Too many people feel like our economy isn’t working for them and our democracy isn’t responding to them. While these feelings have never been more true than they are today, they didn’t start when Donald Trump strolled down his golden escalator over a decade ago. In fact, many people were drawn to him because he spoke to these concerns, only to wreck our economy and engage in the most blatant corruption in American history–twice over!

In Maryland, I’m proud that we have stood up to Trump and worked to protect our citizens from some of his most harmful policies, but there’s more we can be doing.

The General Assembly recently passed a comprehensive bill to lower utility costs for Marylanders at a time when so many are struggling to keep up. While the bill has critics ranging from the utilities to environmentalists, it delivers needed relief in the short-term and ensures “large load” customers like data centers pay their fair share. In the longer run, the state is going to need to do more to address affordability challenges. Like housing, we’re only going to get through and out of this by investing in greater energy efficiency to bend the increases in demand and to increase the supply of energy. 

Until recently, building cheaper and quicker to deploy energy on one hand and investing in the green energy needed to meet our climate commitments on the other have been in conflict. That is no longer true. The cheapest and fastest to deploy forms of energy are solar, battery storage, and onshore wind–and that was before Donald Trump started a war in Iran that caused oil prices to spike. Now is the time to double down on green investments rather than turn towards dirtier, more expensive energy sources that take longer to deploy.

To help pay for these additional investments, I’ll support bills like the Climate Crimes Accountability Act, which authorizes the Attorney General to hold large fossil fuel companies accountable for their deception and criminal business practices related to climate change. Because the bill did not pass this session, I’ll be proud to co-sponsor it next year as Delegate. 

To finance needed improvements and expansion of our public transportation networks, I’ll also support the Transportation and Climate Alignment Act, which requires that a portion of the state capital funds spent on transportation go to projects that will reduce pollution, saving the average Maryland household over $3,000 a year in reduced transportation costs and saving the state up to $550 million a year.

The biggest legislative “accomplishment” out of DC over the last two years was the massive tax and benefit cut bill Republicans call the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. In addition to providing enormous tax giveaways to corporations and the wealthy, the bill is the largest cut to health care and food assistance in history. These cuts are due to take effect in 2027. 

The General Assembly recently passed legislation during the 2026 Session to help Marylanders navigate through the red tape the bill put in place in order for folks to keep benefits. That’s a good start, but we need to do more. I’ll fight to ensure continued health care and food assistance coverage for any Marylander that Trump kicks off their benefits, even if that means the state has to foot more of the bill.

Last fall, the average age of first-time home buyers reached 40 years old, the oldest age on record and a 43% increase since the year I was born. These statistics represent friends, family, and neighbors who would like to buy a home, but simply can’t afford it. There are also too many renters who are being squeezed out as well. There’s no question we’re in the middle of a housing affordability crisis in our country and Maryland is no exception.

First and foremost, the only way we’ll get through and out of this crisis is to build more housing. Places like Austin, Richmond, and Philadelphia are seeing housing prices stabilize because they are keeping up–and in some cases have fully caught up–to demand. Maryland faces unique challenges–and I don’t believe in one-size fits all approaches–but in the General Assembly, I’ll support policies that encourage smart growth in development in the areas that have the infrastructure to support it. And that last part is critical. In major parts of District 32, a development moratorium is in place due to sewage capacity concerns. As a state, we must invest in the infrastructure–roads, transit, water, sewer–to facilitate the smart growth we need. 

While increased supply is important, it certainly won’t be the only approach I will support. I was proud to help Senator Gile pursue legislation increasing protections for renters from payment discrimination. I don’t believe in a false choice between pro-smart growth and tenants’ rights–we must do both. 

Finally, the role of corporate and private equity landlords deeply troubles me. While they may have a small role to play in facilitating redevelopment, I’ll support guardrails against them, such as a bill introduced this year to crack down on the use of “dynamic pricing,” where a prospective renter’s personal data can be used to set rental rates which can drive up rents even further.

Last year, Trump called on Texas to eliminate Democratic congressional seats because his policies were already showing to be so unpopular. Rather than letting the voters’ voices be heard, he tried to rig the election so Republicans would win no matter what. 

States like California responded, but Maryland has yet to act. I was proud to be the very first witness to provide testimony in support of redrawing Maryland’s congressional map at the first public hearing of the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission. Unfortunately, the Maryland Senate refused to take up the House-passed bill. We must take action before it’s too late because there’s too much at stake.

For many Maryland families, the cost of child care is nearly double the cost of in-state tuition–that’s unacceptable. Maryland has a great program called the Child Care Scholarship Program, which provides financial assistance to working parents, helping them pay for child care so they can enter or remain in the workforce. The problem? Enrollment has been frozen since May 2025 because more people signed up than funding allowed. 

The General Assembly recently passed a bill to lift the freeze for some, but not all, families. As Delegate, I’ll work to finish the job so no family has to turn down a job because they can’t afford child care. 

Like housing, energy, and any area where affordability is squeezing working people, the only long-term solution is we need more child care providers. The Maryland Child Care Credential Program seeks to address this by providing voluntary professional development programs that improve the quality and stability of the child care workforce. The problem is that the program is currently underfunded. I’ll fight for full funding and work with my colleagues to develop additional incentives to recruit and retain more child care professionals who can earn a living wage.

With implementation of the decade-long education reinvestment plan having started in 2022, we are about halfway through the overhaul. The Blueprint calls for focusing on equity in the way we fund public education, paying our educators closer to the immense value they bring to our students and state, modernizing the way we educate our youngest students, and better preparing our graduates for the workforce of today. Simply put, the Blueprint has the ability to be transformative for our students and state, but only if we fully realize its potential. While I’m always open to improving programs, I will be steadfast in my commitment to the Blueprint and will oppose efforts to chip away at it.

With automatic voter registration, no-excuse mail voting, and options to early vote, it’s more accessible to vote in Maryland than just about anywhere–and that’s something to be proud of.

However, we could be doing more to increase access to all Marylanders and to further increase people’s faith in our system. The General Assembly considered, but did not pass, a bill that would open up our primary elections to nonaffiliated voters. I’ll be proud to help it get across the finish line next year.

I’m proud that Anne Arundel County joined its neighboring jurisdictions in providing a public campaign financing option to Council and County Executive candidates. In fact, I serve as the Chair of our county’s Public Campaign Financing System Commission. Public campaign financing lowers barriers of entry to non-traditional candidates to run for public office and helps reduce the role of special interests and big money in our politics. The state allows counties (and Baltimore City) to pursue these options along with similar options for candidates for Governor. However, no such option exists for General Assembly candidates. I think it’s time to change that.