Joan VonDras

Joan VonDras' career experience includes nearly 30 years as a teacher in the Parkway and Clayton school districts.[1]

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?

I’m running as an advocate for our community. The divided “aisle” is a fiction. We are united in our core principles as Americans!

Education connects our generations to the virtues of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. In these ideals we honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives and livelihoods so that we can live in a free and just society.

We bear the responsibility to fulfill the promise of our Founders and work towards a more perfect union.

I honor our Founders’ vision and sacrifices for our country.

I believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I care about the kind of country my granddaughters and your families will inherit!I will focus on affordability and economic opportunities for every family. I will promote American manufacturing, good paying jobs and fair wages, and work to position the American workforce to lead the future frontier of industry and technology. This work is essential for safeguarding the US dollar's status as the world’s reserve currency and to protect and create high-paying jobs in our District.I will advocate for policies to expand access to quality healthcare at reasonable costs and address staff shortages to restore safe patient ratios. I recognize that access to nutritious food and safe water is essential to reducing healthcare costs. That’s why I will apply to be on the Agriculture Committee. I believe that all communities deserve accessible quality services, including enhanced health and mental wellness tools. Addressing the underserved healthcare of women and families is essential.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Sustaining the Great American Experiment in governance "of the people, by the people, and for the people". Our democracy is unique in that it provides for the will of the majority while protecting the rights and voices of the minority. Entrepreneurship built this country within the rules of anti-monopoly and fairness. I will promote policies that encourage economic development while providing a "level playing field" for all and respect for our environment and natural resources.

Campaign websiteVonDras' campaign website stated the following:Build Economic Opportunity for AllI will focus on increasing affordability and economic opportunity for every family. I will promote American manufacturing, protect union jobs, and work to position the American workforce to lead the future frontier of industry and technology. This work is essential for safeguarding the US dollar's status as the world’s reserve currency and creating high-paying jobs right here in our District.Take back control over inflationary tariffsRestore a progressive tax code that protects working & middle class families and ensures the top 1% contributes proportionallyIncentivize the development of mixed-income communitiesContinue funding the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to update our aging bridges and roadsReduce the raiding of affordable housing stock by corporationsProvide clean energy subsidies and research grants for safe, sustainable energy productionRestore our domestic manufacturing capabilityPrepare for job transitions as Artificial Intelligence integrates more into our lives and workplaces, ensuring long-term job prospectsContinue to enhance the St. Louis Region as a center for our country's research, production, and transportation of the nation’s food supplyIncentivize the development of transitional housing for unhoused peopleReturn Schools to Educational ExcellenceTo attract families and businesses, we must reverse Missouri's current standing of 31st out of 50 for education. I will achieve this by advocating for full funding of our education system to support teachers and parents, and by using targeted federal resources from the Department of Education to ensure every student is protected and has access to a free, world-class education, from pre-K through high school.Provide funding for Universal Pre-KRestore the Education Department and the protections it providedEqualize public education funding and support the Right to Education BillRestore and strengthen our universities and their research fundingAdvocate for affordable education at every level, including trade schoolsRestore and strengthen rights and funding for diverse and disabled populations protected under the Department of EducationEstablish a livable federal minimum wage for paraprofessionalsInvest in free before- and after-school tutoringIncentivise districts to invest in community schools and in their communityIncrease Access to Affordable, Quality HealthcareI will vote to restore healthcare subsidies until a comprehensive bipartisan plan is in place. I will advocate for policies to expand access to quality healthcare, particularly by lowering costs, and address staff shortages through hiring incentives to restore safe patient-staff ratios. I will vote to ensure all communities have equal access to quality healthcare services, including mental healthcare, and to protect the wellness of women and families.Develop a comprehensive bipartisan plan to move the country toward Medicare for AllRestore healthcare subsidies, like those from the Affordable Care Act, until a more universal system can be implementedSupport relief programs for people with bankruptcy-inducing medical debts as we transition to a comprehensive planCodify Roe v. Wade and support legislation that protects patient-provider privacyProtect and ensure access to contraception and IVFSupport a speedy transition to universal pregnancy and birth careSupport legislation like the MO Food as Medicine Act, which would make healthy food and meals more accessibleExpand coverage and accessibility of care for people with disabilities, including aid programs for parents of disabled childrenRestore SAMHSA programs and funding to support further research and innovation, and expand mental health resourcesIncentivize healthcare workers to work in rural communities and the development of rural healthcare institutionsCreate a Safe and Equitable Food SupplyA healthy nation begins with a safe and clean food supply. I will seek a seat on the House Agricultural Committee and use this position to strengthen our local producers and protect the integrity of our national food and water supply. Our region is a center for international agriculture and agribusiness, and 43% of the market flows through it. I also believe that policies that help us adapt to an evolving climate are the best path forward for our economy.Provide aid, incentives, and learning resources to farmers that will help them adapt to climate change and support a growing national food demandIncentivize diverse farming and regenerative agriculture to protect the health and strength of our land, soil, and water resourcesProtect our farm land and water supplies from foreign purchase and venture capitalistsContinue to enhance the St. Louis Region as a center for our country's research, production, and transportation of the nation’s food supplyEliminate rural and urban food deserts by incentivizing companies to support local farmsSupport legislation like the MO Food as Medicine Act, which will directly benefit small, local farmersExpand SNAP benefits and ensure they are always fully fundedRestore the FDA to full capacity to protect consumersMake healthy eating more accessible by subsidizing produce production instead of commodity crops, thereby lowering consumer pricesIncentivize the development of food waste management programs to return useful resources back to farmersStrengthen Our Representative DemocracyThe detrimental effects of Citizens United continue to erode our representative democracy. Time and again, voter will - both federally and statewide - has been ignored or undermined. In recent years, this has been evident as citizen-approved amendments have been overturned and the citizen initiative process, designed to protect our democratic functions, has been besieged by massive, external funding. Even initiatives like "Respect MO Voters" and "People Not Politicians" face legal challenges despite overwhelming citizen support.I am committed to addressing this at the federal level, as well as, championing the principle of equality for all citizens. To that end, I will advocate for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and codifying Roe as the law of the land.Rebuild the essential Institutions on which our Constitutional Democracy is basedRestore Congress’ Check on the Executive and Judicial BranchExpand the Supreme Court and have strict enforcement of ethics rules to eliminate outside monetary gifts and influenceExamine alternatives to address the imbalance and corruption of SCOTUS and develop a Code of EthicsProper release and prosecution of crimes in the Epstein FilesSupport Legislation for Federally funded electionsCodify the Voting Rights Act - The SAFE Act seeks to destroy these rights and suppress votesGet big money out of politics - starting with Citizens UnitedEnd pay for pardon in the Executive BranchExamine the abuse of Executive OrdersEnforce investigations into breaches of ethics and rulesRestore and enforce the legal right to due process (4th & 14th Amendment)Check the abuse of the Department of Home Land Security and its extraordinary fundingEnforce and investigate abuses of our International and Domestic Emoluments clauseRemove Regulatory Capture that protects companies over communitiesExamine application of age capsStrengthen the United States Postal Service and protect mail in votingPass the Freedom to Vote ActStop political retribution in our Justice DepartmentLimit corporate and lobbyist influence in Congress and return the influence of the peopleJoin the Problem Solver’s CaucusRespect and protect each individual’s right to love whomever they want to loveCandidates and members must have all Federal and State Taxes paid, as is expected of state representatives!Ranked Choice VotingFederally Funded ElectionsBe Accessible as Your RepresentativeI will hold regular town halls and keep open lines of communication because your stories and the needs of our District will underpin decisions in Washington. I will work for you, not for special interests.Hold regular “Town Halls - Town Talks Live: Policy Matters presenting legislation to reduce misinformation and gathering input from and among constituentsContinue with the small group talks throughout the district to provide access for all constituents regardless of socio-economic, racial, ethnic, religious or minority group who may feel unheard in D.C. todayEstablish Citizen Communication Groups to increase public participation in decision makingBreak Through Partisan GridlockI believe in the Problem Solvers Caucus's ethos of prioritizing common sense and national needs over division. This bipartisan spirit has delivered critical community investments for roads, clean water, and high-speed internet. I will seek membership to advance common-sense solutions and ensure our District receives its fair share of funding and results.Constituent AdditionsDigital Bill of RightsReexamine the Electoral College— Joan VonDras' campaign website (July 14, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.