The North Country is defined by resilience, independence, community pride and unmatched natural beauty. Yet for too long, families across Northern New York have faced rising housing costs, stagnant wages, shrinking access to healthcare, higher utility prices, a declining workforce, and a growing sense that opportunity is slipping away. In short, our quality of life is declining.

May Day is a reminder that all of the rights that workers have today had to be fought for. Fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job aren’t luxuries; they’re the foundation of a just society and should be non-negotiable.

The world stands at a crossroads today, brought there by the United States and the decisions of this administration. While Iran posed a threat to a peaceful global order, it was not an imminent threat that justified plunging us into another war in the Middle East. That threat could have been contained and neutralized through cooperation with our allies and the broader international community, rather than by alienating them. And it could have been done without costing the American people billions of dollars each day, or the lives of so many, including our service members.

Those who know me well know that I have deep and lasting friendships within the Venezuelan community. Through those relationships, I have come to understand—personally and painfully—the brutality of life under Nicolas Maduro’s rule. In the aftermath of the recent U.S. military action inside Venezuela to arrest Maduro, I spoke first with trusted Venezuelan friends to hear their perspectives before finalizing my own.

Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued the following statement:

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

Good afternoon, and thank you all for having me here today and for allowing me to stand in solidarity with all of you and to share in your Pride.

I’d like to take just a few minutes this afternoon to share what I believe.

I believe that the government has no role, no right, and no authority in matters of who we choose to love or how we choose to express ourselves. This is what I have long believed.

Sorrow. Suffering. Anguish. Pain. Despair. These emotions have become all too familiar in today’s America. It is difficult to look at our nation, a nation we all deeply love, and not feel frustrated and lost, saddened and disheartened by the rise of political violence, racism, injustice, and inequality that confronts us today. It is impossible to reflect on the events of January 6^th and on the many decisions being made by the current administration without recognizing that as a people and as a nation, we have fallen short of America’s promise and commitment to greatness.

What John Brown told his accusers that day in Virginia, he says to all of us here today with the enduring voice of history—that the plight of the dispossessed, the fear of those forgotten by the rule of law, of those betrayed by our failure to uphold American ideals—he tells us that their shackles are our shackles and that their fight for freedom and justice must be our fight as well.  

The American healthcare system has a stranglehold on the American worker. It restricts job mobility, limits career advancement, and suppresses wage growth as costs continue to spiral out of control. The immense financial burden placed on individuals and families generates constant stress, uncertainty, and hardship. There is no meaningful path to improving the lives of American workers without finally confronting our broken healthcare system.

Improving healthcare access and affordability in Northern New York is both an economic necessity and a moral imperative. Our healthcare system is increasingly strained and often unable to meet residents' needs. Although this crisis affects all Northern New York residents, it disproportionately impacts low-income families, senior citizens, veterans, and individuals living in remote areas.

As in so many areas across our state and nation, Northern New York has been facing a severe affordable housing crisis that has resulted in the hollowing out of our communities as long-time residents are forced to out-migrate and new, prospective young families are unable to afford the cost of housing.  The effects of this crisis wear on the entire fabric of our communities..

Supporting universal childcare is fundamentally a workers’ rights issue. When access to affordable, reliable childcare is limited, workers—especially parents—are forced to make impossible choices between earning a living and caring for their children. In rural northern New York, these challenges are even more acute: long distances between towns, a shortage of licensed childcare providers, and limited public transportation make consistent care difficult to secure. This constraint weakens workers’ bargaining power in the labor market, often pushing them into lower-paying, less stable jobs with fewer benefits. Universal childcare helps correct this imbalance by giving workers the freedom to participate fully in the workforce without sacrificing their family responsibilities.

Few areas of government better illustrate the repeated failure of our major political parties to reach a compromise than our broken and flawed approach to immigration policy.  This ongoing failure stems from a mix of opposing ideologies, political strategy, and entrenched stubbornness.  

America is a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, and these two facts are not in conflict. We must secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. That is not a question. The question is whether the agency currently doing so is fit for that purpose, and whether the way it operates reflects who we are as Americans. The answer to both questions is no.

For far too long, we’ve been told that the answers to our problems must come from Washington. I don’t believe that’s true. Washington cannot—and should not—be expected to solve the challenges facing our communities.

Real solutions start at the local level. The strength of Northern New York lies in its civic organizations, community groups, nonprofits, houses of worship, businesses, and neighborhood networks—people who are working every day to support their neighbors and tackle real issues head-on. Here and across the country, local groups are leading the way in solving local challenges, such as expanding affordability and access to healthcare, housing, childcare, and eldercare, to name just a few.

Washington does have an important role to play—but not as the primary problem-solver. Its responsibility should be to support local efforts, provide resources, and empower communities to develop solutions that reflect their unique needs.

I’m running for Congress to restore that balance—and to make sure Washington starts working for us.

The framers of the Constitution confronted what has come to be known as Madison's Dilemma, one of the most enduring tensions in democratic governance. Madison was deeply concerned with how we can limit government power to preserve individual rights and prevent tyranny, while also creating a government with sufficient power to accomplish its goals. The Constitution's system of checks and balances is the primary mechanism for managing that tension. Madison argued that securing liberty from concentrated power requires giving those in other branches and departments the constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments by others. Ambition, Madison wrote, must be made to counteract ambition. 

It is time for the ultra-wealthy and large corporations to contribute more to this country. This is not only a matter of fairness—it is an economic and moral imperative.

Adjusting the federal poverty line is a necessary and long-overdue step toward strengthening workers’ rights and reducing the number of people who remain poor despite being employed—the so-called “working poor.” Today, more than 10% of Americans, roughly 35 million people, live below the official poverty line, currently set at about $16,000 for an individual and $33,000 for a family of four.

No one political group or ideology owns the manual for solving the complex problems facing our Country. If this American experiment is to succeed, it will require everyone to engage in political discourse, and we are all responsible for ensuring that room for those conversations exists by not marginalizing or demonizing those we disagree with.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an incredibly tragic and complex issue.  I certainly don't have more wisdom on this issue than all those who came before and tried to develop solutions.  That said, I believe it is imperative that all candidates and politicians make their position on this issue clear.  Mine is a position that rejects the false choice between unconditional support and wholesale condemnation. It is a position rooted in moral consistency: one can support the existence and security of Israel, recognize terrorism for what it is, mourn the death of every innocent civilian, and still demand accountability from those in power; including governments that act in the name of nations we support.

For our communities to thrive, we must focus on strengthening and growing our local economies. Improving economic conditions in Northern New York is a complex challenge that will require a complex solution.  Ultimately, a strong economy will support our residents, empower local governments, and create opportunities for future generations.

Long-term economic prosperity is only possible through a commitment to ensuring that future generations have access to the best education available. We are seeing this promise broken time and time again, not only by the current administration but over decades as our nation has repeatedly failed to prioritize education and the futures of our children. Greatness demands more, and as the next Representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District, I will fight to deliver it.

The outsized role of money in American politics is not a campaign “talking point” or side issue—it is the central structural problem distorting our democracy and creating an existential crisis for this nation. When campaigns depend on large donors, when lobbyists fund the politicians they seek to influence, and when elected leaders can personally benefit from the policies they shape, the system stops working for the people and only works for those who can afford access.  This is today’s unfortunate reality. Restoring democratic accountability requires confronting this reality directly and reforming the system at every level where money exerts influence.

I’d like to start by addressing the stalled Equality Act. If passed, this legislation would strengthen existing civil rights protections by explicitly including sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as protected categories. It would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, and education. For far too long, LGBTQ+ Americans have faced barriers to fully participating in our democracy and our communities. As a Nation, we must pass the Equality Act to ensure that all Americans are afforded the freedoms and liberties promised by our Constitution and by the ideals of our democracy.

A glance at the news quickly reminds us of the many dangers and growing threats our Country faces.  One of the government’s fundamental responsibilities is to ensure our national security.  Therefore, I strongly support adequately funding our military and investing in advanced technologies to ensure the safety and security of our land is never in question. 

Northern New York is defined by what it has always had in abundance: deep snow, dark forests, cold rivers, and quiet lakes. The region’s identity, economy, and ecology are inseparable from a climate that, until recently, could be counted on. Long winters built the maple sugarbush and the ski slopes. Cold, well-oxygenated water built the brook trout fishery and the loon’s summer chorus. Acidic granite bedrock and humble soils built a forest mosaic that filters the drinking water of millions of downstream New Yorkers. That entire inheritance is now in flux. The science is no longer speculative, the impacts are no longer distant, and the cost of inaction is no longer theoretical. Defending the North Country requires us to treat climate and environmental policy as the central economic and cultural question of the region’s next generation, not a peripheral one.

As a lifelong Catholic, my personal actions and principles are grounded in the tenants of my faith. Of the many values Christians of all denominations hold dear, compassion is core. “Blessed are those that show compassion, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) As an American, my beliefs are also shaped by our ideals—those principles that have defined this nation’s greatness for generations. Among these are the concepts of personal freedom and religious liberty. I believe each person must make decisions based on their own beliefs, religious convictions, and experiences. In a society that embraces diversity and freedom, the government cannot replace this deeply individual decision. 

Across the workforce, women and minority groups continue to face systemic barriers that limit their opportunities, recognition, and advancement in the workforce. These challenges often show up in unequal pay for equal work, underrepresentation in leadership roles, biased hiring and promotion practices, and workplace cultures that can exclude or undervalue diverse perspectives.

While we continue the fight for the dignity of all people, we must also work to protect the most vulnerable within our communities. We must confront the hunger and food insecurity that exists not only in distant parts of America, but right here at home in our own communities.

Northern New York is aging. That is not a crisis statement — it is a demographic reality, and our federal response to it will define the character of our communities for a generation. Every decision Congress makes about Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, and senior services funding either reinforces or undermines the ability of older adults to live with dignity in the communities where they have spent their lives. Right now, we are falling dangerously short — and the current direction of the federal government threatens to make things significantly worse.

Improving the healthcare system isn’t limited to just physical care alone, as our communities also face a significant shortage of mental health providers, leaving residents without the essential care they need.

After I shared my disappointment about the loss of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I was asked by several neighbors why tax dollars should support public broadcasting at all. The most common argument I heard was that if the content were truly valuable, the market would sustain it on its own.

This is a familiar critique—and one worth addressing.

I believe there are fundamental public interests that should not be left solely to market demand. Healthcare is a clear example. If access to healthcare were determined only by profitability, rural regions like the North Country would have even fewer options than they already do. Without public support, grants and incentives, clinics, hospitals, and providers would abandon sparsely populated areas because they aren’t profitable—an outcome that would be devastating for those communities.

American agriculture is at a crossroads. Across rural regions like Northern New York, where dairy farms dot the hillsides of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Franklin counties, and where generations of families have worked the same land, small and mid-sized farm operations are under enormous pressure. Input costs have surged, commodity prices remain volatile, and the stranglehold of large agribusiness corporations over supply chains, processing facilities, and retail markets has made it increasingly difficult for independent farmers to survive. Federal policy has a critical role to play in reversing these trends, and Democratic proposals at the federal level offer a serious, coherent vision for doing so: one that prioritizes the family farmer, rebuilds rural communities, and reins in the unchecked power of corporate agriculture.

When Americans debate federal arts funding, the conversation often centers on prestigious institutions in major metropolitan centers, like the symphony halls, opera houses, and museums of New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington. Yet some of the most consequential returns on every federal arts dollar are not generated in the cities at all. They are generated in places like Saranac Lake, Old Forge, Schroon Lake, and Tupper Lake, small towns where a single arts organization can anchor Main Street, sustain dozens of livable-wage jobs, draw tourism into an otherwise empty shoulder season, and provide the social glue that rural communities cannot afford to lose.

I am a gun owner. I learned to shoot as a kid, at a summer camp in Lake Placid, where one of the highlights of every July was the walk down to the rifle range, the smell of pine needles, the careful instruction from counselors who treated firearms with the seriousness they deserved, the small paper targets we carried back to the cabin like trophies. That experience taught me to respect guns, not to fear them, and it is part of why I believe so strongly that the rights of law-abiding Americans to own firearms must be protected. I also know that saying what I am about to say in NY-21, a conservative-leaning district where Second Amendment politics run deep, and where the safer move for any candidate is to stay quiet, hedge, or simply echo the loudest voices, is not the politically convenient path. I am going to say it anyway. The lives of our kids and the safety of our communities are too important to be governed by political calculation. If we can’t run on our values and our honest beliefs, then winning isn’t worth it.