ISSUES

IT ALL STARTS AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

From the courtroom, State Senate, and his local kitchen tables, Derek Kitchen has spent his life fighting for protecting health care, lowering costs, and restoring the dignity of work and family life.

Every Utah family should thrive at their kitchen table, heres how we can do it:

  • HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

    • MEDICARE FOR ALL- It’s past time to guarantee healthcare for everyone. Derek supports Medicare for All so no one goes bankrupt due to medical bills.

    • PROTECT & EXPAND COVERAGE- Nearly 300,000 Utahns rely on Medicaid or CHIP. Derek will expand ACA subsidies, protect coverage for pre-existing conditions, and lower out-of-pocket costs—so healthcare works for families, not insurance companies.

    • MEDICAID/CHIP- When Derek’s younger brother was diagnosed with cancer, CHIP kept him alive. Derek will always fight to fully protect and expand Medicaid and CHIP—ensuring uninterrupted coverage and access to specialists, especially for children with serious illnesses.

    • MENTAL HEALTH- Utah’s mental health crisis demands real investment. Derek will expanded access to treatment, community-based recovery services, and treat mental healthcare like physical health care.

    • PRO- CHOICE- Decisions about contraception, abortion, and maternal care belong to patients—not politicians. Political interference puts lives at risk, and Derek will fight to protect reproductive freedom nationwide.

    • CLEAN AIR/WATER = HEALTH- Clean air and water are essential to healthy communities. Reducing pollution lowers disease rates, protects children and seniors, and saves lives.

    • PRO-UNION/ PRO-WORKER- Derek stands with organized labor and will fight to pass the PRO Act because economic growth should reward the people who do the work.

    • HOUSING YOU CAN AFFORD- Owning a home shouldn’t be a fantasy. Derek supports a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to build more affordable homes.

    • RAISING WAGES- Prices are up and paychecks haven’t kept pace. Derek supports raising baseline wages so working people have real bargaining power and more money in their pockets.

    • SNAP/MEDICAID- Programs like SNAP and Medicaid aren’t handouts—they’re stabilizers. When working families can put food on the table, kids succeed in school, seniors stay healthier, and local economies grow.

    • VETERANS NEED SECURITY- No veteran should face homelessness. Derek will fight to expand veteran housing, debt relief, and accessible career pathways.

    • LOCAL BUSINESSES- As a local business owner, Derek knows what it takes to survive. He supports expanding Small Business Administration and 504 loan programs and making federal tools like State Small Business Credit Initiative easier for local businesses to access.

  • TEACHERS ARE DOING TOO MUCH, FOR TOO LITTLE

    As a former afterschool teacher, Derek knows educators are asked to be everything. It’s time we support them.

    • FEED OUR CHILD- No child should go hungry at school. Derek supports strengthening the National School Lunch Program so every student has access to healthy breakfasts and lunches.

    • PAY TEACHERS & PROTECT ORGANIZING RIGHTS- Supporting our next generation, means paying educators better and creating safer class room. Derek will fight for respectable wages for the work teachers do and respect on the job.

    • PATHWAYS FOR THE FUTURE-Every student deserves access to trade schools, apprenticeships, and affordable college. Derek supports career-focused education, mentorship, and capping tuition costs.

    • EDUCATION=ECONOMIC- Strong schools and workforce training lead to higher wages, lower unemployment, and stronger communities. It’s time we allocate more funds to public schools.

    • SAVE OUR GREAT SALT LAKE-The Great Salt Lake is essential to Utah’s water future, public health, and economy. Letting it fail threatens drinking water, jobs, and lives. Derek supports restoring inflows, investing in water efficiency, and holding corporate polluters accountable.

    • CLEAN AIR- Too many Utahns live with dangerous air pollution. Derek will fight for clean air standards that protect children, workers, and seniors.

    • PUBLICS LANDS BELONG TO US- Utah’s public lands define who we are. Derek will protect them, expand outdoor access, invest in recreation, and treat nature as vital health infrastructure.

  • DEREK SUED THE STATE TO LEGALIZE MARRIAGE EQUALITY AND WON! THE FIGHT ISN’T OVER

    • LGBTQ+ EQUALITY- Derek will restore open service by transgender people in the military, end discrimination to life saving health care, and pass the Equality Act.

    • VOTING RIGHTS- In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I oppose any restrictions on the right to vote and support independent redistricting commissions that ensure all Americans have an equal say in their government.

    • POLICE REFORM- Americans should not be dying at the ends of any local or federal official. I would support raising the standards for the use of force.

    • PALESTINE- PROTECTING INNOCENT LIVES STARTS BY: Stopping offensive weapons to the Netanyahu Government, rejecting Trump’s “New Gaza” Plan, no taxpayer dollars to fund violations of international humanitarian law, use all financial and diplomatic means to secure a two-state solution, immediately ending the forced displacement of Palestinians and halting all illegal settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, prioritizing a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access, and protection of all civilians.

    • RESPECT OTHER NATIONS- A progressive foreign policy starts with respecting the independence of our allies — including Denmark, Canada, and Greenland — and building long-term regional stability through partnership, not military and economic pressure, to protect American interests.

    • INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS- Recently, Trump has removed the United State from the World Health Organization (WHO) and decreased our involvement NATO. While discretion for international organization is at the president. Derek will support re-entering the W.H.O and continuing to support our NATO allies through the power of the purse.

    • BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM- It’s clear our system is broken. Derek will fight for an America were immigrants are treated with humanity and dignity- not as scapegoats.

    • PATHWAY CITIZENSHIP- Derek will advocate for legal status for DREAMers, pathways to citizenship for productive adults, family reunification visas, guest worker visa programs, and asylum for refugees.

    • END CITIZENS UNITED - Derek will not be taking any foreign money or be influenced by corporate money. He will fully advocate to get corrupt money out of poltiics.

    • NO INSIDER STOCK TRADING- Too often politicians who engage with corruption use it get rich off their offices through insider trading. Derek would support legislation to ban those holding federal elected positions from participating in

    • ACCOUNTABILITY - Government officials need to be held accountable not only by elections, but with term limits. They get rich off their offices through insider trading, and they cover up each other’s crimes just like they’ve done with the Epstein files. Derek will push to hold all government offices are held accountable.