I live in Bar Nunn, Wyoming. I have lived here or just outside of town for the majority of my life, minus a few years I lived in Casper. I was born in California but raised in Wyoming, as I have lived in Wyoming since I was 2 years old. That marks 20 years living in Wyoming

I will be 22 years old on Election Day.

I am a student and lifelong Wyomingite. I have a BA degree in Political Science from UW and 3 AA degrees in Secondary Education, Political Science, and History from Casper College. My teaching and academic experience includes being a writing tutor, teaching via community presentations, 260 hours of teacher practicum/residency teaching experience, attending conferences on pedagogy, co-running an academic journal, engaging in extensive research, and more. My political experience includes bylaws writing, committee work, recruitment efforts, party strategic planning, running two of my own campaigns, serving as an officer of a county political party, running official social media, managing websites, collecting data, interning for a U.S. Senator, co-planning a national political conference, serving on Casper College Student Senate, presenting at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, being an ACFR Young Leader, coordinating extensive political activities, and more.

There are many issues impacting all Wyomingites: a lack of educational and job opportunities, young people leaving the state, issues of affordability, a sense of hopelessness, a lack of progress, and increasing division. These challenges, combined with cuts to essential services, uncertainties around emerging technologies, issues of equality and access, and more, require pro-active approaches. I would address these challenges by putting Wyoming First and fighting to move Wyoming Forward. We need a Wyoming vision of progress, principles, and passion in politics. I believe in listening to the community, fighting for people-centered solutions, accountability, and looking out for those among us who are struggling. I recognize that issues are rarely simply black and white, and understanding nuance is required to make real change last. I’m committed to working on real, lasting solutions that move our state forward, not throwing out buzzwords and empty promises to see what sticks.

The Legislature can halt and reverse its efforts to implement unnecessary funding cuts that impact essential services. The Legislature can explore new ways of raising funds to use for funding essential services. For example one idea is, instead of cutting property taxes for those who are vastly wealthy and able to afford it, the Legislature could tax the purchase of new homes worth many millions, tax the building of multi-million dollar data center and nuclear projects, and use the money from that to fund healthcare programs, rural hospitals, ambulance services, and keep hospitals afloat. Additionally, right now, many people fall through the cracks of coverage. Without dependents or the ability to secure a good job in an historically difficult job market, many age out of coverage and don’t make enough to qualify for good ACA plans. The Legislature could finally join the rest of the nation and expand Medicaid so that more low-income childless adults can be eligible for coverage.

Public lands belong in public hands. End of story. The only trustworthy steward of public lands is the public. Selling or exchanging public lands to private entities will limit public accessibility, damage the environment, and erode the land's quality. That is a net-negative for all Wyomingites. The public should be able to use public land for recreation, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. For-profit industries will not treat public land the same. I cannot identify a justifiable reason for selling mass swaths of public lands. The Legislature should reject any effort to sell or transfer swaths of public lands, especially when there is no good or defensible reason for doing so. I plan to support efforts to protect public lands and demand accountability for how those lands are managed. Science, facts, and the people should lead the discussion around public lands, not corporations and profit.

It's true that many people are being crushed by the weight of property taxes. The answer, though, is not to slash taxes without considering the after effects. Further, it most certainly is not to give a tax break to those who have more than enough money to pay a fair share. As such, the Legislature should: prioritize only cutting property taxes for those of lower income levels; explore ways to raise tax revenue through corporations or other earners who are in very high income levels; and reject any effort to broadly reduce property taxes unless a secure, alternative funding model for important programs can be implemented in its place. The state has to cover all bases - backfilling cost if necessary. In Natrona County, the education budget is especially impacted by property tax relief. A balance between relief and funding is possible. Blanket cuts without thinking ahead do not create balance, they create destruction.

The Legislature has an important role to play. One of these is to support state agencies designed to promote economic development, such as the Wyoming Business Council. Instead of threatening to defund the Council, the Legislature should support its mission and find other ways to promote economic growth and diversity. For example, the Legislature could support an all-of-the-above energy approach to diversify Wyoming’s energy economy and ensure more stable funding for essential services. The Legislature has the opportunity right now to take advantage of tech and energy companies’ desires to do business in the state. The Legislature should support regulations to protect communities, let communities choose if they want facilities in their area, and where facilities are built create tax and regulation models that responsibly bolster Wyoming’s funding and economic landscape. The state should promote competition, ensure new business actually benefits the state, and never write blank checks.

My values regarding campaign donations are simple: The people, not donors, come first – always. A legislator’s job is not to serve donors or be beholden to money, and they should never accept donations in the active performance of their jobs. I think our entire campaign finance system as a country needs reform. Money plays far too large a role in politics. Wyoming has historically been insulated from the money-problem in politics, but that is changing. That is why I support efforts like The Montana Plan (montanaplan.org), which uses Montana’s authority to define what powers corporations get and stops giving them the power to spend in state politics. I would like to explore how Wyoming can do something similar to limit the influence of corporate donations on politicians, making whatever changes necessary to stop corporate and dark money. Transparency is key, but limiting the influence of money is foundational.