Learn a little more about where I stand.
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
I have lived long enough to have bore witness to all sides of the healthcare system. Having been raised by modest means without health insurance coverage, in the 1980's and 1990's when I recall being nervous if there was a medical emergency, to working in corporate America and having access to full healthcare during my younger (and arguably healthier) years, to now, helping to run my family's small business where we offer the best healthcare we can, and now being a husband and a father of two and witnessing the crippling costs associated with just trying to live a safe and cautious life. Simply put, my family's medical insurance should NOT be our second highest household expense, only behind our mortgage payment. Further, the expenses that are incurred ON TOP of monthly premiums for basic appointments and procedures are just insult to injury. With the advances we have made in healthcare; especially those in our very own hometown where many come to seek the highest standard in medical care, we should not have to live in fear of bankruptcy when we need to access that healthcare. I will fully support a push towards a Medicare for All system, where we can reap the benefits of our ingenuity without fear of financial ruin, and where our innovative and brilliant medical research community can continue to thrive.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
This is one thing I will not budge on. I want to ensure that my daughter, and everyone's daughters, get to grow up in a place where they have the same freedoms and bodily autonomy rights that their MOTHERS and their GRANDMOTHERS had, at the very least. It's their body. It's their choice. Period. We shouldn't have to be taking this stand in 2026, but thanks to the rollback of federal laws, we must act at the state level to ensure we not only protect these fundamental human rights, but to continue fighting to expand upon them. Further, the civil and human rights of all Pennsylvanians must be protected. Whether it's the reproductive freedoms of our daughters, or the constitutional freedoms and due process deserving of our immigrant neighbors; all citizens of our commonwealth deserve dignity, respect, and the rights granted to them by our constitution.
SENSIBLE GUN LEGISLATION
It's well past the point of acknowledging that we have a gun violence problem in this country. Can we wave a magic wand and fix it? No. But can we take sensible steps in the right direction to help mitigate future lives lost; to make it less likely; to protect those who need us to take a stand and DO SOMETHING? Absolutely yes. My father lost his own father to gun violence when he was just 24 years old. I had just turned 4 years old. I grew up bearing witness to the damages inflicted on multiple generations of a family resulting from gun violence, even to this very day. I am also a responsible gun owner, and having grown up on a farm, understand the importance of responsible gun ownership. I am also a supporter of the second amendment and understand its purpose, perhaps now more than ever before. Two things can be true at the same time - we need to pass sensible gun legislation that protects everyone; from our very own children to our law enforcement officers.
IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE
I am a firm believer in the reinvestment of our hard-earned tax dollars back into our local economy for the benefit and betterment of the community. Our district covers a wide range of the north hills of Pittsburgh, some of which have seen rapid recent growth and an influx of businesses, new residents, and money. Others, such as the Route 8 corridor, have fallen victim to neglect and a lack of future planning. This roadway is a major artery to and from the City, and connects Pittsburgh to Butler and points farther north, and is home to generations of local residents who rely not only on the paved surface itself, but on the businesses who populate its borders. With targeted investments, improved safety measures, and a re-envisioned future of this corridor, the opportunities are endless for improving our local economy, our young drivers' safety, and our quality of life in better connecting our suburban neighborhoods to our city that we all call home.
GETTING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS
I stand firmly for getting money out of politics. Banning corporate gifts, placing limits on campaign contributions, and fighting against Citizens United to keep politics in our state for the people and BY the people, not by corporations and special interest groups, will help to make Pennsylvania's political landscape more accountable and will return bipartisan trust to our citizens. With overwhelming support, Pennsylvanians want to put an end to unchecked money influencing our political process and our state's legislation. It is unacceptable that 38 gift ban bills have been introduced and not passed in the last 25 years; this needs to change. We need to join the other 41 states with campaign contribution limits to show the people of our commonwealth that we can't be bought with unlimited campaign spending, and that we are committed to serving the people we represent. And finally, we need to reject Citizens United and ban the spending of corporate dark money in our political process. Simply put: people should decide political outcomes, not corporations.
VOTING RIGHTS
I will continue to foster the democratic process by helping to EXPAND access to voting, thereby increasing voting rights, rather than reduce voting access. I will fight against efforts like the SAVE Act, which are designed to alienate, discriminate, and disenfranchise voters. We need our democracy to be functional rather than dysfunctional, and I will work to empower all eligible Pennsylvanians to be involved and engaged in our voting.