Why are you running now? And what makes you the right candidate for this moment?
I can give you three answers why I'm running. The first is, as a naval officer, my last assignment was to the State of Nevada, where I was selected by the Navy to be the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer. Where I bridged the Department of Defense with FEMA, the National Guard, the Emergency Operations Center, and other city and county emergency managers. And I found that job to be most rewarding, because I had a direct mission to the state, where I was no longer wearing my uniform as a warrior, but I was actually working directly with the state. It was so rewarding. I want to continue that service to the state. At the state level, our Congressional District 2 is very large and diverse. And because of that, they all have political and economic interests that require a strong voice in Washington, DC. On the national level, the one issue that's not being discussed and needs to be is our national debt. We're approaching $39 trillion in debt. And every second I'm talking to you and your audience, is another $50,000 to $60,000 tagged onto that debt.
What do you think is the top issue? And what is your plan to address it if elected?
I just gave you one, I think, is one of the top issues that has to be addressed. And it carries on to other things that are going on, too, in Washington, DC. There's a lot of good ideas out there that never hit the debate. And that's part of the problem. We end up with political outcomes and not practical solutions. My background is as a combat pilot, commanding officer, as an operational test pilot. I've learned to look at things where you identify the problem and you identify practical solutions.
How will you represent the entire district from the urban areas to the rural and tribal parts of Northern Nevada?
Geographically, it's a very large congressional district. I've driven it twice already. I've got at least two or three more times I've got to hit it out there, because it's so diverse economically and politically. The challenges in the rural counties are much different than some of the things we have in the more urban areas. For example, the health care issues and the housing issues are a little different out in the rural counties. In the East, it's supply. Here, it's finding the land to build on. So those are very different challenges, but there's always one common denominator. And that is our interest rates for people to get into the homes. It's another obstacle that they have to face in their early lives where we have these high interest rates and supply of housing challenges that are preventing them from getting into the housing market.
