Danica Roem is all of the Monday Motivation that You Need
Delegate-elect Danica Roem is just a few weeks away from being sworn in to the Virginia House of Delegates, which will make her the first openly-transgender person to serve in any state legislature in the country. She says she was able to win her seat by being “unabashedly” herself, having a strong team, and sticking to core issues.
“Be who you are and be that well,” Roem said. “Champion the things that are near and dear to you, and go win.”
Roem, a Democrat, expressed concerns about the Republican tax plan, specifically its impact on state and local tax deductions. She says that if SALT deductions go away, people will now have to pay an extra tax to the government. She encourages constituents to organize and to read the GOP’s Tax Bill once it’s out. Roem told Cheddar that if the bill is “as bad as we anticipate,” the people need to “raise hell and win.”
“There’s so many issues that directly affect people’s lives, and also affect our localities’ ability to raise money, and affect the state government’s ability to raise money, ” she said.
Still, Roem says that she will be seeking out support from Republican counterparts and from Republican voters alike. While she foresees disagreement over topics like medicaid expansion, she does hope to be able to work with Republicans to impact other legislations, such as infrastructure issues.
For full interview [click here.] (https://cheddar.com/videos/danica-roems-advice-for-anyone-who-wants-to-make-a-difference)
David Levine, elections integrity fellow with Alliance for Securing Democracy, joins Cheddar News to discuss Politico's bombshell finding revealing the RNC's plan to contest the elections.
A survey by the BMO Real Financial Progress Index found that 25 percent of Americans are pulling back on retirement contributions to offset the cost of inflation. This comes as market volatility reduced retirement savings with the S&P 500 shedding more than 12 percent this year alone.
As abortion rights take center stage in courts around the country, so do discussions about reproductive health. Signs and social media posts say things like "protect women's rights" and "her body, her choice," leaving others who need and receive abortions completely out of the picture. The potential end to Roe v. Wade would impact far more people and facilities than you may think. Cheddar News' Baker Machado breaks it all down.
Arkansas is planning to reshape itself by putting a strong emphasis on technology through computer science in the classroom. Governor Asa Hutchinson joined Cheddar News Buffa to discuss the state's efforts to promote itself as a future tech hub. “It gives young people such a huge opportunity for success," he noted. The term-limited governor also touched on the issue of gun ownership, offering up the idea of possibly raising the age limit to obtain rifles like the AR-15 to 21 instead of 18 as it currently stands.
The dating app Bumble has sponsored bills and pushed lawmakers to criminalize the online practice of sending unsolicited nudes or “cyberflashing." Payton Iheme, Bumble's head of public policy for the Americas, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the app was going after the harassing behavior beyond its own platform. "Now, while we went to work internally in the company, and we created something called private detector to automatically blur those images so the user can decide if they want to see them, there's nothing for the rest of the internet," she said. "And so that's why we went to work with these laws."
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
