The term “defund the police” should never be used again. I will continue to support our brave men and women, because they help keep our communities safe. Many in the media and politics have chosen to demonize police and create a national narrative against police. That is wrong. We have seen a significant spike in violent crime ever since the campaign started against our law enforcement. Police officers are members of our communities. They went to school with us, they shop in our grocery stores, and they are our neighbors. Children should never be led to believe that the people who keep our streets safe are our enemies. I will work to change the national narrative about police and support our law enforcement. Our communities are not safe without them.
Inflation is soaring, gas prices are soaring, housing prices are soaring, the only thing that is not rising is confidence that anything will change with the current leadership. The coronavirus did not shut down our economy. Short sighted policies in response to the virus shut down our economy and kept it shut far longer than the science dictated. Democrats seem to think that we should pump more money into the economy with more government programs. That is how we got into the financial mess to start, and it is wrong. We do not need more government intervention; we need less government interference.
We also have to stop the nonsense that Americans should live on a minimum wage. The value of a person is not determined by the wage they earned, yet that is the current rhetoric. We used to believe that a minimum wage was just a start, because we also believe in the potential of the American worker. We no longer do that. The push for a living minimum wage is bad for small businesses, it is bad for entry level workers, and it limits the potential of American workers. A fair wage, however, one that is dependent on skill and scarcity will help stabilize our economy and create incentives that will unleash American potential. I know what it took to take a poor kid like me from being one of the first in line on a Saturday morning to get a good coat from the Salvation Army, to graduating with degrees in Biology and History, graduating from a top 40 law school, hosting my own daily political talk radio show to now running for the US Congress. It was not more government programs or a higher minimum wage.
Parents have every right to be involved in their children’s education, and our children deserve a great education. The last two years have taught us that neither of those things are happening. We are excluding parents from schools, and some radical organizations have even called us “domestic terrorists.” The U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland even issued a memorandum on October 4, 2021 directing the FBI to coordinate with local entities to investigate what they deemed “criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.” This is WRONG. I have a daughter in the first grade and another daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall. I understand this battle, and I am right there with you. I will fight to ensure that parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education.
Further, we are failing to prepare our children for the future. Recent test scores show that students are falling far behind in reading, writing, and math. The purpose of school is to educate our children. If the curriculum is failing to do that then the curriculum and those pushing the failed plan need to change.
We also need to make it clear that trades ARE higher education. The skills necessary to be an electrician, welder, carpenter, plumber, etc. are incredibly valuable. My father and brother are both welders, and although I chose a different profession, I learned how to weld too. These skills are very important in our society, and they are desperately seeking students. These skills can also lead to very high paying professions, and small business ownership. We should broaden our definition of higher education to include trades, and encourage students with an aptitude to pursue these professions.
I have solar panels on my roof, and also drive a gas-powered vehicle. I will fight to make sure that all our energy options are considered and that we achieve energy independence.
America should be leading the world in clean energy production that includes cleaner domestic oil rather than scrambling desperately hoping another country will produce the energy Americans need. Furthermore, President Biden is wrong; no American should have to choose between higher gas prices and fighting back against a tyrannical dictator like Vladimir Putin. His failed Build Back Better plan focused almost $600 billion on things like electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines which are less accessible to most middle- and lower-income Americans. Meanwhile, the President’s plan all but ignored nuclear energy which results in zero carbon emissions, and cleaner natural gas production, as well as domestic crude oil. We cannot take an all or nothing approach. We need to include things like wind and solar, while also being realistic about the cost and accessibility to every day Americans.
I grew up in an area that offered graduating seniors two main choices, join the workforce or join the military. Our military is the greatest fighting force in the world, and it is also made up of our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends, and neighbors. My husband was one of those soldiers. His experience as a Captain in the US Army infantry - which included leading soldiers in combat operations for a year and a half in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom - further influenced my interest in national security and protecting our military and veterans. I will work to ensure that our military continues to be the elite fighting force in the world, without forgetting the men and women who make up our military. I will work to improve healthcare for our military, our veterans and their families. I have lost three friends who were former military members to suicide. No family should have to endure that pain, especially when we have some of the best mental health treatment right here in America. I will work to ensure that our military members have the access to the mental health resources that they need. Our military fights for us, and I will fight for them in Congress.
“Are you pro-life or pro-choice?” That’s a question I hear a lot on the campaign trail. Everyone wants an answer, but not enough want an explanation.
To me, this question ignores the complicated decisions made by women all over the country. Most adult Americans understand that life is complex. We rationalize our decisions and tend to reject extremes. This is why most Americans do not favor completely banning abortions, nor do they favor late-term abortions.
Because of this, I believe the conversation must leave the courtroom. The longer we fight this battle in court, the less time we have to focus on solutions that support women and lessen the number of abortions.
If we can put a man on the moon, we can put safe, effective and affordable birth control on our store shelves. We must improve sex education, and the sooner we fix the costly adoption process and improve the broken foster care system, the sooner they can be seen as real solutions to an unplanned pregnancy.
I want to be perfectly clear on this point: I do not believe abortion to be the answer. I do have real concerns about efforts to downplay the weight of this decision and the health risks of the practice. I’m the mother of two beautiful girls. I’m a Christian. These are permanent, immutable pieces of who I am. They are the things that define me as a person.
The thing that defines me as a Republican and a conservative, and the passion that drives me toward public service, is the unshakable belief we should be free from government involvement in our day-to-day lives and that we must uphold our Constitution. So, let’s break free from the broken debate. Kansas showed us that we can hold personal beliefs while staying committed to the work of limited-government overreach.
This position might not make me popular with the national Republican Party, nor with the far left wing of the Democrat Party. The truth is, both parties are broken, but my position more accurately represents the will of the people of Maryland.
I know the value of a growing human life. I’ve felt its kicks and hiccups and watched its heartbeat at 12 weeks. The struggle to save them is not in the courts. The struggle is finding a way to comfort the heart of a woman who sees that positive test result but cannot see a way forward. The struggle is helping everyone understand that different women face different situations and obstacles and have different beliefs.
I did not choose abortion, and I never will. But I will not make that decision for another woman, nor do I think the government should do it for her. I will, however, support her and love her no matter what decision she makes.
If, after reading all this, you are still looking for a simple label for a very complex position, then call me pro-women.
