During my time working for Senator Henry L. Marsh, I got to hear firsthand about the tragic case of Brendon Mackey – a seven-year-old that was killed by a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire. This devastating incident inspired me to take action. Collaborating closely with Senator Marsh, we devoted countless hours to developing and championing a law that would elevate the act of celebratory gunfire resulting in injury to a felony offense. Through persistent efforts, and collaboration with legislators from both sides of the aisle, we successfully saw the enactment of Brendon’s Law in 2014. This experience of empathy, rage, and bipartisan cooperation is the reason why I am running today and what I bring to the seat. 

In our community, I have been actively engaged in advocacy work alongside a passionate group of community leaders, where we initiated the Mom Demand Action Chapter for Prince William County. I have continuously used my voice to protect and advocate for our home community from the dangers of gun violence. I’m running for Delegate because I have the experience of working with legislators across the aisle to pass common-sense gun solutions.

Due to my commitment and track record, I am proud to have been awarded the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction. 

We must address gun safety concerns and provide safer communities for our community. As Delegate I will:

• • Fight to ban ghost guns in the community, including the alarming practice of 3-D printing firearms. 
  • Advocate for policies that remove firearms from dangerous individuals, preventing tragedies before they can occur.
  • Support legislation that would invest in violence intervention programs in our community.
  • Disqualify people from accessing firearms who’ve been convicted of committing a violent offense against an intimate partner

As the Senior Vice Chair for the Prince William County Democrats, I was the point of contact for the entire local committee for Planned Parenthood. As the lead volunteer, my responsibility was to actively engage and inform our community about developments at both the state and federal levels. To this day, I remain dedicated to advocacy work as a member of the Women’s Caucus, providing legislative updates on reproductive healthcare and the right to choose. 

In the fall of 2021, I advocated with the Women’s Caucus to get the Governor to hold a special session in order to codify autonomy and choice in Virginia. 

As a young advocate, a brother, and a friend, I have always fought for equality and amplifying women’s voices in my community. As a cis-male, I acknowledge that certain policies may not affect me personally. However, I understand the importance of advocating for policy changes that uphold every woman’s inherent right to autonomy and choice over her own body. Every policy that negatively affects a woman’s right to choose, directly impacts our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our community.

As Delegate I will,

• Fight tooth and nail for reproductive choice in the Commonwealth of Virginia 
• Fight against the maternal mortality rate and take concrete steps to address it. This includes championing legislation to support additional research and education on effectively addressing Uterine Fibroids.
• Expand medical access to underserved communities. It is imperative that we bridge the healthcare gap and ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, has equal opportunities to receive quality care. 

I attended public schools all my life in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As an adolescent and adult, I know that one size does not always fit all. As a child, I was on an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) in Prince William County Public Schools. I know first-hand what it means to invest in a child’s future. As a Delegate representing the first and second populous county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I know we will need strong investments in our schools in order to achieve the world-class education we want our students to achieve. 

As Delegate I will:

• Fight to ensure we properly fund education that will enable higher wages for school teachers and staff.
• Invest in English Language Learners (ELL) to support their educational journey. By directing resources towards ELL programs, we can ensure that our students receive the necessary language acquisition support, cultural integration opportunities, and educational resources to thrive in the classroom.
• Introduce legislation to provide necessary tools and resources for schools to achieve their Standards of Quality so that all children can receive a world-class education. 
• Implement comprehensive measures that prioritize the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.

As a son and a grandson of union members, I know first-hand the support unions bring to the community and to working families.  In party leadership, when the collective bargaining legislation passed in the Virginia General Assembly, I worked with local leaders and party leadership to advocate and fight for collective bargaining for firefighters, police, local government employees, and schoolteachers. Additionally, as a minority business owner, I know the challenges I face in continuing to maintain my small business.

As Delegate I will:

• Continue to fight for working families and unions by strengthening our laws on wage theft and increasing the voices of unions. 
• Repeal the “right-to-work” act. We need to restore the rights of workers to organize, collectively bargain, and secure fair working conditions.
• Introduce legislation for Paid Family and Medical Leave 
• Introduce legislation to create a “set-aside” for small businesses 
• Introduce legislation to set priority for Virginia ran businesses in the proposal process for services provided to the Commonwealth Government

In the early 2000s, my family and I were priced out of Prince William County and had to move in with my grandmother before moving further south to Spotsylvania County. We are in a housing crisis in Northern Virginia, and now more than ever, it is imperative that we address this fundamental issue.  I firmly believe that housing is not only a basic human need but also a fundamental human right. To tackle the housing crisis and improve affordability, it is essential to allocate grants to local governments and provide homeownership resources, empowering individuals and families to secure stable housing and build a brighter future.

As Delegate I will:

• I will support legislation to invest largely into the housing trust fund, this will allow localities and non-profits to address housing concerns in the area
• Expand the First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program 
• Work to expand tenants rights and eliminate housing discrimination

House District 19 is in the heart of the bottleneck on Interstate 95. We must continue to address mass transit needs in the district and across Northern Virginia. As Delegate, I will continue to work with local officials, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Rail Express, and Metro to address additional extended options to properly transport constituents throughout Northern Virginia. We must find innovative solutions to address transportation including expanding public transit options. 

As Delegate I will: 

Adequately invest in public transportation. In order to solve one of the biggest infrastructure issues our district faces, we need to increase funding and resources for public transit systems, including buses and trains. 

I am committed to prioritizing climate action and environmental justice because history has shown us the environmental injustice that marginalized communities face on an ongoing basis. I have advocated and participated in meetings to remove the coal ash pond in my community instead of capping it in place. Additionally, I have advocated for elected officials asking them to keep the Commonwealth of Virginia in RGGI and stop the offshore pipeline from happening. As a Delegate, I will fight for the constituents of House District 19 and the Commonwealth to address climate issues.

As Delegate I will: 

• Advocate for the transition to clean energy. We need to address and prioritize the ongoing climate crisis in our communities, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the country. 
• A moratorium on all fossil-fuel projects and similar fuel projects.
• Switching to 100% clean renewable energy by 2035.
• Strengthening energy efficiency goals in the state

We know since the pandemic we have seen a need to invest in mental health. We are seeing an increase of young adults dying by suicide across the nation. According to the Centers of Disease Control, suicide rates increased approximately 36% between 2000–2021. We must invest in the community by continuing to fund behavioral health centers and expanding access to mental health resources in Prince William and Fairfax Counties. 

As Delegate I will: 

• Increasing funding to provide rapid and remote access to help. 
• Increase funding for mental health services. This includes allocating resources to hire more mental health professionals, improve infrastructure, and enhance treatment programs.
• Increase funding for additional psychiatric beds that meets the demand of the counties providing the service. 
• Additional funding for Crisis Receiving Centers.