SerpApi.Org
Too often, the people who become elected officials have never seen firsthand how government policy has the power to make our lives better or worse.
As a social worker in Wichita, I have.
I’ve met families exactly where they are, often in some of the most difficult times of their lives. I have sat on living room floors with young mothers, playing with their babies as they learned that their child had a developmental delay.
And the inevitable next question is, “What do I do now?” For many families, amidst rising costs of rent, groceries, healthcare, and lack of affordable childcare, they are already stretched thin.
My job was to help families answer the next question: How do I give my child what they need when I am already juggling two jobs, struggling to afford diapers, and trying to keep the rest of the family afloat?
That’s why I decided to join Ethan Corson as his lieutenant governor running-mate. Because Kansans deserve a governor and lieutenant governor who understand just how hard life can be, so we know how to fight to make yours easier.
The challenges that Kansas families face aren’t just theirs, they are all of ours. When families thrive, Kansas thrives.
When rising prices make it harder to put food on the table and household necessities more expensive, we shouldn’t be adding barriers to receiving help. We know that children do better in school when they aren’t distracted by hunger.
When families are choosing between a parent going back to work or staying home because they can’t find affordable childcare, we should be doing everything we can to expand childcare slots and create new childcare partnerships. We know early childhood education provides children with the social, emotional, and academic foundation needed to grow into successful and happy adults.
When families are searching for health insurance they can afford, and finding none, we should be fighting to expand Medicaid, not standing in the way of affordable healthcare. We know that preventative care is critical to keeping future health bills low, and that healthy kids are happy kids.
We know that when we make meaningful investments in our families and their children birth through age three, that the investment is repaid triple-fold in reduced behavioral and academic assistance needs.
Not only have I seen these struggles, and wished for better solutions, as a social worker in Wichita - I’ve lived them myself. I’ve been a young mother struggling to find answers to these same questions. I’ve been the kid on free school lunch because my own parents were struggling.
I want to serve Kansas alongside Ethan as his lieutenant governor so Kansans know that there is a new generation of leadership in office who understand their struggles because we’ve lived them, and who are ready to fight for real solutions to make all our lives better.
Ethan and I are ready to fight to expand Medicaid so families can get the healthcare they need. We’re ready to fight to expand the free school lunch program so children don’t go hungry. We’re ready to build up the childcare system so parents can work and kids get the early investment they deserve.
That’s why I’m asking you to put a social worker in the lieutenant governor’s office. Because I’ve worked with children with developmental disabilities. I’ve helped women experiencing domestic violence rebuild their lives. I’ve worked in hospice care with families facing the end of life.
I’ve spent long nights in hospitals and entered people’s homes on some of the worst days of their lives.
When you do that kind of work, you learn very quickly that policy is never abstract.
- Renee Duxler is a Democratic candidate for Kansas lieutenant governor, who spent most of her career as a social worker in Wichita and ran for Sedgwick County Commission in 2018. She later transitioned into economic and workforce development and is currently president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.
