From aerospace to information technology, Washington is a leader of American’s 21st century economy. But growing up on a farm, I know Washington’s economy is more than multi-national corporations. Our diverse economy demands common-sense ideas and a commitment to problem solving for the good of our state.

Tax and regulatory reform over the past several years have been a terrific boost to our economy, but the past year has shown us that our economy still demands leadership to ensure our future is bright. We need stronger trade policies like the USMCA that are fair to Washington’s businesses, workers and farmers. At the same time, we must continue regulatory reform and cooperation that ensures we protect our environment and grow our economy. This is critical for Washington’s future.

I will also work with Washington’s vital agriculture community to protect our family farms and ensure that our agricultural industry continues to thrive. Washington farmers can never be put at a competitive disadvantage with other states or countries.

But regardless of whether your family works on a farm or in a high-tech industry, ensuring our economy has the workforce ready to lead us forward must be a priority. This will take education policies that give workers the training they need to succeed in the workplace and immigration reform that secures our border and strengthens Washington’s economy.

A suicide bomber in Iraq blinded my husband 16 years ago, but it opened our eyes to the failure of our federal government to protect and support our heroes in uniform. The bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. can overwhelm a Washington State family, and this was something I never truly appreciated until I traveled across the country to care for my husband. I took on the Veterans Administration because they were failing my family, and I won because losing was not an option.

But my family’s story of victory over federal bureaucrats is the exception, rather than the rule. Far too many desperate veteran families face an uncertain future that is filled with mountains of paperwork and excuses. It makes absolutely no sense to burden families who have given so much with so little support from the government they swore an oath to defend.

And while they may not face suicide bombers in our streets, our hometown heroes in blue are equally in need of our support today. Radical efforts to “defund the police” are wrong-headed and undercut the foundation of our lawful society. Our law enforcement and first responders need our support, resources, and improved training to meet the needs of our communities.

Our troops on the frontlines, our veterans on the home front, and our first responders in our communities should be saluted for their sacrifices. I am committed to fighting for our local heroes and ensuring they receive the resources they need at every level of service, because our support is what they deserve.

The 2020 elections raised serious questions about the integrity of our elections and caused millions of Americans to question their confidence in our electoral process. Instead of thoroughly addressing these concerns, uncovering any irregularities and reassuring voters, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have dismissed their frustrations. Even worse, they have doubled-down by ignoring the problems in our system and worse, proposing sweeping changes that would truly put our elections further in jeopardy.

Across the country in Washington, DC, Senator Murray has abandoned her role as a leader for Washington State. Senator Murray is one of the leading proponents of radical changes that would federalize our elections, even allowing for ballot harvesting that would open our voting systems up to rampant fraud and abuse. Let me be clear, I oppose S.1/H.R.1 and I am committed to holding Senator Murray and the far left accountable for this overreach.

What our system needs are commonsense solutions that are overwhelming supported by the American people. Reforms like implementing Voter ID, modernizing local county voting systems to ensure the voter rolls are kept up-to-date, and signature/photo verification on mail-in ballots would strengthen our elections. Just as important, I believe that courts have an obligation to give all evidence of voter fraud a full and fair hearing.

Each day, I'm speaking with voters in every corner of our state who strongly support these reforms to help ensure the integrity of our elections. They want real action taken to ensure that efforts made to increase voter participation do not fundamentally undermine the legitimacy of our democracy. Despite what the Biden Administration believes, there must be confidence that our elections are honest and transparent and that only legally-cast ballots are being counted.

When coupled with making the first Tuesday in November a national federal holiday to enable people to proudly exercise their right to vote on Election Day, these are the type of measures that would return confidence to our electoral process at a time when far too much is dividing us.

As the mother of three boys, I wake up every morning committed to passing on a brighter future to them. And that future begins with their education.

Despite the best efforts of so many of our teachers, the past year of distance and remote learning has shown all of us the holes in our education system. We need to empower Washington families to choose the education that is best for their children. My boys, like your children and grandchildren, have unique talents and face individual challenges, and our education system must work to meet their needs so they can succeed in their futures.

Failures in our education system trickle down to the problems we see every day on our streets. The homelessness, increased crime rates, drug addiction, and poverty in our communities is not something we can turn a blind eye to. This problem demands a solution that lifts people up rather than tying them to yet another failed government program that spends billions of our tax dollars, with little actually reaching those in need.

Real world problems demand common sense solutions. As your senator, I will work each and every day to solve these problems, not take part in the partisan infighting that has paralyzed our government. Our children, our families, and our neighbors deserve more than they are receiving from the federal government, and I am running for the U.S. Senate to serve as our advocate in Washington, DC.