Kristina Knickerbocker

Kristina Knickerbocker served in the U.S. Air Force from 2015 to 2025. Knickerbocker earned a bachelor's degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2014, a military citation from the University of Southern California in 2015, and a graduate degree from The Ohio State University in 2022. Knickerbocker's career experience includes working as a family nurse practitioner.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

U.S. Air Force Veteran, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, and mom of two – Kristina Knickerbocker’s life has been dedicated to serving our country and our community.

Growing up, Kristina and her family enjoyed church and volunteered with local food pantries. She learned the meaning of hard work early, juggling multiple jobs to put herself through school. Passionate about helping people, Kristina followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and pursued her nursing degree before joining the Air Force.

Her service in the Air Force brought her to the Miami Valley. As a major and nurse in the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Kristina led teams to improve medical care for active duty, veterans, and military families. Her work was instrumental in developing and implementing solutions that directly resulted in better health outcomes and increased medical readiness for service members. To continue her service, she transitioned to the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron where she bolstered deployment readiness for both military and humanitarian objectives.

While serving in the Air Force Reserves, Kristina found her passion while working at The Ohio State University Medical Center as a Neuro-Oncology Nurse Practitioner, helping cancer patients across the region. She has witnessed the broken healthcare system firsthand – from understaffed facilities to skyrocketing premiums and prescription costs that force patients to choose between treatment and groceries.

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?

Veterans, service members, and military families deserve the highest gratitude and respect our country can offer. We must ensure a high quality of life for those who are willing to protect and preserve our democracy, liberty, and freedoms. I served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as an officer for a decade and I know the realities facing military families and our veterans.The system prioritizes profit over patient care and prevention, leading to inefficiencies and dramatically higher costs. In today’s system, insurance companies deny first, forcing American healthcare providers to spend time fighting insurance for basic needs, like insulin or chemotherapy. People can’t access the care they need, or simply can’t afford it. This makes us sicker and shifts the burden of healthcare costs away from the insurance companies and onto the taxpayers.

Reliable access to quality health care saves lives, promotes stable and healthy lifestyles, and provides security across the social and economic spectrum. People need access to affordable health care at every stage of life.My faith guides me to advocate for policy that prioritizes a better future for our families. There is urgency in passing immediate legislation to help lower costs and make it more realistic for people to raise children and care for family members. Our children deserve a future far better than what Washington politicians want to normalize.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare Policy, Veterans Affairs, Criminal Justice Policy, AI and Tech Regulation, Labor Policy, Anti-corruption and Transparency

Campaign websiteKnickerbocker's campaign website stated the following:As a VeteranVeterans, service members, and military families deserve the highest gratitude and respect our country can offer. We must ensure a high quality of life for those who are willing to protect and preserve our democracy, liberty, and freedoms. I served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as an officer for a decade and I know the realities facing military families and our veterans.As a Nurse PractitionerThe system prioritizes profit over patient care and prevention, leading to inefficiencies and dramatically higher costs. In today’s system, insurance companies deny first, forcing American healthcare providers to spend time fighting insurance for basic needs, like insulin or chemotherapy. People can’t access the care they need, or simply can’t afford it. This makes us sicker and shifts the burden of healthcare costs away from the insurance companies and onto the taxpayers. Reliable access to quality health care saves lives, promotes stable and healthy lifestyles, and provides security across the social and economic spectrum. People need access to affordable health care at every stage of life.As a MomMy faith guides me to advocate for policy that prioritizes a better future for our families. There is urgency in passing immediate legislation to help lower costs and make it more realistic for people to raise children and care for family members. Our children deserve a future far better than what Washington politicians want to normalize.— Kristina Knickerbocker's campaign website (April 22, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.