Expanding Health Care Access and Lowering Costs

With 10 years of experience in healthcare management and as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions in the General Assembly, Sam is the most prepared candidate to expand access and lower costs. As a Delegate since 2014, he fought to expand Medicaid and passed legislation to increase the health care workforce and increase vaccine capacity. Sam supports lowering costs by implementing a well-funded Virginia-based health exchange and creating a Drug Price Affordability Board.

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Workers and Small Business

As the son of working-class immigrants and a small business owner, Sam knows we need policies to address income inequality and lift up workers and Main Street businesses. He has long championed a $15 minimum wage and repealing so-called “right-to-work laws” that keep wages low. As part of his COVID recovery plan, he supports increasing tax rebates and grant programs for small businesses.

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Intersectional Climate Justice

For years, Sam has stood with Virginians to stop dangerous fossil fuel pipelines that threaten our water and environment, and against the undue influence of Dominion in our politics. He has introduced legislation that would move Virginia to 100% clean energy by 2036 and create 200,000 good-paying jobs in Virginia. His progressive stand earned the endorsement of Sunrise Movement and Our Revolution VA.

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Teachers and Child Development

Sam began serving as a substitute teacher in Roanoke Schools to better understand the challenges facing students and teachers. He is committed to getting Virginia well above the national average in teacher pay and allowing teachers to represent themselves through collective bargaining. He has passed legislation to increase the focus on social and emotional learning, not high-stakes testing. 

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Affordable, Accessible Broadband

As the only candidate in the race from the western half of Virginia, Sam understands that the cable companies are not our friends when it comes to broadband access. He is the only LG candidate with a comprehensive plan that would lower costs by requiring a Basic Affordable Plan, close the digital divide for low-income families and expand infrastructure by empowering public and independent alternatives. 

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Justice Reform

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For too long, our criminal justice system has disproportionately targeted Black and brown Virginians and low-income residents. Sam has supported moving us toward a system that focuses on rehabilitation through supporting the abolition of the death penalty, ending mandatory minimums, and restoring the right to vote. He supports legalizing marijuana and investing a large share of the revenue back into the Black communities most impacted by its past criminalization. 

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Marshall Plan for Moms

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The data is clear: Women, especially moms, have borne the brunt of this pandemic. Sam introduced a bold plan, the Marshall Plan for Moms, which will provide child care for all, paid family and medical leave for every worker, expand paid sick leave, and create a caregiver tax credit.

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Equal Rights

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As an ethnic and racial minority himself, Sam believes no one should be discriminated against for their racial or gender identity, who they love, or how they pray. He introduced legislation to protect victims of domestic violence from housing discrimination and end wage history discrimination. 

Common Sense Gun Reform

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Sam supports common-sense policies to end the era of mass shootings and stop the senseless deaths. That includes supporting red flag laws, mandatory background checks, and banning weapons of war and high-capacity magazines. Sam introduced a bill to establish a fund to support gun violence prevention programs, funded by a 15% sales tax on firearm and ammunition sales.