Issues

• Finishing what Leandro started:  For over 30 years, the courts recognized that North Carolina was failing to provide every child a sound, basic education. In April 2026, the NC Supreme Court dismissed the case on procedural grounds — without touching that constitutional right itself, and handed the responsibility for funding our schools back to the legislature. The courts can no longer force the issue. That means it’s on us now. I’ll fight in Raleigh to deliver the funding and reforms the Leandro plan called for, better teacher pay, smaller class sizes, and resources for our neediest districts, because our kids can’t wait another 30 years for the legislature to do what’s right.
• Teacher pay and retention: NC continues to rank near the bottom nationally for teacher pay. Low salaries and high workloads are driving experienced educators out of the classroom just when students need them most. I’ll fight for real, sustained raises that keep good teachers in North Carolina schools.
• Ending vouchers for all but the neediest families: North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program has grown into a universal program, sending public dollars to private schools regardless of family income. I’ll fight to restore an income cap so that vouchers are limited to families at or below 185% of the federal poverty line, the same threshold used for free and reduced-price school lunch – so households making six figures are no longer using public dollars for private tuition. This applies to current recipients as well as new applicants, and redirects the savings back into fully funding our public schools.
• Support staff and classroom resources: Teachers can’t do it alone. I’ll push for adequate funding for teacher assistants, school counselors, nurses, and updated classroom materials: especially in high-poverty and rural districts that have been shortchanged for years.
• Career and technical education: Having worked in athletics and coaching, I’ve seen how trade, technical, and vocational pathways change lives for students who aren’t headed straight to a four-year degree. I’ll support expanding CTE programs and community college partnerships.
• School safety and student wellbeing: I’ll advocate for adequate school counselors and mental health resources, and for keeping decisions about our classrooms in the hands of educators and parents, not political agendas from Raleigh.
• Athletics and extracurriculars: As a coach and athletic administrator, I know firsthand that sports, band, and clubs teach discipline, teamwork, and leadership. I’ll fight to protect funding for these programs, which are often the first cut when budgets tighten.

Every North Carolinian deserves access to quality, affordable health care, not as a privilege, but as a basic right. I’ve seen too many families in our community forced to choose between paying rent and paying for a doctor’s visit. That has to change.

• Protecting Medicaid expansion: North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion has covered a significant share of the state’s population since it took effect in late 2023, and it’s now under direct threat. Federal cuts passed by Congress could force hospitals to absorb far more uncompensated care, and analysts warn dozens of NC hospitals are now at risk of closing. I’ll fight in Raleigh to protect this coverage and push back against policies, like burdensome work-requirement paperwork, that would kick eligible people off their insurance for no good reason.
• Saving our rural hospitals: Rural hospitals across North Carolina are closing or cutting services like maternity care and behavioral health, in part because Medicare and Medicaid make up a large share of their patient revenue. I’ll fight for state investment that keeps these doors open, because “can my family see a doctor here” shouldn’t determine whether a community can survive.
• Addressing the doctor and nurse shortage: Rural North Carolina doesn’t have enough nurses or doctors, and it’s getting worse. I’ll support loan repayment and residency incentive programs that get more medical professionals into underserved counties, not just our cities.
• Mental health and behavioral health access: Too many families can’t find a counselor, psychiatrist, or treatment bed anywhere near home. I’ll push to expand behavioral health funding and telehealth access so mental health care isn’t a luxury reserved for those who can travel or pay out of pocket.
• Maternal and women’s health: As hospitals cut labor and delivery units to survive, more North Carolina counties are becoming “maternity care deserts.” I’ll fight to protect and expand access to prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care, especially in rural areas.
• Lowering prescription drug costs: I’ll support state-level tools to increase transparency around drug pricing and hospital charges, so families aren’t blindsided by costs they can’t predict or afford.
• Health care for people with disabilities and older adults: This ties directly to protecting Medicaid’s home- and community-based waiver services, which let people stay in their homes and communities instead of being forced into institutional care.

No child should go to school hungry, and no senior should have to choose between groceries and medication. But federal cuts are making that choice a reality for more North Carolina families every month, and our state legislature now has to decide how to respond.

• Covering the cost shift, not the families: Federal changes have, for the first time, pushed a share of SNAP’s cost directly onto North Carolina’s state and county budgets, with new administrative costs beginning this October. I’ll fight to make sure the state covers this new burden so counties aren’t forced to choose between funding SNAP administration and funding schools, roads, or public safety.
• Fixing harmful work-requirement rules: New federal work requirements now apply to groups that were previously exempt, including older adults up to 64 and parents of teenagers.  NC estimates suggest tens of thousands of North Carolinians could lose benefits due to paperwork and reporting burdens, not because they’re ineligible, but because the process itself is the barrier. I’ll push the state to simplify verification and reduce red tape so eligible families and seniors don’t fall through the cracks.
• Supporting food banks and pantries on the front lines: As benefits shrink, food banks across the state are seeing record demand. I’ll fight for state investment in emergency food assistance infrastructure so our local food banks and pantries aren’t left to absorb a federal funding gap on their own.
• Protecting school meal programs: Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach. I’ll defend and expand school breakfast and lunch programs, and fight to ensure eligible students aren’t lost in administrative red-tape as SNAP eligibility rules shift.
• Standing up for our most vulnerable neighbors: Seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and children make up a large share of those affected by these cuts. I’ll make sure their needs are front and center, not an afterthought, in how North Carolina responds to Washington’s decisions.

Every North Carolinian deserves dignity, whether they’re a child with a developmental disability or a grandparent who wants to stay in their own home. Right now, our state is failing too many of them.

• Ending the waitlist crisis: Nearly 19,000 North Carolinians with disabilities are stuck on the waitlist for essential Medicaid waiver services, with waits now stretching close to a decade or more. I’ll fight to fund significantly more waiver slots every budget cycle until this waitlist shrinks for good.
• Keeping people in their own homes: Programs that let seniors and people with disabilities stay home instead of entering a nursing facility have their own waitlists and outdated income limits. I’ll fight to expand funding and update those limits to match today’s cost of living.
• Protecting family caregivers: Families are often the backbone of care for aging or disabled loved ones. I’ll support paid caregiver options and push for respite care funding so caregivers aren’t left to burn out alone.
• Defending Medicaid: Nearly every one of these programs runs through Medicaid. I’ll fight cuts that would make these already-long waitlists even longer.

Too often, Raleigh puts party politics ahead of the people it’s supposed to serve. I’ll tell the truth even when it’s inconvenient, and put North Carolina families first, always.

• Ending gridlock that hurts real people: While legislative leaders fight over redistricting and political power, basic responsibilities like passing a budget, funding teacher pay, and fully funding Medicaid get delayed. I’ll push to keep the legislature focused on the work that actually affects your life, not political maneuvering.
• Fighting for fair representation: Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. I’ll support fair, transparent redistricting processes and oppose maps drawn to protect politicians instead of reflecting the will of voters.
• Real transparency in how your tax dollars are spent: From Medicaid contractors to school funding formulas, I’ll push for clear public accountability over how state agencies and their partners spend taxpayer money, no more buried reports or after-the-fact surprises.
• Results over rhetoric — I’m not interested in political theater. I’m interested in what actually gets done for this district.