public funds to private schools not held to public accountability standards. We need to know that our public taxpayer funds are being spent effectively and for the benefit of our students.
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The Opportunity Scholarship expansion without income caps has sent hundreds of millions to families who could already afford private tuition, taking money away from teacher pay and school safety.
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I support restoring income caps and redirecting savings to the public funding formula.
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Public schools serve the vast majority of NC kids, accept every student, and anchor communities, and we need to ensure these are a quality option for students who do not have others.
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I support public charters that meet the same accountability standards as public schools; oppose for-profit models; and support expansion only where it fills a genuine need without draining traditional public schools.
Supporting teachers and public schools is one of the most effective ways to strengthen communities -- and ensure success for our future generations.
Affordability and Economic Development
The challenges facing families in this district reflect a pattern of legislative neglect that has had real consequences for working North Carolinians. Across the state, families are feeling squeezed. Housing costs continue to rise. Childcare is expensive. Healthcare and insurance costs strain budgets. Our neighbors are working hard and still struggling to stay afloat.
When the legislature fails to adequately fund public services (and fails repeatedly to pass a state budget), the financial burden does not disappear. It is transferred to counties, which are left with no choice but to raise property taxes. The result is that homeowners, renters, and small business owners across Cabarrus County are paying more while receiving less, all because of decisions made in Raleigh.
Affordability is not about getting ahead. It's about being able to stay where you are, plan for the future, and handle unexpected costs without everything falling apart. As North Carolina continues to grow, we must ensure it remains a safe and affordable place to live. As your senator, I will address the root drivers of cost, not just short-term fixes.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
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Supporting policies that promote housing stability and predictability
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Making sure public systems work so families are not forced to pay privately to fill gaps
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Banning dynamic and algorithmic pricing at grocery stores to prevent large food retailers from making you pay more
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Filling federal funding gaps for essential programs like SNAP
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Reinstating earned income tax credits to reduce taxes on working families
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Exempting sales tax on groceries, diapers, and feminine hygiene products
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Creating a homebuyers assistance program for public servants (active duty military, law enforcement, first responders, teachers) purchasing their first home
People should be able to afford to live in the communities they serve and help sustain.
Make Our Government Work For Us Again
Most people aren't asking the government to solve everything. They want it to do its job, use common sense, and not make life harder than it already is.
Too often, politicians lose focus. Leaders get pulled toward lobbyists, party pressure, and political tests that have little to do with the people back home. Local governments know their communities best; the state's job is to give them the funding tools and flexibility to act on that knowledge.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
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Treating taxpayer dollars with care and respect
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Making decisions based on evidence and real-world experience
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Prioritizing preparation, follow-through, and accountability
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Staying focused on service rather than noise or spectacles
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Fighting corruption in Raleigh and ending “pay-for-play” schemes
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Ensuring oversight of elections is nonpartisan and fair
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Work with local governments to manage the growth coming to communities while preserving local character and autonomy
Competent government builds trust and makes everyday life more stable.
Freedom and dignity for women
Some healthcare decisions are deeply personal. They are complex, often difficult, and cannot be reduced to one-size-fits-all laws.
Women deserve privacy, trust, and respect when making healthcare decisions. Those decisions belong with women, their doctors, and the people they trust.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
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Protecting medical decision-making from political interference
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Preserving access to timely and safe healthcare
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Respecting the complexity of real medical situations
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Keeping government out of decisions it cannot fully understand
Trusting women isn't extreme. It's responsible.
AI and Data Centers
Data centers are becoming the primary driver of new energy demand, and as that demand grows, the costs of the infrastructure needed to support them will increasingly fall on North Carolina citizens and communities. Data centers also require enormous amounts of electricity and water, and communities across the state are already seeing major proposals.
It is not fair to pass those costs on to everyday people. A state law should ensure that data center operators, not ratepayers, bear the cost of the added energy and infrastructure demand.
WHAT I'LL FOCUS ON:
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Protecting local communities: if a community says no to a data center project, it should not be exposed to retaliation for that decision
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Requiring age-appropriate instruction in public schools about the ethical use of AI systems
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Creating an AI in Education task force to research and develop policy about the use of AI in educational settings
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Banning the use of AI in advertising
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Protecting our children from AI deepfakes