Morgan Harper is seeking election to the United States Senate.
Why are you running for office, and what previous experience makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
I’m running because Ohio needs a new path forward and new leadership. We can’t afford to have another 20 years like the past 20. Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. Healthcare costs threaten many families’ bottom lines, and we continue to battle the opioid and fentanyl, violence, and mental health epidemics all over our state. I have a policy vision to address these issues so we can guarantee opportunity for every Ohioan.
But to implement it, we need to win this seat. My background taking on Big Banks and Big Tech and my personal story of overcoming obstacles will connect with the voters who we need to turn out. Given the high level of political disillusionment among the general population, we need to have a nominee who excites voters, is unbought, and does not represent the status quo. Voters are looking for change, and my candidacy and our campaign will be able to mobilize the historic turnout we need to win.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in this position?
Part of my platform is the Ohio Opportunity Guarantee – which includes policies that ensure that everyone in this state can live out their potential. The Opportunity Guarantee will create family-sustaining union jobs for people with high school degrees. This includes jobs in the renewable energy sector, in electric car manufacturing, and other clean energy jobs, because Ohio must be a state of the future. And the policies I’m putting forth will make sure that we can provide healthcare for everyone, address the opioid epidemic, provide mental healthcare, and end gun violence. I will fight every day for the people of Ohio to get these things done.
What are three policy initiatives you plan to focus on?
The main policy platform I plan to focus on is my Ohio Opportunity Guarantee, mentioned above, which includes several key initiatives. Among those are 1) creating as many as 600,000 jobs over the next ten years in the clean energy economy, 2) allowing financial freedom for working families by raising the minimum wage, passing the PRO Act, and refreshing antitrust laws to make the economy more competitive and 3) passing Medicare for All to ensure healthcare coverage and control costs. You can find out more here: https://morganharper.org/jobs-plan/
Young people are leaving Ohio following graduation at an alarming ratio. Several factors contribute to this, including lower wages, a lack of good paying jobs, and college affordability. What can be done to support young Ohioans to keep them, and their talent, in our state?
In order to give young people reasons to stay in Ohio, we have to enact policies that make Ohio a state of the future. We have to address education, and create pathways to debt-free public education and training. Ohio’s public schools and universities were the engine that built our middle class. But today, the future of Ohio’s young people is being erased by unequal school funding and massive student debt. We need to take federal action to forgive student debt, and invest resources in public colleges, trade schools, and community colleges to make sure young people are prepared for the jobs of the future here in Ohio.
And we have to make sure that the wages people are earning do more than keep up with the cost of living. It’s long past time for a federal $15/hr minimum wage. And at this point, that really is the minimum.
We also need the massive investments and political will called for by the Green New Deal to fight the climate crisis — and create hundreds of thousands of union jobs in the process, including as many as 600,000 jobs in Ohio over the next ten years. The recent IPCC report left no doubt: the time to act is now, and we need to make sure that Ohio is ahead of the curve and is reaping the benefits of the clean energy revolution.
And we need to address the opioid crisis. More people have died from overdoses in Ohio than any other state in the country except West Virginia and New Hampshire. The opioid epidemic is devastating a generation of young Ohioans. We need to get drugs off our streets and hold the drug pushers responsible, including Big Pharma. We have to ensure that naloxone and comprehensive drug treatment programs are available in every community.
Will you support nondiscrimination policies that protect individuals regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, veterans status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression? If so, how?
Absolutely. I will support a wide variety of nondiscrimination policies to protect individuals’ rights regardless of their identities. I look forward to co-sponsoring these policies in the Senate and fighting to ensure that they pass and are enacted. For more details on some of the policies I support, you can visit the Issues page of my website: https://morganharper.org/issues/
What will you do to address our broken immigration system?
I believe that we need to make sure we are preserving the ability for all of us to have the immigrant story like my mother was able to have. My mom came to the United States in the 1960s from Trinidad, and she was able to work taking care of a family and pay her way through college and then get to the position of adopting me and my brother and enabling us to be strong members of our community. That's what we all care about as Ohioans. What is it going to take to make it possible for those types of stories to continue to happen? We need to ensure that we have comprehensive immigration reform, and create pathways to citizenship for new people coming and those brought here as children. We can't spend time trying to make it impossible for people to come or wasting money building walls that are political stunts. We need to stay focused on the reality. The reality is that America is a country made up of many immigrant communities and that is the opportunity that we need to be preserving.
Do you support reasonable regulations on firearms in the United States? Please explain in detail.
Yes. I support the Second Amendment, and I also support common sense gun legislation that will ensure we don’t see unnecessary loss of life due to gun violence. That means requiring universal background checks, implementing red flag laws, and restricting access for those who have a history of domestic violence and mental health issues, for example.
Affordability of health care is one of the most pressing issues facing Ohioans. The quality of care received by patients also remains inequitable, with significant differences in services provided and treatment outcomes by race, income, and geography. What will you do to improve health care access and outcomes for Ohioans?
I support universal health care/Medicare for All. We need to leverage the negotiating power of the federal government to ensure coverage at all income levels and in geographies and also to control the costs of care – both primary care and prescription drugs. Getting this done will require electing a Senator who is not taking money from Big Pharma and Big Insurance companies and will be free to fight for policies to improve health outcomes for Ohioans. I also support using the federal competition agencies and working with the state Attorney General to investigate and enforce the law against regional hospital monopolies that have made it difficult for rural hospitals to stay open.
Reproductive Health & Education
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding reproductive health and education:
Do you believe that all individuals should have the right to access safe, legal, confidential and affordable abortion and reproductive health care services?
Yes
Do you oppose attempts to undermine Roe v. Wade through legislation that creates separate legal rights for fetuses distinct from those of a pregnant individual?
Yes
Do you support policies to expand access to contraception, such as requiring insurance companies to cover all federally approved contraceptive methods?
Yes
Do you support comprehensive (age appropriate), medically accurate sex education in schools that is inclusive of resources surrounding contraception, sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), HIV/AIDS, consent and LGBTQ+ identities?
Yes
How do you plan to restore justice to the millions of Americans victimized by a failed war on drugs?
We must legalize marijuana and expunge the records of people who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes related to drug possession. Black and brown communities have been disproportionately hurt by the war on drugs, and the marijuana industry is benefiting the wealthy while leaving those who have been harmed by the war on drugs behind. We also need to invest in reentry resources to ensure that those who have served their sentences are able to rebuild their lives. This includes eliminating barriers to access housing and employment. Some of the universal policies I support, like universal healthcare, would also ensure returning citizens have access to consistent healthcare, including mental health care, which can support their reentry.
Climate & Clean Energy
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding climate and clean energy:
Do you recognize the existence of climate change?
Yes
Do you believe the government has a responsibility to respond to climate change?
Yes
Do you support our government incentivizing the adoption of clean/renewable energy sources over the use of fossil fuels?
Yes
What would you do to support rural communities in Ohio?
Half of Ohio does not have access to broadband. How can small businesses thrive, entrepreneurs innovate. or medium-sized businesses grow if they cannot access this critical utility? I support expanding broadband access, and not just so large internet companies provide it, but by creating avenues for co-ops and more community-based broadband providers to compete. Big Ag has depressed wages, crushed family farms and put small farmers out of business. Guaranteeing opportunity in rural Ohio requires fighting back against Big Ag and breaking them up so that families can run the farms, not multinational monopolies, and that’s what I’ll do in the Senate.
If elected, will you support abolishing the filibuster?
Yes
Please explain:
Arcane Senate rules like the filibuster cannot stand between our people and their rights. Prior to the 1960s, the filibuster was used rarely, and the only bills defeated by a supermajority threshold were civil rights bills. Without the filibuster, our system of government will still have more checks and balances than any other modern democracy. The filibuster is the problem, not the solution.
Do you commit to using a union bug on all print materials?
Yes