Issue Position: Fighting for Every Oregonian

Issue Position

Now more than ever, we need leaders who will go to battle for all of us, not just the loudest or wealthiest among us. The most recent census shows that Oregonians are more likely to turn to food stamps to feed their families than any other state in the nation. Many of these are people who never imagined themselves needing food stamps, until a job loss, medical emergency, or foreclosure hit too close to home. Our neighbors are hurting and we must do more to get Oregon families back on their feet.

Unemployment rates for veterans are soaring. Police officers and firefighters frequently can't afford to live in the communities they serve. Middle class families are penny pinching to pay for tutors or private schools because public schools don't reach their kids. The working poor are relying on food banks more heavily than ever before.

In the legislature, I will go to battle for more and stable funding for k-12 education and retraining programs for veterans and workers who have been laid off. I will fight for policies that honor our communities' heroes -- police, firefighters, teachers, and veterans. They stick their necks out for us, I'll stick my neck out for them.

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