About this response & our editorial approach
About this candidate response
DutyStation contacts candidates to ask whether and how they support service members, military families and veterans, and invites them to share their thoughts and priorities. We share their replies here in the candidate’s or campaign’s own words, with minor formatting for readability and correction of obvious spelling mistakes.
No endorsement in either direction. Publishing a reply does not mean DutyStation endorses the candidate. Replying does not mean the candidate or campaign endorses DutyStation.
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Organized by topic. Email greetings and sign-offs are omitted; campaign contact details appear alongside.
Military-family experience
- I was raised in an Army household, my dad was a CWO3; my husband is a Navy veteran, my daughter a Marine veteran, and I was a ship's volunteer Navy Ombudsman for 300+ sailor's families.
Government shutdown and cooperation
- I oppose a shutdown in 2027. I've lived on the receiving end of one. When pay stops, a military family doesn't get a pause on rent, groceries, or the car payment. We got through on Navy Federal loans and local work, and no family should have to do that because Washington couldn't finish its job.
- If Democrats win a chamber, I'd work with the administration on a clean, on-time funding path. Appropriations should be scrutinized line by line, but never used as leverage against people in uniform. I'd also back a standing rule that military pay, VA care and benefits, and survivor payments continue automatically if a deadline is missed.
- If a shutdown happens anyway, I'd push to:
- Keep paychecks, allowances, and VA payments flowing without delay.
- Keep base daycare, commissaries, and VA clinics open.
- Give families a point of contact. As a ship's ombudsman, I know a family in crisis needs a person to call, not a website.
- Link affected families to Legion and VFW posts, VSO offices, and emergency relief.
Quality of life
- Quality of life is a genuine concern. I found that military families know moves are inevitable. With every move, re-establishing daily norms becomes easier and easier. We get to know each other and develop family-like bonds quickly, something civilians will never understand, network and move forward. Having a reliable network, with easy access: a home-away-from-home office, at every base is important.
- Pay: Keep pay competitive and tied to real housing and cost-of-living costs. Junior enlisted families shouldn't need assistance programs. We had to pay for our own moves when we were below E6.
- Healthcare: Shorten TRICARE waits and keep family care available at every duty station, including rural and overseas posts.
- Childcare: Base daycare saved us. I'd expand capacity and hours, cut wait lists, and support in-home providers where a base can't meet the need.
- Spouse employment: Portable professional licenses across states, remote and flexible work options, hiring preference programs, and partnerships with local employers and military-friendly businesses.
- Frequent moves: We made six moves in eight years. That costs a family jobs, school continuity, and savings. I'd reduce unnecessary moves, give families more notice, fully reimburse moving costs to every rank, and make school and childcare transfers smoother by initiating portable education portals, with greater networking by a localized base-oriented moving agency specifically geared like a Chamber of Commerce, but for bases.
Veterans’ care
- Timely care: Build satellite VA clinics off the main facilities, linked with VSO offices anchored to support from Legion and VFW groups. I would also place VA clinics inside existing public clinics and hospitals, negotiating space and sharing resources rather than keeping VA separate from the civilian system. That reaches veterans where they live and avoids building new facilities from scratch.
- Mental health: Small, dynamic facilities with walk-in and residential options and one-on-one care, not hospital-size operations where oversight breaks down. Pair real psychologists with psychiatry. Veterans' families need access too.
- Disability benefits: Cut the claims backlog with faster processing. This is where AI tools could have a greater benefit. Promote easier and clearer communication by updating software models that rate with private medical models, and make VSO offices a front door for filing.
- Transition: Start planning well before separation, with job placement, licensing credit for military training, and a named contact after discharge. Offer courses in separation, not just for the member, but for families too. Those changes are extremely stressful, especially if a member doesn't have readily available family to take them in. Create a member "foster family" program through the local Legion and VFW groups. Give them a chance for success.
Family housing
- Availability and affordability: Make sure housing allowances track local markets, and expand supply near installations through new construction and partnerships.
- Maintenance: Set clear repair timelines and make landlords meet them. Families shouldn't do their own repairs, as we often did.
- Accountability: Independent inspections, a tenant bill of rights, and easy complaint channels without fear of retaliation. Private landlords who fail to fix unsafe conditions should face penalties, including withheld fees, without service members fearing eviction; that includes during deployments.
- Unsafe housing: Treat mold, lead, asbestos, and safety hazards as emergencies, and provide temporary housing at no cost to the family while repairs are made. That temporary housing should be suitable for the size of the family, with access close for needed services.
Support for service members and veterans
- I am a strong, vigilant supporter of all active duty military and veterans.
ELECTION REFLECTIONS · IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Looking ahead to Election Day
Brief answers to DutyStation’s questions about hope, America’s future, unity, the next generation and a closing message. The earlier policy answers and their received date remain above.
Hope heading into the election
- Canvassing, neighbors from all political sways are sharing honest conversations; they are tired of America being divided. The military and veteran families, who've publicly stood with this campaign, are reaching out for support already. They know I understand their needs. That kind of community conversation and support gives me hope.
Vision for America
- Strong, United, Practical
Bringing Americans together
- Our shared stake in America as the land of the free, caring for one another when hard times hit, and a drive to grow our economy in every sector, should bring us together. We can agree to disagree and still rebuild together.
The next generation
- I hope the next generation inherits an America where our flag is respected and sacrifices understood that keep this country safe. A country with opportunity, healthy land, safe communities, and a sense of brotherhood, one to another, not a mountain of debt and division.
Closing message to voters
- As a prior Navy Volunteer Ombudsman, I've stood beside military families and seen what they give for this country. They deserve a representative who keeps promises to those who serve, from timely care and benefits to real opportunities given the knowledge utilized in their daily service life. I'd be honored to earn your vote and fight for our troops, veterans, and their families in Congress.