Qualifications
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?
I’m a former middle school teacher, Presbyterian seminarian, and Texas State Representative. I’ve passed bipartisan bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs, child care, and housing.
Economy
What policies would you support to reduce income inequality and expand economic opportunity?
We need a government that serves working people instead of giant corporations by: closing tax loopholes that billionaires and corporations exploit, raising the corporate tax, raising the tax on corporate stock buybacks, passing a cost-of-living tax cut, and incentivizing raising wages by creating a tax on corporations that pay their top executives more than 250 times their median worker’s salary.
Balance of Power
What specific actions would you take to protect the Constitution’s system of checks and balances?
I will prioritize legislation to cap campaign contributions at every level of government, ban dark money groups and super PACs, and ban partisan gerrymandering so that every American has an equal say in our politics and our policymaking. I will outlaw Congressional stock trading and impose term limits on Supreme Court Justices and Members of Congress — and hold them to high ethical standards.
Healthcare
What specific steps would you take to make healthcare more affordable for American families?
In the legislature, I capped insulin at $25 and imported cheaper drugs into the US. As Senator, I’ll ensure every American can access a public healthcare option, cap copays for more prescription drugs, protect reproductive care, save rural hospitals, and break up the healthcare monopolies driving up prices. I’ll protect Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act and fully fund the VA.
Voting Rights
What voting rights legislation would you support to ensure voters’ ability to participate in our democratic processes?
In the Legislature, I broke quorum twice to fight back against gerrymandering and defend the freedom to vote. In the Senate, I will cap campaign contributions, ban dark money groups and super PACs, and ban partisan gerrymandering so that every American has an equal say in our politics and our policymaking. We must also pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to protect our right to vote.
