Hi, I am Ned. I am not a career politician, wealthy insider, or someone who has spent life insulated from the struggles families face. I have lived the same realities that most people in this district have lived. I came of age as an adult in the years after 2004 and have experienced firsthand what working people have been up against for more than two decades. I have seen wages fail to keep up with costs, housing become less affordable, healthcare become harder to reach, retirement security disappear, and everyday people asked to do more while getting less. I have worked real jobs, lived paycheck to paycheck realities, raised a family, and understood the stress that comes with trying to build a stable life in an economy that too often favors the powerful over the people. I know what it means to work hard and still feel like the system is not working for you. That perspective matters because too many lawmakers only know policy from boardrooms, donors, or party politics. I have also watched government drift further away from the people it is supposed to serve. Since decisions like Citizens United v. FEC, corporate money has gained even more influence over our politics. Large donors and special interests have had a louder voice than workers, parents, seniors, and small business owners. That has helped create an economy where profits rise, but communities are left behind. Now we face an even more dangerous moment. Extreme agendas are pushing cuts to public education, attacks on organized labor, privatization of public resources, and policies designed to divide people while wealth continues flowing upward. Workers in Michigan need representatives who understand what is at stake because we have lived it. I would be an effective representative because I bring lived experience, independence, and a real commitment to working people. I know who government should work for. It should work for the families getting up early, punching the clock, raising kids, paying taxes, and trying to build a better future. Those are the people I would answer to every day in Lansing.