John Stephens

John Stephens was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His career experience includes working as a sales program manager for a publishing company.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

John is a twenty year veteran volunteer of Democratic politics who has knocked doors, registered voters, and worked as a speech writer, as well as staffing candidates during events. He joined the Democratic Party, and continues to be an active member of it, because under Democratic leadership America is more united, more progressive, and more welcoming. A father of one daughter, John lives in the Indiana Third Congressional District with his dog, Lily, and cat, Selena, both rescued from local rescue organization - adopt, don't buy.

John lives in a solar powered home, and believes in the importance of green energy. John believes that unions made America strong, and deserve protection. John believes the tax code is too complicated and designed to take advantage of average Americans. John believes that healthcare is a universal human right.

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?

Health care is a universal right. Every American has the right to healthcare.Climate change is real, and we must work to combat through our personal decisions, and through government action.The American worker is the backbone of America, and deserves the protections of collective bargaining.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Climate change policy, and making America sustainable.

Democracy, protecting it, and nurturing it by making voting easy and accessible.

Criminal justice reform, making our system fair to all.

National drug policy.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen to your constituents. Understand their needs. Advocate for them in Washington.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I made life a little better, a little easier, for my constituents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Space shuttle launches used to be a big deal, and the first historical moment I remember in my lifetime was the disaster that befell the Challenger in January of 1986. I was nearly eleven years old, and sitting at a desk in my homeroom, surrounded by classmates watching a grainy newsfeed of the launch, when 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger exploded. I remember confusion. I remember not really understanding what had happened or what I had just seen.

My teacher turned off the TV, and then calmly explained to us what had happened. We didn't continue the school day, but instead were sent home, where I remember talking to my parents about what happened. That was my first brush with a tragedy that affected every American, and I remember how adults helped me process it, helped me understand that people had lost loved ones. Those adults helped me to process what was a national tragedy despite my age. It was discussed without sensationalism, with a focus on the emotion of those directly affected. It helped me to learn about grief, and how to handle tragedy with respect and grace.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Over the last decade or so I've given away about a dozen copies of The Handmaid's Tale. Margaret Atwood created this deep, terrifying, world, that at the time I first read it was plausible, but completely unlikely. The book has gotten scary to me over the last five or six years though, in a completely different way than it scared me when I first read it.

What was once an easy read with many cultural questions to it has now become a cautionary tale that I read differently, but still read about once a year.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The United States faces two threats to our future that both are equal in stature, so choosing a single one is difficult for me. First, the rising tide of domestic terrorism threatens our very way of life. Respect for the institutions of democracy is in decline, at least among some people, who have replaced democracy with a perverse form of flag-waving fascism, with loyalty to the country replaced by loyalty to a single person, or a piece of cloth. Protecting the institutions of democracy must be a priority for government.

Second, climate change is real. It is not coming - it is here. The mean temperature in the United States has risen 1.3C from where it was between 1951 and 1980. The six warmest years in global history are the last six years, with 2020 second only to 2016 as the warmest on record. Global climate change has resulted in more, and longer, droughts, more powerful and frequent hurricanes, and a massive number of deaths among aquatic and insect life. Sea levels are already rising, and will continue to do so for some time even after we take steps to fight climate change, which is the time is right now - we have to make this a priority right now.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Agriculture, as well as the subcommittees on conservation and forestry, and general farm commodities and risk management.

Appropriations, particularly the subcommittee on energy and water development.

Education and Labor, especially the workforce protections subcommittee.

Energy and Commerce, the subcommittee on environment and climate change.

Oversight and Reform, including the subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I do believe that two years is correct, although I do wish that half the house was elected in odd-numbered years and half in even-numbered years. I believe this increased frequency in elections would help people to stay involved. I also believe in term limits, and that people should not be allowed to serve decades in Congress.

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