Why are you running now, and what makes you the right candidate for this moment?
I'm basically here as the happy warrior to make sure that every common day Nevada gets a seat at the table. I think I can also unite, not only within the Democratic Party, but win a plurality of the nonpartisans, and even pull off some Republicans that remember what it was like when their party was a party of principle rather than a party of one person. Nevada first, pocketbook issues, putting the country back on course under the Constitution. Folks know me from 2024, I'm even more fired up in 2026. This could be the seat that tips the balance in Congress, and I feel like I'm a really good candidate for getting that possibility to be a probability and for us to win in November.
What do you think is the top issue, and what is your plan to address it if elected?
Affordability. Everybody knows that, whether it's grocery prices, gas, housing and in particular, health care. I am a strong supporter of single payer, universal health care. I view it as a right, not a privilege. Other countries have figured it out. They spend less money on health care and have better outcomes. Money and the private sector, i.e., insurance companies, it's not a good mix for this industry. Everybody just pays a percent, like they do today, but that's all collected by the employer, but just goes directly into the fund, just like Social Security. There's just a certain amount that goes into your health care, and that's the pool out of which we pay for all the health care. And you don't do co-pays. The doctor doesn't collect money from you. They don't collect money from the insurance. They're just getting paid through a government stipend that pays for the hospitals, the doctors, and the equipment, and the pharmaceuticals. It's all paid for under a single scheme where that large party has the ability to negotiate with all the health care providers. People can still get private insurance on top of that, but nobody should worry they're going to get turned away.
How will you represent the entire district, from the urban areas to the rural and tribal parts of northern Nevada?
I'm actually an outdoor person. I do go to the city, but my life has been spent in communities with generally less than 150 houses, so it's no problem for me to get out to Elko. I'll be bringing a bike and continue to do my rural tours. Every vote there helps. You ask people in rural Nevada, 'What do you want?' And they said, 'We just want to be left alone.' And they say that, but they want their streets to work, the electrical grid, the internet to work, and they don't want to have to get in a helicopter when they have a health care problem. So, they don't want to be bothered by the federal government, but they need their basic services. I'll punch my ticket too in Reno and Carson City, but I'll be all around the state.
