Today on a special driveway live, we are being joined by our very special guest Wisconsin Seven Congressional District Democratic candidate Tricia's Zanker. I'm Ben Ryden. My father, Terry is spending the day shopping with my mother so he couldn't be here today do Co host but we'll just kinda press on without him. Thank you everyone for watching And Tricia. Thank you so much for being here well. Thank you. Ben. I appreciate the time and I'm sorry to miss your father but hopefully next time well. I have funny story about that. actually he so yesterday he was here and the Co hosting a show and he had mentioned that he wasn't feeling very well. so last night he sent a text saying. I I don't think I wanna be able to make it tomorrow. so I'm thinking he just must be sick. Well an hour ago I see in his Facebook page that he and mom are done shopping and his leg like so he's playing hooky with my mother. I think it's actually what's going on so thank you and I apologize for everyone. We had announced who's been around 1215, but it's a little later today. obviously weather being you know what it is so you are running for Congress. Yes, I am we have a special election primary date is February eighteenth general is May twelfth and this is to fill the seat. Recently resigned by Shaun Duffy, Oh my So what led you to I'm running for Congress. It was an aha moment. A You just woke up in the Middle of the night and said I'm running for Congress or is this A A something that you've had kind of the back of your mind to run for something like this, but you need the right opportunity and the right time well. I had considered it in January 2018 and that was in response to an issue that I was working on. As it relates to the child poverty in our area in Lassa, which is where I live and the food insecurity that our students suffer and when I address that with our Congressman at the time I didn't feel that there was enough meaningful or any action taken and so I thought well, I'm gonna run and I ended up not. I reached out to the seventh CD chair at the time. There are number of qualified candidates already thinking about it and I decided I was gonna. On my efforts on the communities that I wanted to serve locally and also in my tribe Ho-Chunk Nation. so it's it's something that I thought down the road. Yes, yeah and then but I was thinking more like 2020 - two right so this this was kind of an opportunity. It really was an opportunity. I thought okay, well, the time is now. so when that did happen, I'm assuming the opportunity was when now former Congressman John Duffy had announced that he was going to be stepping down resigning or was that My time table just moved up a little bit or did you think my may maybe maybe not quite yet. I don't know if I'm ready. how do you make that jump well? that's a good question because I did deliberate at length. I mean there were number of individuals locally that new Tricia's banker is gonna run for Congress at some point and so then that resignation came it was just you know massive news. I had to think about things I served the Wasau community as school board President of the School District. I served the Ho-Chunk Nation My tribe as associate Justice on the Ho-Chunk Supreme Court. I had to think about. It would impact the service that I am doing. I'm a single mother. I had to think about okay. Well, you know what kind of sacrifices are we making and ultimately every time I thought I came to the right decision and another thing would come to light. That's important to me to deliberate to get all the possible facts you know. I'm talking to the school principal about what this would look like. I'm talking to this individual about what this aspect look likes looks like, but the bottom line is I realized you know what now. Time now is absolutely the time not just for me personally, but because I I I I think I'm the strongest candidate and I think that I will get to work. Let's get things done. We need a lot of of improvements for the hardworking Wisconsinites for our children for our farmers for our vulnerable communities and I've just thought well. I'm the one to do it and you know it might help to learn a little bit about my background. Yeah. that'd be perfect, especially first time here and we're we we. We know we had some people yesterday asking we're gonna do this Mount Rushmore think yesterday with you and we absolutely are. but really who are you for the people who don't really know that much about you right walking all the way back from the very beginning. Start wherever you wanna start okay. And then how did you get to the point where you are now making that decision? sure I'm whenever Congress sure absolutely well. I was born and raised in Wasaga and I'm from Watson from Marathon County. I'm Ho-Chunk on my dad side and I come from generations of dairy farmers on my mom side. I grew up in a strong Union household. My mom is a United Steel Workers, Local two dash 224 Union member A 30 plus Union member I was out on the picket line with her in 1990. - two. I was 12 years old at the time. maybe some people remember hearing about the James River Strike of July 1990. - two was over two weeks long. That was my mom's work and you know they were fighting for things that we still see today. I was pulling the headlines I was at the Marathon County Public Library, pulling the headlines and they were things like workers fight to save their health care. You know same things it's 30 years It's things like that that are so important. I'm a first generation College graduate. Oh yeah. I graduated from University of Wisconsin Madison. I earned a triple major and a certificate in four years on a second triple major. Yeah, That sounds very impressive. I'm assuming it is. But what does that mean? I just get a major when you're to call it means I'm way too interested in too many topics and I probably would have tried to attack on the fourth one of history, which I also love, but it was like, okay. We gotta call it reason some point. Well, and that's the thing is. I've always been a hard worker and I knew that I was gonna go to College. my parents told me that they didn't have those similar opportunities and they they had me very young and you know we didn't grow up with a whole lot. I mean I have memories of seeing my mom pay for groceries with coins one time in a snowstorm. you know I was about seven years old and you know Wisconsin winter. she couldn't get her car to the driveway and it was either not go to work or. An alternative way and so what she ended up doing is wrapping herself in a blanket like her comforter and walking four miles to her job because we couldn't go without her wages for one day you know and that's that's that's how I grew up and that's how that's kinda shapes how I look at things. Yeah even now today. So I that was tangential on the fact that yeah, I'm a first generation College graduate, but I I worked hard even as a high school student. I started working as soon as I could, you know I've I've wanted to there are things that I want and I know that if I wanted to get a pair of jeans or if I wanted to have a car. And pay for the gas and the insurance I was gonna need to have a job and some money and money is kinda find out really good. Yeah. Yeah. It was great to start earning it as soon as I could. that's right and I took all AP classes in high school because I knew even at that time even at 17 years old, I knew if I do really well in these advanced placement classes, I can earn College credit. That's gonna save me money towards my tuition in College. Nice. Yeah. And that's what I did. and that's part of the reason I was able to do as much as I did because I had. Standing then freshman year second semester and then I did a course overloads where I have to get the dean's permission and I did summer school but between help from my tribe, Ho-Chunk Nation and financial aid. I also had to work two jobs in College so I was balancing like you wouldn't believe, but it was really good for shadowing too today and all of the balancing. I'm doing now. Yeah. So you say you still don't get any sleep today, but you didn't back then cuz the two jobs in College. Yup I was. Three days a week in a restaurant and then the other three days a week, the owners of the restaurant, I was taking care of their daughter and really good jobs. I mean the tips like I think everybody should work in a restaurant number one. you learn like really kind of make sure you treat people nicely. There's a lot going on behind the scenes but number two. If you're good at your job. tips tips already nice kinda how it works. Yeah. going back to the money is good. Yeah and I'm on the restaurant for years and yeah I I grew up working. I was 11 years old and started working in the restaurant. You learn a lot about people working in a restaurant. you really do you really do so after. I want it, I knew I wanted to go to law school and because of that triple major and minor certificate and the work that I was doing. I didn't actually have time my senior year to apply to law schools because those applications take a long time. It's I just didn't have the time at some point. We all run out of time right, so I went back to briefly where I ended up teaching French for the losses School District with an emergency certification to teach French I I forgot to mention one of my majors is French just cuz I love the language. I studied in Paris and then again in law school, I studied in Paris, but there was a great opportunity so I was always home briefly and then I went to law school. I went to law school at UCLA and the reason that I chose UCLA and I'm so glad that they chose me back is because of their stellar federal Indian law and tribal legal development program and as a hotel woman, it was really important for me to be able to learn in that program to work with those professors. It's just a cutting-edge program and we've we see a number of them and other law schools, but that one just spoke to me. And so I went that I was very lucky. I was accepted and I went out there and I I graduated law school in 2006 still paying off student debt. quite frankly. Yeah. Yeah. law school. Yeah. Yeah. Well. that's that's how it goes but I practiced law for a few years out there and then an opportunity arose and it was a special election and that was a special election in the nation for the position of Associate Justice on the Ho-Chunk Supreme Court so in Nation We have a court system with the trial court level, and then the Supreme Court level. A lot of court systems have three levels they might have. the intermediate level often called the court of Appeals, but it varies by jurisdiction in Ho-Chunk. We have two levels so I serve on the the highest level the Supreme Court now I quit. I kinda skipped ahead to the fact that I won that election so that election was 2013. Okay and I. Said I could do this job and I could do it really well and so I got on the ballot and I was the underdog of four candidates. How do you know you're the underdog just by pulling or just like we pretty much know like these people are very well known. I mean how do you know you're the underdog well when you're living in Los Angeles. That's one part true is that and then so how nation is the only tribe in Wisconsin without a reservation and I I could go back to our horrible removal stories and we could talk about that another time but you know we. I kept trying to to remove hotel in taking us to Minnesota and South Dakota and Nebraska, but in our hotel tradition, we feel very strongly that it is our duty and our obligation to protect the land. So when my relatives my ancestors they were taken to these different places. They kept coming back to Wisconsin and finally, the government said Okay. And then there's like these homesteads that were granted and then lost through some practices, But the bottom line is today The. Is that of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin Protect nation is the only one without a reservation that's interesting. It is interesting to we do have pockets of land that are held in trust and so that's why you might see you know different hotels casinos and hotels businesses throughout the state because we have this little section of land here is held in trust and that still our sovereign land. so we have our sovereign lands of the Ho-Chunk Nation when I have a decision that's issued. Chuck Supreme Court. It's from our Sutherlands of the Ho-Chunk Nation but so anyway, my point on that is it was a lot of campaigning around the state. Yeah. and now did you have to travel up here or I did I had to fly back and so I'm flying back to two and a half year olds in toe. I'm a single mother and so two and a half year old and toe and so we were coming back and maybe going to Napa and Wittenberg to campaign and then flying back to Los Angeles. So I could do my work that paid paid the bills and then flying back and maybe going to Baraboo Wisconsin Dells and campaigning hard there. And if that wasn't also for shadowing for campaign around the state because this district is huge, It's very big 20 - six counties, one third of the state but it's been amazing just getting out and talking to people. I just I've been I was up in Superior Ashland Bayfield last weekend this past weekend and there's just I love talking to everybody. but anyway I Elder say that I set a new standard of campaigning because of how hard I campaign in that first election and then I ran again and how often it's four -year term. Okay for your term. Alright. So in 2017 I ran for my same seat and I prevailed and in the midst of this, I did make my way back to Wisconsin first living in Indian Heights, which is in Wisconsin Dells Indian Heights, is some of our sovereign tribal lands over the Where some of our housing is so I was living there briefly and then I came to back to Wasabi and the reason why is my grandpa was in his last years and my grandfather dairy farmer that I referenced earlier and I just said you know, I'm never gonna regret being close to grandpa in those last years cuz it makes a difference. If you can go and physically and have a visit versus a conversation on the phone, it was you know just kinda the point where it's it it. It just makes a difference and it was the right thing to do and it was the right thing to do because. Was called home last April and I'll never regret that decision to bring my son back home to Watson. I say Grandpa brought us home and I'm so grateful for him but when I made my way back to my son now was just starting kindergarten. He's nine now he's in third grade, but he was just starting kindergarten and I was reading about the skyrocketing child poverty in Marathon County and the food insecurity that our students suffer and this isn't unique to marathon. By any means, but I went to some of the local agencies and I wanted more information because that's what I do when I try to wrap my head around something. How can we solve this? What can we do? Let's go get information we should rely on numbers. we should rely on data so I went to United Way of Marathon County and went to other agencies and I found out just a tour of a horrifying things, for instance, the fact that we have large population of students that they received the free and reduced lunch and breakfast. School and that's all they know that they they're gonna have so we have students that come Friday lunch time. That's the last meal that they know they're gonna have until Monday morning breakfast back at school. I mean to live with that kind of anxiety and and to hunger, we can do better. You know I have my eye on our vulnerable populations on it's we have to. We are all in this together and we all do better as a society when our vulnerable. Do better so what I ended up doing is going to the school board at the Wasco School Board and advocating for more saying we need food pantries in our schools and I worked with my son's elementary school to get some form of pantry going in that school and and other things throughout the school district, But I also thought you know it's one thing to go and and be vocal. the which is good. I think that too many people they may be just wanna be vocal on Facebook comments and really it's not effective. Nobody ever does that, but it's not affect you. I mean, let's if you wanna use your voice, please do it constructively and effectively so it's great to do public comment, but I thought you know what I can make a difference by serving on this board. So that's what I did is. I unseeded an incumbent I I this is the hard you know what I'll just do it. You're not doing it. I'll just run a win and I'll do it myself Well, that's all it was like. okay, like I came to you guys and now like a week later, I'm gonna be on the ballot. so let's this is for you. You've captured that quite so I did I did campaign hard. I did unseat an incumbent and now I'm the school board President for the school district. I've yeah, and I've worked really hard on things. you know, making sure that we value our teachers and treat them with the respect that they deserve. I've worked on statewide efforts. you might have seen something about the resolution that was circulating around the state as it relates to retiring. Native American mascots logos imagery nickname. Yes, yes. That is something that I brought to my school board and it was passed unanimously and I said, well, I'll see cosponsorship because we're we were gonna submit them to Wisconsin Association of School Boards and that it is a body that can lobby the state Legislature and there is an annual meeting every January where the school boards they send their delegate to vote and it's on these different resolutions. So if the resolution passes by majority vote, then the Wisconsin Association of. Boards can lobby the state Legislature but they just have that kind of credibility than from from the vote that occurred well, We knew we were going to submit it. You know it had unanimous support and then I went and saw Co-sponsorship and I would have gotten more districts to sign on. I have 18, but there was the deadline of September fifteenth, so you know school board sometimes they only meet a couple of times a month. It's hard to get on the agenda all these things, but so that that I think is important and it's not a matter of personal feeling. even though as a hotel woman, I do have feelings it is educational policy. This is something. The American Psychological Association in 2005, called for immediate retirement of Race-based mascots because of the fact that they exacerbate cross community conflict. They result in a negative educational environment for native and not need of students and they create a hostile learning environment for native students. So this is something and I know people like to say local control, but these are things that don't stay locally. You know there's athletic. That around the state, it's essentially like an inner Scholastic discrimination. so that's an important thing and I will say that since I started those efforts last July, three of the 30 - one school districts that still retains something in that arena have actually made the change either on their own or they're going to at the end of this academic year. So you know that's thousands of students that are going to have a more inclusive and welcoming academic environment. so it really yeah. So I I got on. I got on a tangent there No, but I love that I mean, and I think that's you know kind of obviously what we're doing, especially the first time here, you know Something and I don't really know how to necessarily phrase it sure your woman your native American scent and and a Democrat and educate you when you look at the seven Congressional district are these things helping you are these things that people will look and go okay or do you think any of these things obviously most likely wrongfully so but we gotta get over some things well. I think that we are more alike than we are different here in the seventh CD. I think that people are tired of the the bickering and the gridlock me being one of them. One of the things that I am very effective at is working with people of opposite viewpoints. In fact, the person one of the people I worked the best with on the school board and I'd like to think that I work well with everybody. But one of the people I worked the best with is somebody who identifies on the opposite side of you know the political aisle. Opposite side of the spectrum, but it's through respectful communication and listening and looking at numbers and data and facts and then saying okay, How can we find the best decision for the greatest amount of people and that's at the end of the day? what I think I bring to the table. I think I think most people call that logic. Yeah. But but I think to your point. I think that representation matters. Yeah. I think that the fact that the seventh CD has never been represented by a woman before is a huge deal and people. People shouldn't vote for me because I'm a woman okay, but women's issues are human issues and people should vote for me because I'm a qualified woman who's gonna get the job done. Yeah that's different. That is yeah and also yeah. Wisconsin has never been represented by a Native American in Congress said. That's where I was going with this is the this isn't something that is as you just said Normal. This has not really happened and now both at the same time right well, I'm I'm Ho-Chunk. I'm an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and Be really you know it's overdue. It's overdue. Let's just be honest and one thing that really not a lot of people are aware of and I wasn't aware of until I was already campaigning is that of all the members of Congress only one individual of the 500 plus members of Congress is a single parent, and I just think we need to achieve. we need to achieve a government that reflects society because that is not what society looks like you know and the reason. Can't get there is because of campaign finance reform. you know I teach constitutional law. I've been a law professor for 14 years and I still teach Tuesday Thursday night's live online through Zoom and I teach late. it's eight to 11 PM the school is out in California so that there at night school 60 - nine. That's why I probably looked tired. I was in class 11 last night and then I was like packing and everything for today. It's nonstop. Ben Let me tell you so anyway. I teach constitutional law and so I teach my students about citizens United and I Own conclusions, but I will say here that we need to overturn citizens United. We need to cap how much is spent on elections. I mean these are just such exorbitant amounts of money and we need we need to get the corporate money out of politics. People need to be accountable to the voters and I'm seeing this from a different angle now because I'm sitting here and I'm making these calls for donations and I appreciate each and every $20 donation $10 donation. I know the value of a hard-earned dollar. Yeah, but it's frustrating. When you see that corporate money just funneling into other campaigns and it's like I'm accountable to the voters and we need to get that out and that's how we're going to achieve a government that truly reflects society. HM. That's what we need well and you've you've already proven that in two different races already. Yeah, it's true. I mean this is this is quite a different one, but what are the other things I did wanna touch on some of the some of the local work that I've done also in working with Was City Council and the mayor is. Work to get Indigenous people stay recognized and then I worked with Marathon County Board of Supervisors, which is the largest County board in the country. 30 - eight members on that board which that's kinda big right Holy cow. How everybody how long are these meetings going think it's kinda long. I have friends that serve on the board and and and acquaintances, and then it's it's kind of long. Yeah, we get to a point of we have to wonder about efficiency. you know well anyway, the count Marathon County Unanimously vote to support the resolution that recognizes this second Monday in October's Indigenous People's Day so this past Monday in Marathon County or not this past Monday this past October both Marathon County and Wasson recognized it and because because it was so important, then I ended up forming a nonprofit doing fund raising its Central Wisconsin Indigenous People's Day Committee, and this must have been between midnight and three in the morning. It was like that that sleep time it was yeah. it was that like slippery real quick started. Yeah, yeah. and you know I'm an attorney and this is a this was actually a new area for me but ended up fund raising and bringing a power back to the area, which was so overdue, not just for the native community. but for so many people that had never been to one and that wanted to experience one but they didn't know where to go. Yeah because they haven't been any and I tell you there were 200 dancers on the floor, a Grand entry Saturday night and I can tell you that means an amazing turnout. so that's. Other work that I've done locally, you know I have a demonstrated record whether it's with my tribe, whether it's with the Wasau community of seeing a need for something and taking taking efforts to to to make change positive change for the community thinks it yeah well and that's that's really how I feel here is like, okay. We've got so many things we gotta. we've got health care. We've got this farm crisis. We have to address you know the environment. we have to make sure that people have a good working jobs and that our kids. Going hungry through no fault of their own, Yeah and we have to eliminate all of this nonsense of bickering back and forth and attacks and let's just get to work and and that's that's where I come in. I'm just I feel like sometimes I'm like have a fixer. Let's just do it. Yup Yup well actually on that cuz I know I mean you're you're running a little behind today so I don't you know I will come back so don't worry. That's what this is awesome. Okay. but before we go, I do want to do our Mount Rushmore think so absolutely yesterday we did this and it was a. Mount Rushmore usually you know people obviously these are people around there, but we are picking kind of a person a topical issue of the things that are the most polarizing things that people have strong opinions. for example. If we pulled some 100 people, everyone would have an opinion and not just an opinion but a very strong opinion and then I wanna just to see what your opinion is on this. so the list we came up with was number one. The only person on our Mount Rushmore is Donald Trump. what is your opinion of President Donald Trump. now we could. Talk for about an hour, Yeah, I'll just I'll live in it like two or three things. I I'm not at all a fan of the language that's used the attacks the Twitter I don't really even read those things on Twitter. They got really exhausting after the first year to read some of those things because I think we need to treat each other with respect and especially when you hold such an important seat and are a leader of this great country. It's important that your words reflect that so I find I think that there's a certain standard needs. I understand you can feel frustrated behind the scenes and say certain things. But we need to make sure that we're not attacking people. you know. I don't like the nicknames that I see. I'm certainly not going to be engaging in any of that. I just I think it's insulting to people quite frankly so that that would be my first in the impeachment. What are your views on the impeachment part? If we're we're gonna cut to touch on a couple things since that's topical and it's happening right now. What is your view on that? Well, you know, I think that it's unfortunate that impeachment has become evident. Part is an issue because first and foremost when you take an oath to serve the constitution that should be the grounding force for anything. The constitution is the Supreme law of the land and I feel like there are individuals that have taken that oath and then look the other way in their support of Trump. We see that facts have emerged that have come to light that need and require investigation, and that process should be played out and it's a really. To see how parts in it's become. Yeah Okay. the next one on our list of our Mount Rushmore of people that have strong opinions. Polarizing topics is the topic of abortion where there's a lot of layers to that certainly but we believe that just what everyone's gonna have an opinion and a strong and picking what is your view on abortion? Well, you know I teach constitutional law. I referenced in everybody goes to Roe V Wade, but really what the critical cases is Planned. Parenthood V Casey 1990, - two and you can see in the language there A woman's right to bodily autonomy and that's really what we're talking about here. It's not about being pro choice or pro life. I mean I I believe strongly in a woman's right to bodily autonomy and I'm also pro life. I can tell you I'm pro-life because I wanna make sure that those pregnant mothers have access to maternal health care and that when those babies are born that they have health care and that we have preschool options for our our children at 34 years old and accessible birth control. So I can say that I support life in an abundance of life, but I also fiercely. Fence of defensive of a woman's right to bodily autonomy women can make their own decisions about their bodies and I understand that that is a very polarizing topic. I went to Lutheran Grade school kindergarten through eighth grade and then I went to public school West High School and so I know what's taught in school as it relates to religion but I also was taught that God is the one who judges us. Yeah. It's not our place to judge one another. so I think this is a place. Government should be out of it. It's a decision that a woman makes whether it's with herself with her partner with her doctor or with her faith. That is an incredible answer by the way. Oh yes saying that that's it's the truth and I tell you we have a hotel belief that when you speak truthfully can just say it like it is so my friend, Brian Cole pastor He speaks truth. That's what he says he does a written article every Sunday picking parts of the Bible and then he talks about that. and that's why we always said man. I'm just speaking truth. You know it's like. Solution in this case would be the Bible right just saying what the Bible said. That's all okay. So our next one on our our third of our four Mount Rushmore of polarizing topics would be a health care. Obviously there's again a lot of layers to that and a lot of different areas, but just kinda the overarching thing, health care Medicare for all of you wanna get into that. What is your view on health care right now? Well, we absolutely need to expand health care so that people have accessible affordable quality health care and we. To take on Big Pharma, I worked at intellectual property early in my career and to see how what big Pharma gets away with is so frustrating. you know they charge here. They charge us Americans 10 times what they charge that same drug and other countries and that I'm ready to take on Big Pharma. It is just plain wrong. You know it's wrong. It doesn't surprise me that you're ready to take them on like no. I am. I'm on like I'm gonna do like before before the elections even done. I don't know no, but it's true. you know I have we have senior citizens that are rationing their pills their drugs And we have individuals that are going into debt. I have a friend. She's 70 - one years old. She can never stop working because her son who is diabetic. he ran into some financial difficulty and you know she needed to help him with his insulin cost and then on top of it, he had an accident and then they ended up getting like $200000 of medical debt, And she says you know she's not gonna leave him by the side of the road. She's never gonna stop working because she's gonna help him and to see Our hardworking Wisconsinites is just wrong, so we need to ensure accessible affordable health coverage. Nobody should you know be ill? Nobody should die because they can't afford their cancer treatment. Nobody should go bankrupt because of the cost of prescription drugs and I think this is something that everybody agrees on and this is not just something that is limited to health, but it affects our economy. You know we need to we need to support our small businesses and when we have insurance companies with these. Deductibles and ridiculous insurance policies that are small business owners are looking at and saying Oh, but if I have to you know provide this coverage to my employee, that's really gonna hurt the Bank. You know it affects everybody. It really does and the more money that we have in our pockets and our Bank account the more that goes out into the local community. Yeah, we need to address this. Yep. it really does okay and the last one and. This is actually kinda depending where you live. It means something different, but again, everyone's gonna have an opinion and that's the topic of gun control and I was seeing the seventh congressional district lot of rural area and people love their guns and the Second Amendment, which is perfectly fine. I'm not forget whatever I don't care, but that's a very polarizing topic. What is your view on gun control? I support the people's right to own their guns. I support the Second Amendment. I teach constitutional law as I said, and I'm also on the board of directors for the ACLU of Wisconsin. I consider myself a defender of the. I can back that up with the work that I do defending it so I support the Second Amendment. I believe that people should be able to protect themselves in their home. I support our hunters out. you know, enjoying their their hunt and being sure that they have the access to the guns that they need to do that. But you know we need to address the gun violence in this country as a mom and as a school board President, I look at what we. Subjecting our students too through active shooter drills at school, You know I made it my entire academic career, which was fairly lengthy and I never had to do one. my son is in third grade and he's had to do so many already and it's like okay that we're we're addressing. We're not addressing the The word of the problem is that we need to have meaningful gun legislation and where there are individuals who have demonstrated. Their violent tendencies and they're likelihood of harming somebody. they shouldn't have access to a gun and I know this is controversial as well. Even you know I hate you know parties. I feel like we should just look at candidates. I it's it's uncomfortable, but even even over here there are some people that don't support what I'm about to say but it's the truth. and this is what I feel is that weapons designed for warfare should never be in the hands of civilians they can. Amount of destruction and chaos and death that can occur you. It's it's not worth it. I remember talking to a friend of mine recently and he's in law enforcement and we're talking about guns and gun control. After one of the unfortunately many school shootings and and we had posted something on it. I don't remember. I don't know what the articles that we published and wow. Yeah. That's what he said realizing that people are really four guns, which began perfectly fine, but said they kinda thought it should be. Done right, It's something I don't know is it smaller magazines is it is it the mental health part, but I think at this point we realized that there has to be something so we started talking about Second Amendment and we actually started reading it. We just kinda Googled it and we're reading through it. I'm like you know no. we're here to just say you know, automatic rifles or a high-powered or like you, said weapons that were kind of designed for warfare. I don't know it kinda feels like that. Maybe we don't necessarily need those but that still isn't a very popular thing to say, somehow those things are still connected. Do you. That there is a way when you said meaningful legislation do you think there is a way for people who support the Second Amendment that you could reach them to convince them that there is a balance here. I'm not gonna interrupt anything that you're doing. but yeah we maybe you don't need this one. Do you think you're gonna be able to get that done and so how do you communicate that message well? I'm just gonna have to keep trying and having those conversations and unfortunately for some people they might not change their minds until something unfortunate happens that personally affects them. Yeah, I don't wanna get to that point and I think that we can avoid that We could get into the whole historical aspect of the Second Amendment and what we're talking about they didn't anticipate what exists today. Yeah. So we have to take that into account and I like I said, I am a supporter of the Second Amendment absolutely, but we have to also address this gun violence that we have in this country. Tricia has been an absolute pleasure having you here. Hopefully you will come back. I will this is so fun it just like flew by yeah, I know we used to when we first started was like 1520 minutes and then after like the. Everyone for the first five, it was we looked down. That's 40 - five minutes. We're still talking it just kinda goes forever. what do you want to say that we didn't get a chance to talk about what message do you want to give our viewers? I appreciate that. I appreciate that I can summarize real quickly if anybody's wondering about me, I mean there's things that that are important to me that I motivated me to run whether it is the farm crisis in making sure that Washington isn't looking the other way on. it's on our farmers like it has been we need to We need to ensure that they have access to competitive markets. We need to eliminate predatory business practices that hurt our small and mid-size farmers. We need to make sure that there is funding for mental health legislation. You know we have a suicide crisis with our farmers in this community and it needs to be addressed. We need to make sure that they have broadband access health care is another important one campaign finance reform as I mentioned banking so that we protect our environment and making sure that people have good jobs. You know that they aren't working 70 hours a week at a. Minimum wage that hasn't been changed. It's overdue, 720 - five an hour Nobody can live on that so with the people are wondering about me and how I approach decision making it is as I said, it's through looking at data looking at facts listening and ensuring respectful communication. But there's three things that I think are important and three things three things that are important to me. When I approach a decision number one compassion is this. The compassionate response number two equality are Everybody is treated equal which is very important to me. I've also done work in this area in my community, but making sure that everybody is treated equally whether it's because of how they look who they love or how they identify their gender and then third opportunity. How are we providing the most opportunity possible here? so that people have a chance at success? Yeah, you know, I'm always looking out for the little guy. I am a little guy. I know what it's like and I know what it's like that to have somebody out there kind of fighting for you when you can't do it yourself because at some point those. Will be able to and then hopefully they turn around and help somebody else behind them. Yes Tricia Thank you so very much you know what after the primary I don't know if I should say if or when you win, I'll see you well. What do you say how about we schedule something later on sure after February tenth and that's kinda get into a little more of the now. we've talked about some of these now how we gonna do it. Absolutely awesome. Thank you so very much. this has been a live video podcast presented by Dr. Thank you for watching and have a blessed day.