Elect Rasheen Aldridge

Quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare is every Missourian’s right. Health care is a right, not a privilege, and our health care system should put people before profits. But every year families must make increasingly difficult decisions for how they prioritize spending on prescription drugs and medical bills over the basic costs of living.

As your state representative, I’ll keep supporting common sense measures like expanding Medicaid, so no Missourian is forced to choose between a decent job and keeping their healthcare. I will also keep working to bring access to mental healthcare facilities to our communities.

Every 78 district child should have access to free, quality public education regardless of their zip code. As your representative, I will keep working to strengthen our public schools and fully fund our commitment to our kids.

I strongly support universal early childhood education, because investing in our kids from an early age is the best way for us to invest in our future. I will also keep supporting investment in higher education and workforce training, to ensure all 78 district resident have the opportunity to gain the skills needed to compete in our economy.

A strong economy is one that works for everyone. As your state rep, I have fought for those who truly build up our economy which are our everyday workers. I've fought to ensure that working families make a livable wages with benefits, and protections on the jobs that they deserve. I’ll support investments in educational opportunities to support a 21st century workforce.

I will keep working for policies that support local businesses who provide good jobs in our community and keep our economy growing. And I’ll work to bring new businesses here that want to capitalize on our skilled district workforce and quality of life. But I’ll always put workers’ interests before the special interests of large corporations.

No matter where you live in Missouri, the root causes of crime are the same: a failing education system, lack of work opportunities, along with distressed communities and poverty. Addressing these basic issues must always be central in any conversation about crime.

I've supported drug treatment courts and diversion programs that find alternative ways to punish and rehabilitate non-violent criminals without simply throwing them in prison. Instead of being tough on crime we must be smart about criminal justice reform.

I believe that we must protect everyones right to vote. It’s time we give back control of our elections to those to whom it belongs to. We must restore the full protections of the right to vote. We must bring our democracy into the 21st century by expanding early voting, implementing universal automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, and restore the vote to 60,000 individuals who are coming out on probation and parole.

As state rep I will continue to fight against discriminatory voter identification laws, which disproportionately burden young voters, diverse communities, people of color, low-income families, people with disabilities, and the elderly, and women.

Government works best when it is closer to the people it serves. I respect the fabric of our local communities and trust them to know best when it comes to overcoming the challenges they face.

In Missouri, we have seen many decisions influenced by special interests, circumventing the will of local communities on local issues by preempting local ordinances with state law or by diluting local opposition to matters by including state-wide votes. As the state rep I will work to ensure that local communities voices are not over ruled by the state.

Every person should have the autonomy to make decisions about their body and their life. Republicans have passed extreme abortion bans in recent years, limiting access to abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or medical need.

Mothers die from childbirth in Missouri in numbers far greater than the rest of the industrialized world, and Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Instead of promoting healthcare, Missouri legislators have placed burdensome restrictions on it.

As your state rep, I have been committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice with women for the right to make the best decisions about their healthcare for their own lives.

Faith in government and the political process is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy. As your state rep, I’ll fight to shine a light on those who conceal their donors and influence our politics with dark money.

In 2018, Missourians overwhelmingly voted in favor of Amendment 1, known as CLEAN MO. It capped contributions and limited the way money could move in and out of campaign coffers. Special interests have continued to find loopholes around these laws, pushing ‘dark money’ further into the political process.

Ultimately, this campaign isn’t about me. This is your campaign and I want you to be proud of it and the coalition we build along the way. That’s why I’ll provide you easy access to the sources of our campaign money. Its important to make sure dark money is never louder then the peoples voice.

Every year for the past two decades, the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA) has been filed, only to be blocked by Republicans. MONA would allow basic protections to our LGBTQ community by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights Act.

Missourians should not have to fear losing their jobs or being denied housing for who they love—discrimination that is currently completely legal in our state.

As your state rep, I will keep working for the 78th Dist and a Missouri that welcomes people regardless of race, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation, and protects all people from discrimination.