Charlotte Harris

Charlotte Harris earned a high school diploma from Floyd County High School and an M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia in 1982. Her career experience includes working as an orthopedic surgeon.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired Orthopedic Surgeon who practiced in my district for 32 years. Born on a dairy farm with three older sisters who taught in the public school system, I was never a stranger to hard work on the farm or off. I have been co-owner of a Dude Ranch and manager of a medical practice. Leadership roles include Chief of Staff at my hospital twice with hospital board appointments on two occasions and President of my local Rotary Club. Now retired I'd like to continue to serve the citizens of this area as a Kentucky State Representative.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My primary incentive to run for public office is to protect access to rural health care. Health care is personal, not political and I will work across party lines to find funding for rural clinics and hospitals. With the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act, 35 rural hospitals in Kentucky are at risk of closing including the one I worked at for three decades! In rural areas, hospitals are a major employer and a critical part of the community.Working class Kentuckians are struggling to pay for the basic necessities of life. Our minimum wage is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2009. That is shameful! Kentucky also adapted a regressive tax code in 2019 which favors the rich and penalizes the poor. This needs to change. I will fight for better, higher paying jobs in my community. This will require investment in infrastructure, including water, electric and broadband.I support protection of women's health. The current law is inhibiting Ob. Gyn. doctors from safely caring for their patients. Kentucky's near total abortion ban is forcing physicians to wait for a patients condition to deteriorate to the point of near death before intervening for fear of prosecution. We need a more reasonable approach to these most difficult and dangerous situations.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Health Care, Women's Rights, Living Wages and Tax reform