Centering Real People in Education
Lorita is a proud public-school graduate who knows strong support in the classrooms build strong futures for graduates. We have a duty to ensure every child has an opportunity to achieve and thrive in safe schools with a nuturing learning community made up of certified teachers, nurses, counselors and the support staff that keeps schools running.
While public education policies are done at the state level, the federal government plays an important role in funding certain aspects of our schools, like protecting the civil rights of every student and ensuring students with different abilities are given the accomodations and supports needed to thrive in their learning environment.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Centering Real Families with Small Children
Lorita knows firsthand how hard it is for families to balance work and childcare—especially when childcare costs more than a paycheck. Too many parents are forced out of the workforce because quality care is out of reach. The average cost in Virginia for infant care was $16,796 per year in 2024, which is 14.6% of the median state family income.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Incentivize states to support daycare providers and improve the quality of daycare centers by requiring them to allocate dedicated funding for workforce training, facility improvements, and safety standards.
Establish a national child care affordability program that subsidizes child care costs so that no working family pays more than 7 percent of their income, while expanding federal child care block grants and tax credits to support providers and families.
Creating Healthcare Access for Real People
Lorita knows that affordable, accessible healthcare is not a privilege—it’s a necessity. Too many families, seniors, and children with complex medical needs are being forced to choose between paying for care or paying their bills. When healthcare becomes a luxury, our communities suffer, and lives are put at risk. She believes we have a moral responsibility to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable among us.
Healthy people build healthy communities—and that starts with policies that put people before profit.
SENATE PRIORITES INCLUDE:
Creating a Healthy Environment for Real People
Lorita understands that protecting our environment isn’t just about nature—it’s about people. Clean air, safe water, and healthy communities are the foundation of a thriving future. She believes every person, from our neighborhoods to those living in correctional facilities, deserves access to a safe and healthy environment. That means building collaboration and solidarity across communities to share resources, tools, and knowledge for sustainable living.
We are called to be stewards of the Earth—to care for the land we live on and to leave it better for the next generation.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Creating Access to Affordable Housing for Real People
Lorita knows that across Virginia, too many families are spending more than 30% of their income on housing—just to keep a roof over their heads. Rising construction costs and inflated market rates have made it harder to build homes that working families can afford. When profits are put over affordability, this leaves real people priced out of the communities they helped to build.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Centering Real Veterans
Lorita understands firsthand the sacrifice our service members make—and the responsibility we share to care for them when they come home. As a mother of a combat veteran, she fought tirelessly to secure her son’s healthcare and disability benefits after his service and disability retirement from the Army. That experience strengthened her resolve to ensure no veteran or family ever has to fight for the care and respect they’ve already earned.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Centering Humanity in all Conversations
Lorita believes that real leadership begins with seeing the humanity in every person. No one should be afraid to walk in their communities. Compassion and empathy must be at the heart of how we solve today’s toughest challenges. She stands firmly with all who fight for their freedom and dignity, guided by the promise of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Let’s bring humanity back to policy, and people back to the center of government.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
Centering Real People for Mental Health Support
Lorita believes that it is important that we place the mental health of all people at the forefront of their mental treatment. With 51 million adults, according to one survey, in the United States with mental illness, it is important that we have trained social workers and mental health counselors available to support them, ensuring that preexisting barriers do not further exacerbate the situation.
With the recent termination of mental health grants to expand services in the school, she will fight to ensure that students are in the center of the conversation so that real stories are being told about the harm that this could cause if students don’t have access to mental health support, preventing them from thriving in the classrooms.
SENATE PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
