Lowering the burden on working families — not adding to it.

Too many people in our community are struggling to make ends meet. The rising cost of groceries, utilities, rent, fuel, and health care is squeezing all of us. As a mother of two — even in a two-income home — I understand firsthand how real that squeeze is.

My focus is simple: lower the burden on working families. Right now our tax system is upside down, with working and middle-class families paying a far higher share of their income than the wealthiest do. I'll fight to fix that so relief goes to the people who need it most. No one should have to choose between rent and groceries, or seeing a doctor and paying the bills.

Good jobs close to home and a real partner for local business.

A strong economy in the 35th means good jobs close to home and small businesses that can afford to grow. Our family businesses, tradespeople, farmers, and entrepreneurs are the backbone of our communities, and they deserve a partner in Olympia.

I've delivered on this. I helped secure funding for the first USDA-certified meat processing facility in Western Washington — a public-private partnership that supports local ranchers and strengthens our regional economy. I've championed a Community Workforce Agreement for our new county courthouse to ensure public projects create good local jobs and apprenticeships. As your Senator, I'll keep state investment tied to local workers, cut unnecessary red tape for small businesses, and expand career and technical training so our young people can build good lives right here at home.

Build more homes, protect local control, keep families rooted here.

Everyone should be able to live and work in the community they grew up in. But for too long, skyrocketing housing costs have made that impossible — forcing seniors out of their homes and pushing young people to leave in order to start families.

We don't build enough housing, at enough price points, to meet the need. I'll cut the red tape and permitting delays that stall construction, while protecting local control over what development looks like in each community. That means more workforce housing, more starter homes, more senior housing, and more affordable rentals — built responsibly, in the places we need them most, with the infrastructure to support them.

Reliable roads, broadband, water, and ferries — no community left behind.

You can't build a strong economy or a healthy community on crumbling infrastructure. Across the 35th, aging roads, unreliable broadband, and stretched water systems are holding us back — and rural areas have too often been left at the back of the line.

I serve on the County Road Administration Board, so I know firsthand what deferred maintenance costs us down the road. I'll fight for dedicated preservation funding to keep our roads and bridges safe, expand broadband so rural families and businesses aren't left behind, and invest in the water and utility systems that make housing and growth possible. I also understand how essential our ferries are to Kitsap and Mason communities, and I'll push for the reliable, affordable service our residents depend on every day.

Keep rural hospitals open and bring costs down.

Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care — full stop. But in too many parts of my district, hospital closures mean people drive hours to reach an emergency room or see a specialist. And even where care is close, the cost can be as big of a barrier as the distance.

As Chair of my county's Board of Health and our Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization, I've seen these gaps up close — and I know they hit rural communities hardest. I'll fight to keep our rural hospitals open, address the shortage of doctors and nurses, and expand behavioral health and addiction treatment services. We need real cost relief — including capping prescription drug prices and protecting the coverage people already have. And I'll always work to keep reproductive health care safe, legal, and accessible here in Washington.

Keeping our promises to veterans and military families.

The 35th is home to thousands of veterans and military families who have given so much for our country. They deserve a state that gives back.

Too many veterans return home and struggle to access the care and services they've earned — especially mental and behavioral health care. Through my work chairing our Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization, I understand how critical it is to close those gaps. As your Senator, I'll expand access to behavioral health services for veterans, connect them with good jobs and training that value their skills, and make sure the promises we make to those who serve are promises we actually keep.

Standing up for the farmers, ranchers, and producers who feed us.

Farming, ranching, timber, and shellfish aren't just industries in the 35th — they're a way of life that has sustained our communities for generations. But our producers face real pressures: rising costs, aging infrastructure, and policies too often written without them in mind.

I've shown up for our working lands. Securing funding for the first USDA-certified meat processing facility in Western Washington means our local ranchers no longer have to haul livestock across the mountains just to reach market. That's the kind of practical investment that keeps rural economies strong. I'll protect our farmland and natural resources, support local food systems, and make sure the people who work the land have a real seat at the table.

A quality education for every child, in every zip code.

Every child in the 35th deserves a quality education, no matter their zip code. But too many of our rural schools are stretched thin — struggling with funding gaps, teacher shortages, and aging facilities, while some communities are asked to do more with less.

I'll fight to make sure the state fully meets its responsibility to fund public education fairly, so a child's opportunities aren't determined by how wealthy their district is. Education also has to prepare kids for real futures — which means investing in career and technical education, apprenticeships, and vocational training that lead to good-paying jobs right here at home, not just a four-year degree. When we invest in our kids, we invest in the future of our whole community.

Responsible growth, clean water, and wildfire-ready communities.

We need a community where our families can live, work, and thrive for generations. As wildfire risk grows year after year, we can't afford to be reactive — we need real investment in prevention and preparedness to protect our neighborhoods, our farmland, and the people who work it. And as our community grows, that growth must be shaped by the people who actually live here, not dictated from the outside — with clean water and clean air protected for the next generation.

Putting survivors first — because I've been one.

Public safety isn't an abstract debate to me. I know what it means to navigate a system that too often fails the people it's supposed to protect.

That's why my focus starts with victims and survivors. I'll fight for robust, sustained funding for domestic violence and sexual assault victim services — the shelters, advocates, and support systems that give survivors a real path to safety. I'll champion dedicated resources for the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women, which has gone unaddressed for far too long across our district. And I'll ensure survivors have access to the legal support, housing, and economic stability they need to rebuild — because safety and security are inseparable.

Keeping our communities safe also means making sure our first responders have the funding and training they need, that our response to the addiction crisis is effective and centered on treatment, and that we protect responsible gun owners while passing common-sense safety laws — like safe storage and extreme risk protections — that keep weapons out of the hands of those who would harm themselves or others.