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Government & Politics

Congressional District 6

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REPUBLICAN

Kurt Elsasser

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• Where you live: Hagerstown

• Date of birth: April 19, 1992

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Current: Ecolab Inc. Previous: The Steritech Group Inc.; U.S. Marine Corps.

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years: As I am 25 years old, this will be my first official public political office. During the month of January, I went through the interview and selection process and I was the runner-up for Hagerstown’s vacant city council seat after now appointed state Del. Paul D. Corderman resigned.

• Campaign information:

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1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I am running for this office to representing fight for the people of Maryland District 06 as well as all of Maryland and the United States. I want to give the government back to the people and limit government control.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

I believe that in this race there are many high topic issues that need addressing, healthcare, our economy and immigration being the largest among many more. I plan to tackle these core issues by fighting to correct our legal structure on immigration, enforcing strict policies and strengthening our borders. I plan to Work on repealing Obamacare further and restructuring our healthcare system to a standard basic and emergency care for all platform via Medicare/Medicaid.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

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I believe major issues our current congress has failed on are too many to name. In today’s Congress, there is not enough effort, time or consideration given to what really matters and this focus needs to be reintroduced. Enforcing term limits and draining old blood from the house. I plan to act differently in Congress by putting our nation and people first 110% and nothing less.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

As a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a successful businessman, I believe I have a great deal of life experience to bring to the table and do what needs to be done without personal interest being a focus like we see so much in our government. I am a hard working American wanting to continue serving my nation, bring fresh blood with no personal agenda or corruption. I am here for the people and my nation.

Amie Hoeber

• Where you live: Potomac

• Date of birth: Nov. 14, 1941

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Consultant, AMH Consulting. Formerly Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Army.

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years: Republican nominee for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, 2016

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I am not a career politician. My extensive experience allows me to address effectively both national and Maryland 6th Congressional District issues. I am the only candidate for this office with Federal experience, as U.S. Army Deputy Under Secretary. I understand the Federal process. Also, my prior candidacy for this position has given me a deep understanding of the unique needs of the entire District. Finally, I bring a proven history of empathy and cooperation.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

We must get beyond current political divisiveness. As your next Member of Congress, my loyalties will be to the people of my District – I am not a knee-jerk partisan. I will support measures that help the District and oppose policies and programs that do not. Specifically, as an ally to our Governor, I will bring Federal funding for transportation infrastructure improvements and to fight the opioid addiction epidemic at the local level. I will also focus on cutting taxes and regulations to provide economic well-being and to empower our citizens to use free-market solutions to solve their individual healthcare needs.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Entitlement Reform. For example, the Social Security Board of Trustees says it is facing about a $12 trillion shortfall between 2034, when our children start to retire, and 2091, when our grandchildren start to retire. Without significant reform, benefits will have to be cut by as much as 23%. Few Members of Congress have the courage to address this and instead leave it for a future Congress to address, which never seems to happen. I don’t have an “ultimate solution,” but I do know that we have to honestly do the math and develop needed changes.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

I am a national security expert and author, business owner and women’s advocate. I am the only candidate for this office with Federal management experience, as U.S. Army Deputy Under Secretary. I have grown my own company, AMH Consulting, into a well-respected small business that advises the Federal government and private industry on national security, technology, and defense-related environmental cleanup. I’ve also been an advocate for women in business, politics, and the military and, as a member of the Board of the House of Ruth Maryland, have helped women facing adversity. I’m also a mother, a stepmother and a grandmother.

Lisa Lloyd

• Where you live: Potomac

• Date of birth: Dec. 8, 1963

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Nurse practitioner — Marshak Medical Group, Adventist Health Urgent Care, Shahid Shamim Medical Group

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): I ran unsuccessfully for Montgomery County school board in 2010.

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I’m running for Congress because I love Maryland, but am tired of the liberal policies burdening hard working citizens and retirees in this state. I disagree with our paying the costs and consequences of illegal immigration; am frustrated with increasing healthcare premiums; and am disappointed with the exceedingly liberal agendas in the public schools. I am prepared to stand up to make Maryland a great state for schools, business and retirement as well.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

Healthcare. It impacts everyone, and is the biggest cost to our economy. Providers should have to compete for their business. I would implement free market solutions for healthcare and insurance problems. This includes privatizing healthcare for the VA and allowing competition for insurance across state lines. My plans also include giving the individual patient increased responsibility for their healthcare expenditures. I would enforce immigration laws to reduce medical expenditures for illegal immigrants.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Congress should be embarrassed by their inaction on immigration. The cost to support the undocumented population in Montgomery County alone is over $600 million – more than $6,000 per illegal immigrant. The state spends over $2.4 billion annually. In this country, over $134 billion is spent annually on illegal immigration for free schooling, medical care and welfare.

I would have fully funded the wall, withheld funding from sanctuary cites, restricted any government benefits to legal residents and citizens only, arrested public officials who refuse to enforce immigration laws and demand Voter ID.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

I am a full-time Nurse Practitioner working in private practice, urgent care, performing home infusions and volunteering in clinics for the uninsured. I’ve raised four children and all have attended Montgomery County public schools.

I am a registered provider with Maryland’s CRISP database dealing with elements of the Opioid epidemic every day.

I have an MBA in International Business, am fluent in Spanish, and worked in Mexico as a government liaison so I understand immigration issues.

I am on the front line dealing personally with the major issues every day.

Bradley Stephen Rohrs

• Where you live: Germantown

• Date of birth: March 29, 1983

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Landlord/broker (Independent LLCs/Douglas Realty)

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): Not a politician

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

To improve the standard of living for Maryland Families. The savings rate for families in CD6 is less than 5%, 80% of the residents of this district of working age being unable to retire prior to entering end of life care. Not acceptable. Furthermore we need to increase funding for basic and medical research. We need to end wasteful spending and out-of-control monetary policy, take that money and put it in our residents’ pockets.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

Overall standard of living for individuals in western Maryland has been in a decline and must be reversed. This is because our residents are facing epidemic levels of Obesity, Drug Use, and financial uncertainty. Whether a family is from the wealthiest suburbs of DC or the rural lands of western Maryland, they all find themselves working more, spending less time with their families, and feeling uncertainty about their future. We fight this by lowering taxes, improving our food supply, exiting trade deals that undercut American wages, and placing America first in all decisions we make.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

We haven’t put our families first. We have allocated more of our nation’s wealth on bailing out failing companies and subsidizing the security of the international community than we have on the welfare of our own people. We allowed our wages to be undercut by foreign competition, we allowed our intellectual property to be stolen by foreign manufacturers without penalty, we allowed our medical research to be turned into cheap generics for foreign health care systems that didn’t invest in medical research, while Americans pay a premium for the same drugs that their tax dollars helped develop.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

There is nothing more important to me than to see Marylanders succeed. I want you to be able to retire, to be able to spend time with your family, to be able to spend a Sunday relaxing without uncertainty for the future weighing on your mind. But in order for us to have a future we can be proud of, we need to start putting the needs of our citizens and local businesses above the needs of the international community and corporations that have no loyalty to us. My qualification is that I put the people of Maryland first.

DEMOCRAT

Andrew Duck

• Where you live: Brunswick in Frederick County

• Date of birth: Oct. 31, 1962

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Current: Director of operations at Avertica, a green energy research company. Previous: U.S. Army, retired military intelligence officer. Served three deployments to Bosnia and one tour on the ground in Iraq. Worked at the Pentagon for 14 years, advising on Army Intelligence issues.

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): I have never held elected office. Ran for 6th District congressional seat in 2006, 2008 and 2010, when it was a Republican-leaning district, prior to redistricting.

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

Our political system is broken. Voters should not have to select which out-of-district millionaire buys the seat, or support a delegate who voted to give a $6.5 Billion tax credit to the richest man on earth. I offer a better choice. I served 20 years in the Army, including three deployments to Bosnia and time on the ground in Iraq. I am working to stop climate change. I will always put your needs first.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

The most important issue in this race is fixing our Health Care system. I support Medicare For All. I joined the Army at age 19, because I had a son who was born premature and I needed health care which would cover a pre-existing condition. No one should have to put their life on the line to get health care for their sick child. Insurance plans that have a $6,000 deductible are not effective care for working families. The part of our system which is working best is Medicare. We should build on success and expand Medicare to cover everyone.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Our Constitution states that Congress is responsible for matters of war and peace, and they have abdicated that responsibility. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) has been used for 17 years to justify endless war across the world and should be revoked. As the only candidate who has served in combat, I know we need a Diplomacy First foreign policy. Military force should only be used as a last resort, after Congressional approval. We need comprehensive Defense Acquisition Reform to reduce the Defense budget significantly. I am a trained Korean Linguist, an important knowledge set today.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

For the past five years, I have been the Director of Operations for a Green Energy Research company named Avertica. Our company has been awarded two patents for conductive polymer technology which should be useful in both solar panels and energy storage. We need these new materials to store energy for when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.

As a combat veteran with Pentagon experience, I have the right experience to stop our endless wars and reduce wasteful defense spending. I have led counter-intelligence investigations against the Russians, and can prevent meddling in our elections.

George English

• Where you live: Hammond Wood subdivision just north of Kensington, off Connecticut Avenue

• Date of birth: Feb. 5, 1940

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Retired federal economist, National Ocean Service, NOAA, Silver Spring. Previously: Management intern/program analyst, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas; rifle platoon leader (lieutenant), U.S. Army, Fort Carson, Colorado.

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): Unsuccessful primary campaigns for U.S. Senate in 2000, 2006; 8th Congressional District in 1996, 1998, 2010, 2012, 2014

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

Budget and monetary mismanagement of our economy exacerbates inequality and results in increasing economic distress for millions.

Fifty percent of corporate wealth is owned by the top one percent, and eighty-two percent of the income gained since the 2008 Meltdown went to the top ten percent. Personal and student debt totals each exceed one Trillion dollars. Unsustainable skewed income and wealth distribution, which caused the Great Depression, is worse today than in 1928.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

Increasing inequality will exacerbate social tensions and lead to polarization of our society. One of the functions of government is to ensure that all have an adequate level of support to make possible their productive contributions to our society. In addition to increasing funding for social programs, I would introduce legislation to conduct an OMB study about any efficiencies that could result from combining all Federal social programs into a uniform comprehensive collective effort. Tax reform must be enacted, defense budget reduced, foreign bases closed, and foreign interventions ended to provide funding to alleviate inequality.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

I would have voted no when the Democrats in Congress acquiesced by voting yes for the recent budget agreement that added almost $300 Billion, including $160 Billion to the military’s budget, to the 2018 budget deficit, and over a Trillion dollars to the next decade’s national debt with no future deficit reduction constraints. Otherwise, the threat to not fund needed social programs would have been only the Republicans’ responsibility.

Despite Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster objecting to the deficit funding, Democrats missed the chance to have all the blame placed on the Republicans from the bloated budget deficit projections.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

I never forgot the life 100+ million citizens today experience after having to survive by driving taxis at 88 cents per hour plus tips. I also benefitted from jobs as a Rifle Platoon Leader, working while earning a Master’s Degree in Economics, employment as Management Intern by NASA, and as Economist with Northrop and NOAA. My career provided a wide range of assignments involving budget, personnel, cost estimation, benefit analyses, with domestic and foreign travel. Participation at monthly Democratic breakfast and other discussions has enabled me to propose policy reforms. See my web site: www.georgetenglish.com.

Chris Graves

• Where you live: Montgomery Village

• Date of birth: July 2, 1957

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Owner, Switch to Solar.

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): None

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I want to build an America that works for everyone, where everyone gets a fair shake and those who stumble get a hand up to stand on their own two feet. To build such an America, we need people who run for office out of a desire to make life better for all of us instead of to satisfy their own blind ambition, who stand by their promises, and who can get things done.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

Top three issues include:

Healthcare — A single payer system designed to cover everyone, to cover the different needs — physical and mental — of our diverse population, to make care accessible to everyone, and to lower total healthcare spending.

Climate change — Stop making the problem worse by transitioning to a renewable energy-powered, sustainable lifestyle economy. Prepare for the consequences of the changes already in process.

Tax reform — Revise the tax code and eliminate international tax concessions such that everyone — including the wealthiest among us and the large corporations — pays their fair share for the public services we all use.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Congress has failed us by focusing on neutering the Affordable Care Act instead of designing and implementing a healthcare system that covers everyone, offers comprehensive coverage, is accessible to everyone, genuinely emphasizes preventative care, streamlines the administrative process and is affordable to all. Ours is the worst system in the developed world, with much higher total spending and the poorest quality care. As an alternative, I would promote a single-payer system designed to substantially improve performance and lower total costs. There are several excellent existing systems — UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Singapore — which could serve as roadmaps for us.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

I graduated from Yale and went on to earn my Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland. I’ve had careers in international finance working in Southeast Asia, in developing power plant projects around the world, and for the past 12 years, in renewable energy as the owner of a solar energy company here in the District.

Dr. Nadia Hashimi

• Where you live: Potomac

• Date of birth: Dec. 12, 1977

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Writer/self employed. Practice administrator/VP of Center for Brain & Spine. Pediatrician/Children’s National Medical Center

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): N/A

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

As a pediatrician and practice administrator, I’ve seen just how our healthcare system fails our families every day. I’m running because we need experienced people to take on the fight against insurance companies and design real cost saving healthcare solutions. As a woman, as a first-generation American, a bestselling novelist and mom of 4, the policies of this administration are a disservice to the deserving children and future of this great nation.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

The top cause of bankruptcy in America is medical debt and surprisingly often those individuals have insurance. We spend more than other industrialized nations and yet our health outcomes are suboptimal and leave people with enormous financial burdens. I will work towards universal coverage by offering Medicare as a public option, dropping the eligibility age to 55 and providing specialized Medicare for all children. I’ll also fight for: Medicare to negotiate drug prices, patent process reform to bring generic pharmaceuticals to market quicker, pricing transparency, expansion of primary care and cost-saving preventative care.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

The tax cut bill provides temporary and modest savings for most families, but more substantial tax savings for the wealthy. The bill expands the deficit so that our national debt will be equivalent to 97% of our GDP by 2027, an increase of 5 percentage points. Corporate tax rates dropped permanently from 35% to a mere 21%. I would further expand the child tax credit, give proportional tax savings to middle and low-income households and keep alimony tax deductible. We need fair corporate tax rates and must eliminate loopholes that allow American companies to avoid taxation by keeping money abroad.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

As a pediatrician, I’ve worked with families struggling to find mental health resources for a depressed teenager and a mom wondering if she could afford breast cancer treatment. I’ve gone up against the insurance companies on the frontlines and bring my insider knowledge. We’ve got to look at pricing in healthcare, including pharmaceuticals, hospitals and devices. I’m trained to listen, research and solve while prioritizing the needs of kids. As a novelist, I understand empathy, the power of the humanities, and how to use words effectively. I’m a first-generation American, understanding that immigrants honor and enrich our nation.

Christopher Hearsey

• Where you live: Gaithersburg

• Date of birth: Dec. 28, 1979

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Aerospace executive and scientist; former employer: Bigelow Aerospace

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): N/A; first political race

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I am running because as an aerospace and nonprofit leader, I understand the challenges that we face in today’s economy. Without access to or familiarity with the internet, job-critical software, or coding, we will continue to leave Marylanders behind. Without better public transportation or job training, we limit opportunities for success. My campaign is about the future — to launch Maryland forward as a state that leaves no one behind in the American economy.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

The most important issue in this race is ensuring that we have a representative that understands the daily personal and economic challenges of western Marylanders. We cannot afford to leave our children and transitioning workforce behind without the resources they need to keep up with these changing times. I will fight to modernize our roads and public transportation system, expand broadband access, and reform our job training and education system to give everyone the skills to succeed. I will work with community leaders to ensure everyone in western Maryland will have the skills and opportunities to build a better life.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Congress has handled oversight of the executive branch poorly. For the first time in American history, we see clearly why we should not entrust just anyone with the responsibilities of the Presidency. Unfortunately, we also live in a time when power-hungry politicians permit continuous constitutional abuses from the President, as well as within their own parties. These actions undermine our constitution. To distract us, these politicians seek celebrity status and will say anything for attention. Government isn’t a reality TV show. I will not treat it as such. True accountability and oversight is the goal we must achieve in Congress.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

My experience growing up in a working-class family, rising through academia, and building a career from the ground up as an aerospace and nonprofit leader gives me the tools and skills to help solve Maryland’s complex issues in Congress. As a research scientist and aerospace professional, I understand that technology increasingly changes our economic landscape and opportunities. Maryland’s economy must be prepared for the jobs and challenges of today’s technological world. My professional experiences have prepared me to cut through the special interests and billionaires to fairly represent western Maryland, so no one is left behind in our changing economy.

Roger Manno

• Where you live: Silver Spring

• Date of birth: April 26, 1966

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: State senator. Formerly: of counsel (attorney), Karp, Frosh, Wigodsky & Norwind; senior counsel and legislative director, U.S. Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), respectively

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): House of Delegates, 2007-11; state Senate, 2011-present

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

Like many Americans, my family had tough times. My Dad was a carpenter, had a 4th-grade education, worked hard, but died at 50 — because he couldn’t afford health insurance. That American tragedy left me living in the streets, in a group home, and taught me the horror of having the economic rug pulled out from under you. I’ve spent my career in the Maryland Senate standing up to make government work — for everyone.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

As a member of a White House panel on health reform, I stood a door away from President Obama’s Oval Office and helped craft the largest health care expansion since Medicare — so that no family ever has to live through what my family lived through. But our work can never end until we guarantee that every American has quality, affordable health insurance. National Nurses United stated, “Registered nurses are proud to endorse State Sen. Roger Manno for Congress because he has demonstrated his dedication to ensuring quality health care for all through a Medicare for All single-payer system.”

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

I believe it’s all about economics. My great-grandfather came to America 100 years ago, didn’t speak English, but worked hard and forged a better life for himself and his family. 100 years later, his great-grandson is an attorney and State Senator. That’s the American Dream that I believe in, but it’s becoming more elusive. Government has a direct role to play in progress — not a hand out, but a level playing field for everyone. I’ll continue to fight for education opportunities, universal employment, retirement security, and good benefits so that everyone has their shot at the American Dream.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

I know how to make government work. I’ve spent 8 years as a member of the Maryland Senate, 4 years as a member of the Maryland House, served as a Senior Counsel and Legislative Director in Congress, as a member of Committee for Montgomery, and on President Obama’s health reform advisory group. My entire career has focused on leveling the playing field for people just trying to make it — from universal health care, to good jobs with benefits, to retirement security. I’ve spent my adult life on the front lines for economic and social justice, and I will never stop.

Aruna Miller

• Where you live: Darnestown

• Date of birth: Nov. 6, 1964

• Current occupation and employer: Maryland state delegate, District 15; transportation engineer, Montgomery County for 25 years

• Political experience: Maryland state delegate, 2011-present; Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, 2006-10

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

My entire career has been in public service. As a transportation engineer for Montgomery County and a state legislator in Annapolis, I was able to advocate for critical issues facing Montgomery residents. In Congress, I will expand my focus to the entire 6th District. We have so many important policies to solve from creating middle class jobs, fixing our immigration system and ensuring access to healthcare for all. That is why I’m running for Congress.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

Access to quality, affordable healthcare is the most important issue in this campaign. I know from personal experience that a health crisis can be devastating for families. Healthcare must be a right, not a luxury and that when families need medical care, they should not go bankrupt in the process. We need to introduce a public option, and we need more coverage options in the ACA. In Western Maryland, this is particularly important because some areas only have one single insurer offering coverage. We must strengthen and improve the ACA, and that will be my focus in Congress.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

America’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair. Just to keep pace, we would have to spend $1 trillion over the next ten years. Congress has kicked the can down the road and I would make this issue front and center. We must work across Party lines to identify a consistent revenue source to maintain and improve all of our infrastructure needs. I would look closely at closing corporate tax loopholes as well as securing appropriations funding through an infrastructure bank. We do not have time for partisan bickering; we have to work together to keep our critical infrastructure safe.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

There are three things that I think are necessary to be an effective legislator: empathy, listening and action. My professional career has been about giving people access — whether it was my job to provide physical access, as I did as an engineer, or giving people access to their government, which I did as a legislator. I would not have been able to do any of those things if I did not listen to people, understand their concerns and then take action to help. That is the model I intend to follow as a Member of Congress.

David Trone

• Where you live: Potomac

• Date of birth: Sept. 21, 1955

• Current occupation and employer (may also list up to two other jobs you’ve held); if retired, list your last job and employer: Owner, Total Wine & More

• Political experience (public offices held and when, as well as unsuccessful campaigns for office and which years): Candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 8th District, 2016.

• Campaign information:

1 – Why are you running for this office? (75 words max)

I grew up cleaning hog and chicken pens on my family’s struggling farm that we eventually lost to the bank. I was fortunate to be able to go to college and graduate school. In my second semester, I started a business with one store that eventually became Total Wine & More, the largest private wine retailer in the U.S. I want everyone to have the opportunity to succeed regardless of where they start in life.

2 – What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it? (100 words max)

The opioid epidemic is the most important issue facing the Sixth District right now. In 2016, 64,000 Americans died from overdoses. My nephew Ian was one of them. Every day that we don’t act, hundreds of people will die.

I’ve put together a comprehensive plan to tackle the opioid crisis. You can read it at davidtrone.com/issue/opioid-crisis.

I propose investing $100 million over the next 10 years. That may seem like a lot of money, but the cost of inaction is that 750,000 people, which is roughly the entire population of Baltimore city, people will die over the next 10 years.

3 – What is one major issue the current Congress has handled poorly and what would you have done differently? (100 words max)

Congress was wrong to pass the Trump tax plan. It will strangle our children and grandchildren with $1.5 trillion in debt. The effective tax rate that the wealthiest corporations paid before tax reform was about 24%, which is comparable to other developed nations. There was no need to lower it.

We need to ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share. I support the Buffett Rule that people making over $1 million a year should pay no less than 30% in taxes. I also support removing the carried interest loophole that gives hedge fund managers a lower tax rate.

4 – What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office? (100 words max)

My experience in business has taught me about long-term thinking.

An example is our investment in our 6,000 employees, 650 of which are in Bethesda. In most retail, 25% of employees are full-time and receive benefits while 75% are part-time and do not. In my business, it’s the opposite. 75% of our employees are full-time and get full benefits, which include retirement, PTO, and medical insurance.

Though it costs us short-term, it helps us long-term because we retain the best talent. Congress could better address many of our nation’s problems by thinking long-term rather than thinking about the next election.

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