Fighting for US, Not Billionaires or Giant Corporations

Brent is sick and tired of big corporations calling the shots in Washington. He is committed to fighting for hard working Kansas families, not Wall Street CEO’s. That’s why he won’t accept corporate PAC money. In 2016, as a member of the Democratic National Platform Committee, Brent wrote an amendment to ban corporate money from elections. He will fight to end Donald Trump’s corporate welfare. Brent wants to wipe out corrupt tax loopholes for giant corporations and billionaires, so we can invest in our local communities and small businesses.

Fighting for a $15 Minimum Wage

A higher minimum wage boosts the local economy, reduces national and state deficits, and creates good paying jobs at all income levels. Brent believes that no one who works a full-time job should live in poverty, especially while corporate CEO’s make as much in an hour as their workers make in a year. Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will pump billions of dollars into local communities, and ease underpaid workers off government assistance. In order to do this, we need real, actual change in Washington.

Fighting for Middle Class Workers and Labor

Throughout his life, Brent has fought alongside workers across the country for higher wages, safer workplaces, and better benefits. As National Field Director for the Teamsters union, Brent organized over a million union members to help elect pro-worker candidates at the national, state, and local levels. After law school, instead of joining a corporate law firm, he became a labor lawyer for a national labor union, and continued to fight the biggest, greediest corporations on behalf of middle class workers. Brent strongly opposes the recent Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision, and all so-called “Right to Work” legislation, and will fight to expand union workers’ ability to organize.

Fighting for Medicare for All

Every woman, man, and child in the United States deserves quality health care as a right. No one should have to choose between going to the doctor, taking their medicine, and having food on the table. Big drug companies should not be able to drive the price of medications to twice what they cost in Canada and other countries. Brent will fight to end the double standard in health care—where members of Congress give themselves premium health care while everyone else gets second-rate insurance or goes without.

Fighting for Women’s Equality

As a husband and father of two young girls, women’s rights, equal pay, and health care are personal to Brent. In our rigged economy, the average woman makes 80 cents for every dollar a man makes in the same job. With misogynist Donald Trump as President, it’s now more important than ever to draw a line in the sand on women’s rights. Brent pledges to stand up to Trump, and support equal wages for equal work. He also believes in a woman’s right to choose, and will fight all efforts to defund community health centers, such as Planned Parenthood.

Fighting for Racial Justice

Brent knows that black lives matter. He is committed to stopping unconstitutional police violence and brutality. Brent understands that racial justice extends to creating more equitable legal, political, and economic systems. He is running for Congress to fix our rigged economy that results in lower wages, unsafe workplaces, and discriminatory hiring practices for minority workers. He is also committed to investing in minority communities by supporting minority owned businesses and educational opportunities.

Fighting for Immigration Reform

Trump has made fear of immigrants a center point of his administration. Brent will fight for the dignity and safety of all immigrants and the aid of international refugees. He is dedicated to seeing Dreamers thrive and maintaining DACA. He believes in fair and compassionate comprehensive immigration reform that doesn’t break up families, provides a pathway to citizenship, and fixes our broken immigration system.

Fighting for LGBTQ Equality

Love is love. Brent believes that all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve equal rights and protection at work, in our communities, and at home. Brent has always supported LGBTQ rights. As a community organizer, he helped fight the battle for marriage equality from the very beginning. He also worked with Congressman Patrick Murphy to repeal the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law that banned openly gay and bisexual people from military service.

Fighting for Debt-Free College

Higher education is one of the best ways to ensure better wages, make our workforce more productive, and boost our economy as a whole. Brent will fight to make sure that students don’t have to decide between huge amounts of debt and going to college. He believes that if students work hard, they deserve the opportunity to succeed just like everyone else—regardless of how much money their parents make. He also will work to end crippling student loan debt for those who have already finished their college education.

Fighting for Pre-K Education for Every Child

Brent and his wife Kristie are parents of two young girls. They realize the importance of a quality education, and the doors it can open. Education starts early. That’s why they support Pre-K for every child to ensure high quality preschool is available to all families, so every child can start off on equal footing.

Fighting to Protect Our Environment

We can’t survive without clean air and water. Part of being a good parent and citizen is ensuring that the world we leave our kids is just as good or better than the world we came into. Climate change is a real threat to our country and the world. We must rejoin the Paris Accord, and invest in energy through renewable resources. Brent supports clean energy that creates good American jobs, boosts our economy, and keeps us safe by ending our dependence on foreign oil.

Fighting for Veterans Benefits

If we can afford to go to war, we can afford to take care of our veterans. Brent worked with Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress, and has fought his entire career to help veterans. In the 3rd District of Kansas, we have over 40,000 veterans. Brent will continue to fight to make sure that the VA is fully funded and that our veterans in Kansas and across the country get the full benefits they deserve.

Fighting for Common Sense Gun Reform

Gun violence is a serious threat that cannot be ignored any longer by Congress. Brent will stand up to the corporate gun lobby and demand that we pass strong, sensible restrictions on firearms. This should start with immediately reinstating the assault weapons ban, outlawing bump stocks, increasing background checks, stopping suspected terrorists, stalkers, and domestic abusers from buying guns, and enacting federal legislation putting in place Extreme Risk Protection Orders.