Candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives - District 93 in 2026 North Carolina General Election.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.
Get StartedWe have neglected our teachers and students for far too many years. North Carolina consistently ranks low in the country in public education funding, per-student spending, and teacher pay. We need to immediately restore full funding to education and pay our teachers what they deserve. We need to stop the so-called “Opportunity Scholarship Program” that is diverting taxpayer dollars to wealthy families who are already sending their kids to private school. Our public school funding should be kept in public schools, not in private schools that are not held to the same education and reporting standards. Learn more
Healthcare costs across North Carolina continue to rise. North Carolina has the highest health care costs in the nation, according to a Forbes study. This is unacceptable, especially when our state government has the resources to expand medicaid coverage and help lower these costs. Rural areas like ours are the first affected by large cuts to healthcare funding, and rural hospitals are the first to be closed due to lack of funding. We have seen right here in Watauga County the effects, as our health department has had to lay off healthcare workers over the last several months. Our families and communities deserve access to affordable healthcare. Learn more
Our community members recognize that it has become too expensive to live in this area anymore. We must consider all possibilities to make living in the High Country affordable. There are many great initiatives currently underway. For example, the Watauga Housing Council has become a manufactured home provider and is already working with Watauga County, the Town of Boone, High Country COG, and Ashe County to address housing needs. We need collaborations like this, as well as help from the legislature, to ensure governments have all the tools and resources available so that people can afford to keep living in the High Country. Learn more
While every fund is being put to great use to help us rebuild, we still need more support from our governments. Most disasters are covered at 40-50% of the cost by now. We have continually had to advocate to the state and federal government for every dime. As members of the Governor’s WNC Task Force for Hurricane Recovery and the Watauga Long Term Recovery Group, we have been on the front lines, scraping for every dollar we can get from the public and private sectors. We have to realize this rebuild is going to take years, and we can’t just keep kicking the can down the road. We need real funding to finish rebuilding. Learn more
During Hurricane Helene, we saw how important it is that we invest in our emergency services in rural areas. That’s why, as a Watauga County Commissioner, I advocated for the new 911 center and ambulance base. It’s too expensive for a small county or town to purchase the necessary equipment and vehicles without state assistance. Our residents deserve the same right to fast, affordable care that larger cities across the state have access to. Learn more
Our state employees have been left behind for over a decade; this most recent state budget only begins to address these issues. Our teachers are short-staffed because their pay does not cover the work they complete, or keep up with the current financial needs of our economy. We have also seen a shortage in state law enforcement. Recent pay raises were given only to cover the large staffing gap we have seen across the state. We have seen the General Assembly use state employee pay as a bargaining chip too frequently, and that needs to change. Our state employees work hard to ensure that our state runs smoothly and safely, and they deserve to be treated with respect and paid fairly. Learn more
While the most recent budget gave teachers an average 8% raise, many of those increases are allocated to beginning teacher pay, leaving dedicated veteran teachers without adequate raises or stipends. This should be followed by the reinstatement of master’s pay, not only to reward those who have already earned these degrees, but to incentivize veteran teachers to continue their education. Learn more
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.