Freedom, Family & Faith

Politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton claim to stand for freedom, family, and faith.

• But you can’t stand for freedom and control what we say, what we read, and what we do with our own bodies.
• You can’t stand for family and vote against paid family leave, affordable child care, or the right of every American to marry who they love.
• And you can’t stand for faith and then warp and weaponize religion to hurt our neighbors.

I’m a Presbyterian seminarian studying to become a pastor. My faith in Jesus leads me to reject Christian Nationalism and commit myself to the project of democracy. Because that’s the promise of America: a democracy where every person and every family — regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other difference between us — can truly be free and live up to their full potential.

It’s time to elect a Senator who will actually fight for freedom, family, and faith — one who will stand up for the freedoms of every Texan, make it easier to start and care for a family, and defend the separation of church and state.

This is not a comprehensive list! If you have policy ideas you want to see from your next U.S. Senator, please reach out HERE. We want to hear from you!

Freedom

• Oppose censorship and protect the freedom of speech: Oppose book banning and cancel culture, pass the No Political Enemies Act to protect individuals and organizations from being targeted by the government for exercising their freedom of speech, and defend the freedom of the press.
• Get government out of Americans’ private personal decisions: Restore reproductive freedom with federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception and IVF, protect the legality of gay marriage and defend our LGBTQ+ neighbors from government overreach, and legalize regulated marijuana for adults so that we no longer put people behind bars for a substance that is already legal in half the country.

Family

• Make it easier to start and raise a family: Expand the Child Tax Credit to help families with the cost of raising children, pass paid family leave legislation that would allow Americans to take time off work to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member, and expand access to affordable child care so that no parent has to choose between continuing their career and starting a family.
• Make it easier for families to care for their aging loved ones: Increase access to eldercare by passing the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act to expand affordable home- and community-based care for seniors, and prioritize the development of a high-quality elder care workforce.

Faith

• Defend the separation of church and state and continue to speak out against those who twist the meaning of faith to hurt our neighbors: Pass the Do No Harm Act to protect religious liberty and prevent religious discrimination; take vigorous action against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other faith-based hate crimes; and reject policies that force religion into neutral public spaces like schools, prisons, courts, and the military.

• Killed legislation that would have established a statewide book ban and removed classic literature like Lonesome Dove and The Catcher in the Rye in public schools by using a procedural point of order on the floor of the Texas House.
• Stood up to Texas Republicans’ proposed THC ban, calling out how it would infringe on individual liberty, hurt veterans, and empower the cartels.
• Made high-quality childcare more accessible and affordable by establishing property tax exemptions for child care providers and increasing the supply of high-quality centers.
• Made progress toward universal paid family leave in Texas by establishing a regulatory framework for family leave insurance policies issued by employers. 
• Supported young families by providing a liaison officer at each campus of higher education to connect student-parents with health care, employment, transportation, and academic success services.
• Authored legislation to legalize regulated marijuana for adults in Texas and use the new tax revenue to fund child care and early childhood education.
• Defended the separation of church and state by leading the fight against legislation to force the Ten Commandments into public school classrooms, replace school counselors with untrained religious chaplains, and infuse Bible stories into public school curriculum.