Chris May

Chris May served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005 to 2010. His career experience includes working as an IT professional.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a proud father, husband and Marine Corps Veteran that believes we need to refocus our efforts on the real foundational issues in our communities. Instead of the extreme stances and policies that are designed to divide us, we should be looking to provide assistance to the most vulnerable, expand healthcare access, strengthen public education, ensure wages keep up with the cost of living and provide transparency into how our tax dollars are really being used.

I've been through many hardships in life that I've built upon and learned from that have given me the experience needed to represent the people of District 20.

As a child that grew up in a family with little money. I can understand and relate to the difficulties struggling households face. I've seen what it takes to dig yourself out of poverty.

As a father with children in public schools I see first hand the willful negligence our current administration has towards public education. We need people that care about our children's futures, not private schools bank accounts.

As a Marine Corps veteran I have learned leadership, courage, integrity and grit to tackle the hard issues and make sure they get seen through to completion the right way.

I have the experience of growing up in rural and urban areas and understand the needs of the people are different in both. I believe we need someone that can translate these needs into effective policy that represents all constituents.

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?

Refocus on Public Education.

Our current administration is focused on private school vouchers and parent choice to the detriment of our public education. We're currently ranked 50th in the country, teacher retention is at an all time low, we rely on emergency teacher certifications to fill vacancies and it's estimated that we spend on average $3000 less per student each year than every other state around us.

Instead of focusing on these issues our current administration is looking to expand the private school voucher program which will take even more money from our public schools and put it into the hands of private schools, we cannot allow this to happen. Public education shapes our future and needs immediate support.Healthcare Expansion.

Healthcare is a basic need, why would we not expand access for our most vulnerable population? Denying affordable healthcare to struggling families or implementing policies designed to restrict who can qualify for these programs makes it exponentially more difficult for struggling households to lift themselves out of poverty and creates a less healthy and productive community. We have to focus on expansion, not restriction.Tackling the Affordability crisis.

Everywhere we look we can see rising costs draining our bank accounts. Whether it's the grocery store, gas station, insurance or rent it's undeniable that we have less spending power than ever before. The working class is bearing the brunt and politicians seemingly don't care.

We need budget transparency so we can really see where our money is being spent and redirect it to areas that will actually make a difference for the people.

Minimum wages has to increase so people don't need multiple jobs to make ends meet.

We cannot continue the tax breaks for corporations or allow the ultra wealthy to get away with not paying their fair share.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about public school policy as I believe that better education provides brighter futures not only for our children but for our communities as a whole. I'm also dedicated to changing our government so that it actually represents the working class instead of the rich and powerful. Money and greed have no place in government and we have to elect representatives that will reject them and focus on the will of the people.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

VoteVets

Oklahoma Democratic Party Veterans Federation