1. Affordability means never having to choose between survival and dignity. I learned that early. I grew up in West Philadelphia, raised by my mother, an immigrant who worked 60 hours a week yet still could not keep us housed. We were evicted, homeless three times, and I watched families like mine do everything right and still fall through the cracks. That is what unaffordability looks like.

Congress can act by attacking the root causes. Build more housing and stop corporate speculation that drives up rent. Lower healthcare costs by standing up to insurers and drug companies. Raise wages and invest in jobs and training that lead to real stability. And reform Congress so policy is not written by those profiting from high prices. Affordability means the American Dream should not require escaping your neighborhood to survive.

2. The future of the Democratic Party has to look like the future of the country. That means building a real, credible platform for young people, especially young men, who increasingly feel alienated from politics and unheard by our party. I believe we cannot be the party of the working class while accepting corporate PAC money. If we are funded by the same interests driving up costs and extracting wealth, we should not be surprised when voters stop trusting us.

I respect the energy leaders like Mamdani bring because they are willing to say openly that the status quo is not working and that both parties have failed too many people. I am not interested in ideology for its own sake. I am interested in results. If more moderate leaders want a different approach, they should offer bold, better alternatives that materially improve people’s lives, rather than defending a system that benefits them and those already doing well.

3. I am the only candidate in this race running for just two years to try something new and disrupt an establishment that is no longer working. I am running to lead the next generation and build a movement, not a career.

If illegal dumping is happening in a community, I would use that movement to apply real pressure. That means calling for a targeted national boycott of the responsible corporation until we are made whole and commitments from the CEO are secured. At the same time, I would leverage my office to keep the community informed, demand timelines from agencies, and elevate the issue through oversight hearings focused on environmental justice.

4. Most Democrats say they want to “hold Trump accountable,” but too often it has become a talking point, not a strategy. For 10 years, we have centered our politics around attacking Trump, re-running impeachment arguments, and using performative politics to raise money while people’s lives stay the same. That is not real change.

Accountability starts when Democrats take back the House and reclaim congressional oversight that the GOP has surrendered. Oversight must be used aggressively. Impeachment remains an important tool, but it should be deployed strategically, including against cabinet secretaries and senior officials, to create real internal pressure. We also cannot just be against Trump. We must be for something. I believe you never say no without offering a viable alternative. When Trump weakens our standing abroad, Democrats must respond quickly, clearly, and in unity. And we must make JD Vance answer, too, because accountability includes the successor.

5. Israel has the right to defend itself, and Hamas’s actions on Oct. 7 were horrific. But Congress has approved unconditional aid that implicates the U.S. in collective punishment, starvation, and mass civilian deaths in Gaza. I would support halting future aid until Israel allows U.N. investigators and international journalists to conduct a full, independent war crimes investigation.