Cravens for Kentucky

Campaign homepage for Randy Cravens, Democratic nominee for US Congress for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District

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<img src="https://run.imgix.net/0939506e-e91b-49f8-9576-6976b695c3eb/ad762e04-50f8-41fc-be5e-a4569800a6a2/0a0f46b5-9ec3-4a40-9b26-33fa8ca03aad.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C4096%2C3072&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed"><h3>I am seeking to serve so that our kids, and future generations beyond can have a place called Home, right here in Central Kentucky.</h3>Our nation is facing crisis on many sides.From an assault on our democracy, to climate change, to a housing affordability crisis, from geopolitical tensions around the globe, to the loss of our rights of privacy and medical autonomy at home, we have little to compare to the gravity of this particular moment in history.Our United States House of Representatives is paralyzed.At a moment when decisive and unified actions are needed more than ever before, our Republican-led Congress has devolved into a stagnant cesspool of inaction, infighting, and finger-pointing.When we need leadership, we instead witness fealty to a past leader who has no current role in government.When we need unity, we instead see a race by Republican lawmakers to any available television camera to blame anyone and everyone but themselves for a lack of progress and a lack of solutions for the people that they have been sent to serve.Inaction is no longer an option.Leading up to this November, we must work with the fierce urgency of now to have a chance at preserving our nation, our values, and our Commonwealth for future generations.Representative Andy Barr has had over a decade, and over two million dollars worth of salary from the people of Central Kentucky to get the job done, including years with unified government under his own Party. And yet, in that time, we are no better off as his constituents than we were before.It is time for a change of representation in Washington.Change must begin on Day One of the next Congress.If I am elected to serve the people of Central Kentucky, I will have legislation in hand on Day One to start charting a new course for the future of our Commonwealth and our nation.I will introduce or co-sponsor legislation to:<ul><li>Institute biannual grants from the Department of Education to public school teachers (Pre-K - 12th Grade), tied to the Federal Poverty Level for individuals, to ensure that NO public school teacher has to suffer the indignity of working for a poverty wage, regardless of whether or not their state legislature thinks that is appropriate. </li><li>Restore Roe vs. Wade as the law of the land. This will require suspension of the filibuster in the Senate to achieve, but that suspension must be pursued. Our loved ones cannot wait in danger for a moment longer. </li><li>Codify the protections of Obergefell vs. Hodges into law. This will ensure that, now and always, all consenting adults will have the right to a civil marriage in the United States, and all of the benefits that accompany such a union, regardless of whom they love. This will ensure certainty and security for all people, throughout all of the stages of their lives. </li><li>Expand the Supreme Court to allow one Justice for each federal Circuit Court (13, at present), which will serve to restore balance to an extremist Court in its current composition. </li><li>Call for a Constitutional Amendment to Article III, Section I (Length of Judicial Service). Appending sentences to the end of the Section stating that; "Persons assigned to serve as a Judge on the supreme or inferior courts shall serve on the Court of their assignment one term of fifteen years in duration, or until the death or voluntary resignation of the Judge, or until otherwise removed from their Court under the terms provided by this document. Judges may not be appointed by any body to a Court upon which they have previously served or are currently serving." </li><li>Modify the federal tax code to dis-incentivize the practice of "flipping" single-family homes or hoarding multiple single-family housing units for use as short-term rental properties. This will allow the normalization of pricing and inventory for our domestic single family housing stock, and a better chance for all to achieve the first step of the American Dream, home ownership. </li><li>Open Medicare up as a public option for all Americans, which can be paid for via pre-tax dollars for wage earners. </li><li>Fund and establish a free online resource to show real-time pharmaceutical stock levels and pricing information at all commercial pharmacies. </li><li>Reform pharmaceutical patent law, and establish a government agency under the Food and Drug Administration to serve as a Pharmaceutical Manufacturer of Last Resort for medications which are in chronic shortage or those which have been abandoned by private industry. </li><li>Reintroduce and Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2023 to protect our Republic from future threats of electoral interference. </li><li>Provide supplemental funding to the Department of Energy to identify sites, and begin rapid construction of new nuclear power generation facilities across the nation, including at least one site in the historic coal-producing regions of Kentucky. This will serve to decarbonize our baseline power generation capabilities, and enable the powering of next generation technologies, including direct carbon and methane capture, artificial intelligence (AI) supporting data centers, and desalination and enhanced climate control as may be needed in the face of climate change.</li></ul>

This is a time unlike any other in our history. There are more issues that we face as a nation than can be addressed in one page on a website, but please see the below links to my views on some of the most pressing issues we face.

<h3>Fighting for Our Community</h3>These are some of the top issues our campaign is focused on. Learn more about our issues <a href="/issues" target="" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>.

Our Campaign’s Top Issues

It's the guns.It has always been the guns.No matter what role mental illness plays in any firearms-related tragedy in our nation, there is one constant. The guns.Our Commonwealth and our nation have a rich history of hunting with firearms, and we have a Constitutional right as citizens to bear those arms. I believe in and support that right wholeheartedly. The 2nd Amendment includes the language "well regulated" for a reason. And it is in that regulation that I would seek to at least mitigate some of the epidemic of gun violence, and to put as many roadblocks possible in the way of its perpetrators stealing the lives of our children and our loved ones.I believe in:Mandatory Federal Gunowner and Firearm RegistrationMandatory insurance requirements covering loss of life, personal injury, victim attorney fees, and property damage, to be held for the possession of each privately-owned firearm by each individual who would potentially fire it.Restoring the federal Assault Weapons Ban, and expanding language to allow for inclusion of "ghost guns" and possession of 3D-printing plans for prohibited firearms and accessories. Our kids don't stand a chance against an assault rifle, and neither do we. Strengthening our gun laws and regulations will not get rid of all guns, but it will outlaw those firearms and ammunition which are designed for maximum catastrophic damage to humans, as weapons of war.Our odds are a whole lot better at surviving a shooting if there are only 6 shots fired, rather than 50.We have got to use common sense. We are the only country in the world facing the epidemic of gun violence we are living through today. It is high time that we take some steps that will actually address the core issue... the guns.

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Gun Safety

The events of January 6th, 2021 were an insurrection.They were an attempted coup of our government, and an attempt to extend the reign of a defeated President.The offshoots of that coup attempt continue today.The perpetrators of that attempted coup, the organizers and the collaborators should all be brought before a judge and jury, imprisoned if convicted, and serve the entirety of their sentence. We stand at an incredibly dangerous precipice in our nation's history.My opponent, Congressman Andy Barr has endorsed the former President, and supports his plans for the future. He cannot be trusted to continue on in this Congressional seat.Not only is the defeated President once again attempting to be elected to the Office of the Presidency, but his collaborators are armed with a series of plans to ensure that that Office is never vacated by the former President himself, or his collaborators in the plot, who would succeed him.If the plans of those individuals were to succeed, not only would our country quickly fall into fascism, but many lives would be put into immediate danger for exercising their right to preserve our Constitutional Republic.This is not hyperbole. This is our reality in this very moment.Our only hope for preserving American Democracy is to emerge victoriously in this election. We must elect Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz, and a Democratic-controlled and co-equal Legislative Branch, so that legislation can be passed immediately to prevent what we are seeing and living through right now.

Preserving our Democracy

The Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court has stripped away access to Reproductive healthcare, and further, it has stripped away our fundamental right to privacy.It is inconceivable to me that a woman, facing what could only be imagined as the most excruciatingly difficult moment of her life, would be forced away from the advice of her trusted physician, her own beliefs, and the love and care of her family because of politics.I am a Christian. As a Christian, I do not believe that I have been ordained with the power and authority to act as God, and decide whose life is more valuable; a woman's or her unborn child's. I do not believe that myself, nor anyone in Washington or Frankfort is qualified to speak on what will be said when we face judgment at the end of our own lives. But, I feel confident that kindness, grace, love and care towards those who face such an unimaginably difficult decision will be looked upon more favorably than shunning them, or eternally condemning them for a situation largely out of their own control.I believe that the government's role should be one of incentivizing birth control, providing free or low-cost prenatal care, establishing guaranteed paid family leave, and that adoption law and the regulation and funding for foster care should be strengthened. I believe we should do everything to ensure the safest environment possible for those children who are brought into this world to parents who want to provide them with a better path forward. The status quo under which reproductive freedom was guaranteed by Roe vs. Wade must be returned. Roe vs. Wade must be codified into law. But that will not be enough.We must also introduce and pass legislation which guarantees our fundamental right to complete medical privacy from government officials, be they federal, state, or local. We cannot and will not tolerate the intrusions into the personal medical decisions of ourselves and our loved ones any longer.

Reproductive Freedom

Our public schools have been deprived of the investments required to attain their highest level of success for over a generation. Knowing this fact, how amazing is it that our heroic public school teachers have continued showing up day after day, fighting the good fight? They have worked tirelessly to enrich our young ones, to prepare them for the success that we all hope they will achieve, and have acted as a safe harbor in what could be an otherwise stormy upbringing. It is high time that we invest in our teachers, invest properly in our public schools, invest in student nutrition, and continue to secure the rightful place of public schools as the center of our communities. For teachers: I will introduce legislation to institute biannual grants from the Department of Education to all working public school teachers (Pre-K - 12th Grade). These grants will be tied to the Federal Poverty Level for individuals, to ensure that NO public school teacher has to suffer the indignity of working for a poverty wage, regardless of whether or not their state legislature thinks that is appropriate. Teachers will not lose their right to collectively bargain, and their school districts must continue to pay an appropriate and competitive salary for their position. For public schools: I will introduce legislation prohibiting state and local governments from allocating federal funds to private schools. Public money is for public schools, period. We will not sacrifice the heartbeat of our rural communities for the funding of private schools and religious vanity projects in our more urban areas. I will work to reallocate Farm Bill subsidies away from industrial corn, which subsidizes commercial ethanol and corn syrup manufacturers, and towards incentivizing the growth of a rich variety of food crops by small and family-owned farms, with a guaranteed market in our local public school systems. I will ensure that funding mechanisms are in place for zero-interest loans and grants for those family farms to obtain the farm equipment that they need to allow production to be converted to these new crops. This will allow our public schools to produce healthier and more freshly prepared foods, closer to home, while securing our local family farms in the process.

Defending Public Education

The time to trust corporations to simply do the right thing has come to an end.Right now, in Kentucky and across the nation, corporations are vacuuming up huge swathes of our available housing inventory, massively inflating prices, and converting what was conventional single-family home stock for purchase into both short and long-term rental properties.This is a clear and present danger to our communities, our freedom, and our way of life as Americans. Home ownership is the cornerstone of our American Dream, and today, far too many Kentuckians are priced out of the market.I would support legislation tailored to severely limit the number of single-family properties that could be acquired by a corporate entity. I would ensure that there are no loopholes available which would allow the creation of shadow companies to sidestep any such regulations. I would favor legislation instituting punitive taxation on the profits of those corporations which would seek to continue to destroy the foundation of our livelihood. To be clear, I do not begrudge individual American families renting out a finished basement, a detached in-law suite, a tiny home or two, or a cabin for additional income. We all know that we could use whatever income that we can get these days. But there have to be limits specific to single-family home stock to protect the greater good of affordability for all who wish to enter the housing market.Houses are meant for families to turn into homes, not for corporations to turn into profit.

Housing Affordability

Greedflation is real. I believe that the inflationary environment that we are experiencing today is, primarily, caused by the greed of large corporations.Large corporations are posting profits the likes of which have never been seen before in our nation's history. This while their costs to do business largely remain the same. That would be wonderful news! Unfortunately, those record profits have not translated into investment in American workers, and our salaries and hourly wages are not keeping up with the pace of inflation. How sad is it that we as employees could receive a fantastic performance review at our job, a 3-4% pay raise, and be worse off than we were before, because everything just keeps getting more expensive? This has to change. We can have an America in which we support the ingenuity and success of American business, while also protecting the American worker, on whose backs that success has been achieved.That is why I support: <ul><li>Taxation of stock buybacks by corporations.</li><li>Windfall taxation of excessive corporate profits.</li><li>Tax incentives to corporations who raise the annual wages of American workers earning less than $100,000 per year by more than 8% annually.</li><li>Tax incentives to corporations who use profits to invest in the equipment and infrastructure of their American operations.</li><li>Enhanced protections for those workers who choose to join a Union and collectively bargain with their employers.</li><li>An increase of the federal minimum wage to $18.00 per hour.</li></ul>

Inflation

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare" has done a lot in protecting access to healthcare, but when it comes to affordability, it has not done enough.Steps have been taken by the Biden administration to negate the impact that past due medical debt has on the credit reports of Americans, but let's be clear: Americans should not be receiving astronomical healthcare bills in the first place. There is no reason, at all, why Medicare should not be opened up as a public option for all Americans to choose for their healthcare coverage. But first, we must remove any and every role that private insurance companies play in the Medicare system, principally related to "Medicare Advantage" Plans.Private healthcare has no business taking American tax dollars and Medicare contributions to add another layer of cost and bureaucracy to the provision of our healthcare services. We can take the tens of BILLIONS of dollars that Medicare Advantage costs taxpayers, and expand classic Medicare to provide hearing and vision coverage for all subscribers. Study after study has shown that the efficiency and cost-savings of classic Medicare vs. private insurance provides a better financial outcome for subscribers.I do however fully support the ability of Americans to opt-in to a private or faith-based insurance or cost-sharing plan, if they feel that is a better fit for their finances, their families, and their needs.&nbsp;The freedom to choose between solutions in an open marketplace can only benefit Americans, and drive innovation in the product offerings by major private insurance companies.

Healthcare Affordability

I cannot legislate kindness, compassion, or civility. But what I can promise is that I will work every single day to embody those traits, and ensure that every single Kentuckian and American is equal in the eyes of the law, in the opportunities that are available in our nation, and in the eyes of our society.We all have but one journey through this life. We deserve to take that journey in our own freedom and happiness.I believe that:We are all created equal, with a body, a spirit, and a finite amount of time on this Earth.You have the right to be who you were born to be.You have the right to share love with whom you feel drawn to love.You, as a consenting adult, have the right to spend your life with the one you love in a consensual civil marriage, with all of the privileges and benefits that marriage provides.You have the right to do all of those things safely, under protection of law.I will protect your rights to live in equality and harmony with all of our fellow Americans.We are all made of the same flesh and bones, and we all deserve our chance at happiness.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

Our thoughts are with the victims of the senseless gun violence in London, KY, and in those communities along I-75 and within Laurel County which remain impacted during the manhunt.We pray for the health and wellbeing of all who are under medical care today, and for the success of their long-term physical and mental health recovery process.We are thankful for the tireless work of all law enforcement agencies on the state, local, and federal level who have responded to this event, and pray for their continued safety as they work to keep our neighbors safe.

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WOODFORD COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS

This is a campaign unlike any other. The people of Central Kentucky and around the nation have wondered for so long what it would be like to have a normal everyday person in the halls of Congress. This is our chance. Join us in our campaign to take a message of decency, dignity, and progress to Washington. We are beholden only to ourselves and our future generations. Together, we can accomplish a feat which would otherwise be unimaginable. We can win this race! But it will take the combined efforts of volunteers just like you to do it. Join us in whatever capacity you can, with whatever time you can spare, and together we can shock the nation!

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I am a husband and a dad with a day job, and no plans or ambitions whatsoever to make a career out of politics. I am here and ready to serve the people of Central Kentucky, to make the votes and craft the legislation needed to right the ship of our nation and our Commonwealth.I want to clear the deck of all the legislative backlogs that have been left behind by this Congress, and to set our next generation up for the success that they deserve. Once those goals have been achieved, I will step aside, forego any future electoral races, and proudly watch the next generation take the reins of government.

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<h3>Kentucky Newsmakers</h3>Randy's interview with Bill Bryant on Kentucky Newsmakers (WKYT/Lexington) following his victory in the 2024 Democratic Primary. (Interview Start - 16:35)

<h3>Progress Kentucky - Colonels of Truth</h3>Randy's interview with Progress Kentucky from July 10, 2024. Aaron Viles, Chris Preece, and Kimberly Cecil-Jones are the hosts for this conversation on the upcoming election. (Interview Start - 34:26)

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Randy Cravens

I’m honored and humbled to have received the endorsement of the @heraldleader Editorial Board for this election.

I will say that, no matter your preconceptions of the Herald-Leader and their coverage, they were exceptionally pointed and challenging in their questioning.

This… https://t.co/FVhXFogHFU https://t.co/7yz47E8gpP

Come on down to TMMK in Georgetown, and tell them we could have a child do their jobs.

Those jobs have helped build families, transformed our region, put food on the table and roofs over the heads of thousands of Kentuckians.

They are some of the hardest workers I know. https://t.co/30KybZclv7

It’s a beautiful Aurora here in Madison County. Pull out your phones and watch the magic! https://t.co/BFqeF7W0k8

I can identify with the situation @KamalaHarris outlined, and am fully supportive of this plan.

There are significant hurdles which will have to be overcome for implementation, including tackling immigration reform once and for all, so we can attract and retain professional… https://t.co/WL4PLZpU5u https://t.co/HJOVPWnc8j

Never be so kind, you forget to be clever.

Never be so clever, you forget to be kind. https://t.co/TEpZKTjKog