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.
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Organized by topic. Email greetings and sign-offs are omitted; campaign contact details appear alongside.
Service and priorities
- My family’s military service goes back to the Revolution. My grandfather stormed Normandy and earned a second Purple Heart in Korea. I believe anyone willing to put their name on the line to protect America and American values deserves to be treated with dignity. Yet our country spends nearly $1 trillion a year on defense while too many veterans fight just to get the care and benefits they earned. That’s a question of priorities, and I intend to change them. I’m all in on protecting those who protect us.
Government shutdown and cooperation
- I oppose government shutdowns and would work to prevent one. Shutdowns waste taxpayer money, disrupt services Americans rely on, and put the heaviest burden on people who had no say in the fight, including men and women in uniform. I won’t pretend I’ll agree with every funding bill that comes before me. But my goal will always be to keep the government open while we work out our differences.
- I am running as an independent candidate, beholden to neither party. If Democrats win control of one or both chambers, I’ll push to start budget negotiations early and pass funding bills on time instead of governing from one deadline to the next. When agreement takes longer, I’ll support short-term funding to keep the government open while talks continue. I’ll work with the administration and with members of both parties to get a budget done.
- If a shutdown does happen, service members and their families should never pay the price for Washington’s failure. If talks break down, I’ll push to fund our military separately so service members never become pawns in a political fight. I will support legislation guaranteeing that military pay continues during any lapse in funding, and that the civilian personnel who support our troops are protected too. I’ll also fight to keep veterans’ benefits and care from interruption. When someone signs up to serve, our country makes them a promise. A budget fight in Congress is no excuse to break it.
Quality of life
- Taking care of service members means taking care of their whole lives, not just their time in uniform. My priorities are simple: no one who serves should struggle to feed their family, find a doctor, or keep a job because of the sacrifices military life demands.
- Pay: Our most junior enlisted members carry real responsibility, and their pay should reflect it. I’ll support raises targeted at the lower enlisted ranks so no service member’s family has to rely on food assistance to get by.
- Healthcare: Military families should be able to get timely appointments without long waits or long drives. I’ll push to strengthen access to care through TRICARE, especially for families stationed in rural and underserved areas.
- Childcare: Parents shouldn’t have to choose between serving and caring for their kids. I’ll support expanding on-base childcare and making off-base care more affordable, so families aren’t stuck on waitlists for months.
- Spouse employment: Military spouses give up careers every time their family moves. I’ll work to make professional licenses portable across state lines and support programs that help spouses find work quickly after a move.
- Frequent moves: Families shouldn’t lose money because the military told them to relocate. I’ll push for moving allowances that cover real costs, better oversight of moving contractors, and safe, well-maintained military housing.
- When someone answers the call to serve, their family serves too. I’ll make sure Congress treats them that way.
Veterans’ care
- Mental health is health. We need to stop treating it as something separate from physical care, and nowhere is that more urgent than for our veterans. Too many come home carrying wounds no one can see, and they deserve care that’s as fast and serious as treatment for any injury.
- Timely care: No veteran should wait months for an appointment. I’ll push to hire and keep more VA doctors and staff, and to make sure veterans can get care in their own communities when the VA can’t see them in time.
- Mental health: I’ll support expanding mental health services, including same-day crisis care, more counselors, and outreach to veterans who haven’t sought help yet. Getting help should never carry a stigma or a waitlist.
- Disability benefits: Veterans shouldn’t have to fight their own government to get the benefits they earned. I’ll work to cut the backlog of claims, speed up decisions, and make the appeals process simpler and fairer.
- Transition to civilian life: Leaving the military shouldn’t mean being left on your own. I’ll support stronger job placement and training programs, and make it easier for military skills and certifications to count in civilian careers.
- My grandfather earned two Purple Hearts. He made it back to the United States after Korea, but he never really came home to us. The wars stayed with him until he died. I’ll fight to make sure no veteran’s family loses them that way.
Family housing
- Military families shouldn't have to fight mold, pests, or broken heating in the homes our country provides them. Problems with privately managed military housing have been documented for years, and families too often get excuses instead of repairs.
- My first priority is accountability. Housing companies that fail to fix unsafe conditions should face real financial penalties, and families should be able to withhold rent and report problems without fear of retaliation. I'll push to fully enforce the protections Congress has already passed for military tenants and close the gaps that remain.
- Next, maintenance and availability. I'll support independent inspections, clear repair deadlines, and investment in building and renovating housing at bases where families face long waits or high off-base rents.
- My priorities come from listening to military families who’ve lived with these conditions and the public record of housing failures in recent years. When a family moves where our country sends them, the least we owe them is a safe home.