Elect J. Don Salcedo

All Missourians deserve quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible. If elected, I will work to ensure that the state fully funds Medicaid expansion, as directed by the voters. Missourians shouldn't be at risk of going bankrupt if faced with an illness or injury.

I will fight to reinstate Missourians' freedom to make reproductive healthcare decisions in consultation with their doctors without government interference. Legislators are not qualified to make medical decisions. Those decisions should be left to professionals and those who are impacted.

The state legislature needs to address the fact that in more than 34 out of every 100,000 pregnancies in Missouri ends in death of the pregnant person due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth. This puts us at 7th highest in the country for deaths due to pregnancy - twice the national average. This is unacceptable. We can avoid these senseless deaths by making quality prenatal care accessible for all pregnancies.

I will also fight to overturn the law passed this year by the Republican supermajority that restricts the power of local officials to issue emergency health orders. This legislation could hamstring local governments and put lives at risk.

As a retired educator and longtime employee of the National Education Association, I have watched with dismay as the Missouri State Legislature has neglected our public schools and attacked our teachers. Tragically, our students suffer the most from this hostile treatment.

Every child in Missouri should be able to attend a strong public school where teachers are respected as professionals and sufficient resources are allocated to allow learners to thrive in their environment.

I support diversity and equity education which provides students essential skills to function successfully in society and be well-informed citizens.

As a state legislator, I will be a strong advocate for public education, with a focus on increasing funding for our schools and preventing public funds from being diverted to unaccountable charter schools. I will also work hard to see that teachers receive a competitive wage and have the freedom to do the jobs they were trained to do.

A strong economy is one that works for ALL Missourians. I’ll work for policies that support local businesses and entrepreneurs who provide good jobs in our state and keep our economy growing. To attract good businesses, we must support investments in education and training, quality healthcare, and infrastructure.

Workers and their families are the economic drivers of our state and as your State Representative, I’ll put their interests ahead of large corporations by fighting for the wages, benefits, and protections workers deserve. The ability of workers to bargain collectively has been strengthening economies for generations. I support Missouri’s unions and will work to ensure they can grow and continue to build the middle class.

Parents who work full-time should not live below the poverty level. We must help parents work toward success by ensuring access to training opportunities, affordable and high-quality daycare, and early childhood education programs.

Republicans only seem interested in giving tax breaks to special interests, corporations, and the super-wealthy. Our state budget should include expenditures that will improve you and your family’s life, rather than lining the pockets of big businesses and those at the top.

Missourians shouldn’t have to worry about being shot at school, at the grocery store, in a house of worship, or anywhere else. We need common sense gun legislation to keep us safe.

Gun deaths in Missouri have increased by 70% in the last decade, with gun suicides increasing 37%. Our state has the 4th highest rate of gun deaths in the nation. We can and have to do better.

I respect the Second Amendment and believe law-abiding Americans have the right to own guns for hunting, sport, and self-defense. I also support background checks and reasonable safety measures to help to prevent the accidental or criminal use of firearms. Such legislation can also help prevent gun suicides among veterans, young people and other high-risk individuals.

I “back the blue” and will work to repeal the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) passed last year that makes it illegal for our local and state police departments to partner with other law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime and dangerous criminals in our state. The bill was adamantly opposed by law enforcement officers across Missouri. I will work with police officers to see that this legislation is taken off the books.

The right to vote is foundational in ensuring that everyone in our democracy is represented. Based on passage of voter suppression legislation this year, it’s clear the Missouri Legislature is not committed to that ideal.

The Missouri Constitution states that the right to vote is fundamental in our state. Sadly, the new voter legislation will take away that right for thousands of Missouri voters disenfranchised by the new legislation.

I will work to overturn the extreme anti-voting measures passed by the Republican supermajority. These laws make it harder to register to vote, to cast a ballot or to vote absentee. Disabled individuals, senior citizens, people of color and students will be most affected. This is unacceptable.

Missouri’s elections were already considered secure. But that didn’t stop voter suppression disguised as election reform from being passed into law. Continued assault on our democracy by those who refuse to accept election results unless they agree with the outcomes is a grave threat to our democracy.

Inflation following a worldwide pandemic has hit many Missourians hard. What was the Republican response? To pass a bill that gives huge tax breaks to the wealthy while middle-income folks won’t get much help in the face of today’s rising costs (for most working Missourians that’s only $66 a year)! State government has little control over global factors that drive the economy but should do everything it can to reduce expenses our residents face.

Health care expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy. We need to fully fund and implement Medicaid expansion, reduce application wait times and address rising healthcare expenses including drug costs. For families, access to affordable and high-quality daycare and early childhood education programs is essential in meeting the ever-increasing pressures on their budgets. I’ll advocate for the per child spending that’s needed to support the kind of quality program all children deserve.

We should also consider several proposals to provide inflation relief that Republicans rejected in their recent tax plan including tax credits for teachers, property tax relief for seniors and making the tax credit for lower-income families refundable. Eliminating a sales tax on food is another proposal that should be considered to provide relief to Missouri families.

We should not fund the state government on the backs of Missourians in the middle tax bracket. I support a fair taxation structure to make sure the wealthy pay their fair share of the tax revenues. I will fight for policies that benefit all residents, not just rich donors.