ISSUES

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.

• PROVIDE FUNDING RELIEF FOR ENERGY BILLS- We will help funding and eligibility for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help working families pay their utility bills during times when energy costs are spiking.

• 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.

• END BOOK BANS- Book bans limit students’ access to diverse perspectives, undermining critical thinking and academic freedom. Removing books has especially affected material that include marginalized communities, silencing important voices and weaken the idea of America being a melting pot.

• 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.

• 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.

• GUN REFORM- Sandy Hook, Pulse Night Club, Parkland, Charleston Church, and more- far too long mass shootings in America have taking too many lives- and could’ve been prevented. Derek will help pass commonsense gun safety law, keep firearms out of the hands of criminals, background checks for all gun sales, and limit assault weapons in the country.

• 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 and end no knock warrants.

• CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM- . Derek passed legislation to lower the cost of phone calls for incarcerated people, making it easier to stay connected with their families and speak with their lawyers. He also supports ensuring that people returning home after incarceration can access federal resources like housing vouchers and food assistance because stable supportive services are proven to reduce recidivism and help people successfully rebuild their lives.

• HIGH-SPEED RAIL ACT- Modern rail connects people to jobs, unions, and opportunity while cutting pollution and traffic. Investing in trains means faster travel, union jobs, and transportation that works for everyone- and not at first class plane ticket prices. Derek would support the Public Transit Equity & Expansion Act.

• FIX IT FIRST ROADS ACT- We, well-maintained, and designed for everyone who uses them. We fix what’s broken, reconnect communities harmed by past projects, and build streets that reduce traffic deaths and pollution.

• BRINGING BACK DIGNITY OF WORK- Everyone who works deserves fair pay, safe conditions, and respect on the job. We rebuild the middle class by strengthening our transportation, unions creating good-paying jobs, and valuing work that holds our communities together.