I ran for Congress after losing my mom to pancreatic cancer. I learned firsthand how quickly a family could lose everything under the weight of mounting medical bills. If my mom hadn’t had Medicare, we would have lost her savings and the home she raised me in. I ran for office hard so that every person could know the dignity of having health care.
Not long after losing my mom, I lost my congressional race. In a district designed to keep Republicans in power, it was hard terrain for a Democrat. The historic support I received inspired me.