My Priorities
Public Education
Carmel and Westfield have world-class public schools, which is why it's important to remember that Republicans in state government have consistently worked to defund our public education system. Let’s be clear: the hundreds of billions our state has spent on voucher programs for charter and private schools do little but make it easier for the already-rich to send their kids to private schools, while the rest of us deal with declining public schools. Furthermore, revenue cuts created by 2025’s SEA 1 have greatly constrained school budgets, while being expected to provide the same standards of education.
We cannot allow this decline in quality to happen to our local schools. As your state representative, I will fight to end our school voucher program which just gives subsidies to the rich. I will work to fund local governments and ensure schools have the resources they need to function well. I will work for higher salaries for teachers, so that teachers don’t need to pay out of pocket for classroom expenses. And I will work in a bipartisan manner to improve school safety and decrease absenteeism.
Affordable Childcare
Right now, families are paying far too much for childcare. Across Carmel, Westfield, and the rest of Indiana, struggling families are shelling out thousands for their kids’ daycare, even as the state decides not to issue any more childcare vouchers until 2027. Childcare is a basic necessity for families and should be affordable, not cost as much as a mortgage.
I believe Hoosier parents need a break. As state representative, I will do everything in my power to bring down childcare costs and make it affordable to raise a family in Carmel and Westfield. To accomplish this, I propose a statewide tri-share model similar to what Noble County has: the state government, and employer, and an employee each pay for one-third of the cost of childcare for that employee. This would reduce childcare costs by two-thirds for most families!
I also support universal Pre-K and expanded after-school programs. To pay for this, we would leverage our budget surplus while redirecting voucher program dollars into childcare support.
Criminal Justice Reform & Public Safety
Every citizen of Carmel and Westfield deserves to feel safe. As a community, we’ve made great strides toward this, but cannot ignore the crime that does happen. Furthermore: too many innocent people are in prison, and too many guilty people walk free.
As your state representative, I will champion policing augments such as mobile crisis response teams and deescalation training to make our communities safer, while working in a bipartisan manner to ensure that no criminals are exploiting our bail system and getting out unfairly.
Our Carmel & Westfield Police Departments do a wonderful job keeping our district safe. As a member of the Carmel Citizen Police Academy, I know the important work of these law enforcement members, and I pledge to ensure they are fully funded and have the resources they need to keep us safe.
Data Centers & Artificial Intelligence
The invention of AI and the rise of data centers necessitate bringing forward-thinking people into the state legislature. I am hearing concerns from district residents that if data centers come to Hamilton County, we could see our water and electricity bills skyrocket, while long-term AI adoption could threaten thousands of jobs across the district.
I will work to pass legislation that ensures data centers have to provide their own water and pay for all of the electricity they use in full. We cannot allow data centers to privatize their profits while socializing high electricity and water costs. Furthermore, I will seek to repeal bad legislation and return rightful control of the location of data centers to our local governments. I will also champion job creation in the district and fight to prevent any job loss due to AI adoption.
Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience
Climate change is real. We’ve seen hotter summers, colder winters, and more extreme weather. It’s slow-moving, but we can’t ignore it.
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And it’s not just climate change - pollution is a serious problem for our state. Indiana consistently ranks 50th in the nation for water quality, which is an unacceptable reality.
On the state level, we have to grow our existing green energy sector, and research alternatives like nuclear power. I pledge to work to close all polluting coal plants and shrink our excessive reliance on fossil fuels, as well as improve our water quality standards. This will improve our water & air quality, lower our utility rates, and ensure a clean future for our kids.
Gun Safety
As a longtime Moms Demand Action supporter–being a mom demanding action myself–I absolutely believe in gun safety and legislating a balance between 2nd Amendment rights and the safety of all in our district.
At the Statehouse, I will support gun safety bills such as those filed by Rep. Gore to require safe storage and expand training. We also need to make sure illegal guns get off our streets and crack down on ghost guns that cannot be tracked.
Healthcare Costs
In Indiana, healthcare costs continue to be one of families’ biggest expenses. Those who are on Obamacare are seeing premiums rise. Those on Medicaid are seeing their coverage cut. And those who are in the private market are still getting squeezed by for-profit insurance companies that just act as middlemen.
As state representative, I will work tirelessly to ensure that families have access to affordable healthcare. Nearly three-quarters of all voters, Democrat or Republican, believe that the Indiana state government should do more to protect local hospitals. Meanwhile, our state government has chosen to cut Medicaid and fail to invest in small hospitals. That's unacceptable in my book.
Housing Affordability and Homelessness
Housing costs are too high. They are one of the main reasons why people who are born in this community don’t stay and put roots down here–it is simply too expensive to live here. Rent is too high; mortgages are too high. Many of the people who work full-time in Carmel can’t afford to live here.
If elected, I will work across the aisle to increase our housing stock and cap rent increases. We must build more affordable workforce housing, while keeping our neighborhoods' characters intact. And for those who find themselves homeless, I’ll work to pursue compassionate solutions that get individuals back on their feet.
Political Reform
Our nation is built upon a democratic system of checks and balances. We cannot tolerate extremism, and we must embrace common-sense solutions to improve the way our political system functions.
As state representative, I will support ballot initiatives, ensuring that everyday Hoosiers have a say in how their government is run; and I will support the end of straight-ticket voting, to require legislators to actually campaign and win votes from their communities, rather than relying on party identification alone. And I'll oppose any partisan schemes, such as redistricting, from Republicans in the state legislature.
Property Taxes & Fiscal Policy
Since the passing of SB1 in 2025, our property tax system has been a mess. “Fiscally conservative” Republicans who set out to “fix” our property tax system last year ended up decimating our local budgets while doing little to actually deliver tax relief for those who need it.
As state representative, I will work across the aisle to balance municipal funding with tax relief for those who need it. Nobody should be burdened by taxes to the point where it becomes a detriment to their lives and their community.
Reproductive Rights
Let’s be clear: Indiana’s abortion ban goes beyond just banning abortions. It prevents women from getting lifesaving healthcare and scares women into not having families. Republican legislation has led to a reality where Hoosier women tell me they are scared to get pregnant because they realize that they might not be able to get the care they need. Republican legislation has led to the closures of rural maternity wards. Republican legislation has led to an affordability crisis, where even women who want children often simply can’t afford to have them. Republican legislation has led to declining public schools and quality of life, where many women don’t feel like their kids will have a good quality of life.
As state representative, I will fight tooth and nail for a repeal of Indiana’s abortion ban. We can have common-sense abortion restrictions while ensuring that women can make decisions about their own bodies. A woman’s health should be a discussion between herself, her doctor, and God. It should not be a decision that Mike Braun and Todd Huston get to make.
Furthermore, I will support every woman’s right to IVF and contraception. Access to contraception, comprehensive sex education in schools, and affordable housing and childcare will ACTUALLY reduce the number of abortions that are happening, rather than trying to control women’s bodies.
Voting Rights and Election Access
Our democracy is built upon participation. As CEO of a nonprofit, I give my staff a half-day to vote. That’s how much I care about their political participation. And in a state like Indiana that consistently ranks near the bottom of the list for voter participation, we should making voting easier, not harder. At the Statehouse, I will fight to expand our citizens’ participation in the political process by expanding early voting hours, moving to the vote center model, and making Election Day a state holiday.