Democratic
1. What interests you about serving in this role?
I’m interested in delivering for Kansans on the things I heard across the state: the cost of living, health care, and a government that treats people decently. Running for office was never something I envisioned. But over the last year I kept watching decisions coming out of Washington hurt the people of our state, and I couldn’t sit by any longer. I’ve spent 38 years listening to people, caring for them, and bringing them together to solve problems, and I think Washington needs more of that. Our senators are supposed to represent all Kansans, not just a slice of us.
2. How do you prioritize competing demands with limited resources?
For 36 years I’ve led an organization with a multi-million budget and hundreds of staff.You never have enough resources to do everything you’d like, so you start by listening, asking where people are hurting most, and you put your resources where they close the biggest gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.When you have to cut, you use a scalpel, not a chainsaw.You study carefully, and you know who will be hurt before you act. I’d bring that same approach to the federal budget.
3. If elected, what would your top three priorities be during your first year?
First, affordability. Decisions made in Washington, from tariffs to the war, have driven up the cost of gas, groceries, fertilizer, and equipment, and Kansans living paycheck to paycheck are paying the price. Second, health care. I’d work to restore the ACA credits and reverse the Medicaid cuts that have cost tens of thousands Kansans their coverage and put more of our rural hospitals at risk of closing than in any other state. Third, integrity in Washington. I’m not taking corporate PAC money, and I’ll push for reforms so senators answer to their constituents, not to whoever writes the biggest checks 4. Please list personal information or other information you feel is important.
I’m a fifth-generation Kansan. My family settled in Dickinson County in the 1870s and helped build the town of Hope. I grew up in Prairie Village where my mom raised us mostly on her own. We moved seven times in six years, and I learned what living paycheck to paycheck feels like. I married my high school sweetheart, LaVon, 44 years ago.We have two daughters and a 12-year-old granddaughter.
