Lakesha Womack

Lakesha Womack earned a high school diploma from the Alabama School of Math and Science and a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in 1999. Her career experience includes working as a consultant.[1] Womack has also served as a deacon, chief strategy officer at ASPIRE Community Capital, CEO at Thrive Creative Community, and executive producer of the LaKesha Womack show. She has been affiliated with Friends of Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Charlotte Business INClusion Advisory Committee, and Black Seed Network.[2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

LaKesha Womack is a Democratic candidate seeking the nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for ASPIRE Community Capital, an emerging Community Development Financial Institution focused on expanding access to capital for undercapitalized entrepreneurs. Womack is also the owner of Womack Consulting Group, where she has provided strategic advisory services to nonprofits, small businesses, faith-based organizations, and political campaigns for more than two decades.

Her political experience includes working on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, serving on the Podium Operations Team for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and acting as a strategist for local and state-level races. She has also facilitated civic engagement and voter education workshops to increase democratic participation.

Womack is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. She is pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at Vanderbilt Law School and has completed leadership and candidate training programs, including The Campaign School at Yale, Emerge America, and Lead NC. Her campaign priorities include affordable health care, economic mobility, equitable education, and strengthening democratic participation.

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?

LaKesha believes affordable health care is a fundamental necessity, not a privilege. She supports lowering prescription drug costs, protecting reproductive freedom, expanding access to mental health services, and ensuring quality coverage through a universal health care plan. LaKesha is committed to protecting and strengthening rural hospitals that serve as lifelines for many communities in NC-14 and across the country. She also believes Congress must provide strong oversight of the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure patient safety, transparency, and accountability. Her approach centers on affordability, access, and dignity, so no family is forced to choose between their health and financial stability.LaKesha Womack believes economic mobility is essential to building strong families and resilient communities. She supports policies that expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs, strengthen workforce development, and promote fair wages so that work pays, and families can thrive. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue and supports making the first $100,000 of income free from federal income tax to put more money directly into the hands of working families. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue, recognizing that our economy works best when people can afford housing, childcare, food, and the goods and services that sustain local businesses and corporations.LaKesha Womack believes equitable education is foundational to economic opportunity and a healthy democracy. She supports fully funding public schools, closing funding gaps between districts, and ensuring students, regardless of their zip code, have access to fairly compensated teachers, modern facilities, and supportive learning environments. LaKesha champions affordable pathways to higher education and career training, including student debt relief, so education expands opportunity rather than creating lifelong financial burden. She believes a representative democracy thrives when its citizens are educated, equipped with strong critical-thinking skills, and empowered to make informed decisions about their future.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am deeply passionate about democratic participation because a representative democracy only works when every voice is heard and every eligible voter has a fair and equal opportunity to participate. I support protecting and expanding voting rights, increasing access to early and absentee voting, and opposing policies that create unnecessary barriers to the ballot box. I am also committed to civic education and community-based engagement that empowers people to understand their rights, hold leaders accountable, and participate beyond Election Day. Strengthening democratic participation is essential to building trust in our institutions and ensuring government reflects the will and needs of the people it serves.

Campaign websiteWomack's campaign website stated the following:Affordable Health Care & Cost ContainmentHealth care is a basic necessity, not a privilege. No family should face financial ruin because they get sick. True affordability means addressing premiums, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and access to providers, especially in rural and underserved communities.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Protect and strengthen the Affordable Care ActSupport caps on out-of-pocket and prescription drug costsFight for full funding of rural hospitals and community health centersOppose policies that shift health care costs onto working familiesEconomic Mobility & Fair WagesWorking families are being priced out of stability. Wages have not kept pace with rising costs, and economic policy must center people, not corporations.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Support raising the federal minimum wageAdvance tax policies that benefit working- and middle-class householdsOppose regressive tax structures that disproportionately burden low- and moderate-income familiesChampion worker protections, benefits, and economic securitySmall Business Growth & EntrepreneurshipSmall businesses are engines of economic growth, yet they face systemic barriers to capital and opportunity.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Expand access to capital through CDFIs and community-based lendersIncrease federal procurement opportunities for small businessesSupport technical assistance and entrepreneurship development programsReduce unnecessary regulatory barriers while protecting workers and consumersAffordable Housing & Cost of LivingHousing should be affordable in every zip code. Families should be building wealth, not trapped in debt by predatory lending or unaffordable mortgages.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Support investments in affordable housing developmentOppose policies like 50-year mortgages that undermine long-term stabilityAddress rising construction and material costs driven by tariffs and supply-chain disruptionsProtect renters and first-time homebuyersPublic Education & Workforce DevelopmentA strong public education system is essential to democracy and economic opportunity. Education policy must support students, educators, and lifelong learning.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Increase federal investment in public schools and educator supportExpand apprenticeship and workforce training programsSupport affordable higher education and student debt reliefStrengthen career and technical education pathwaysResponsible Federal Spending & AccountabilityTaxpayer dollars must be spent responsibly, transparently, and with measurable community impact to ensure our spending does not create more debt for future generations.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Demand accountability and strong oversight of federal spendingPrioritize investments that deliver real outcomes for communitiesOppose wasteful spending and politically motivated budget cutsSupport evidence-based policymakingRebuilding & Strengthening Federal InstitutionsAs agencies and departments are weakened or dismantled, rebuilding must be intentional, not a return to systems that failed working families. We must rebuild a system that works for all of us, not just the ones who pay to influence policy,In Congress, LaKesha Will:Help rebuild federal agencies with equity and effectiveness at the centerAsk hard questions about what works and what must changeSupport modernized, people-centered public institutionsEnsure federal services are accessible and responsiveRural Investment & InfrastructureRural communities deserve the same access to opportunity as urban centers, including health care, broadband, and economic development. Young people should not feel like they have to leave home or cannot return to their communities because of a lack of opportunity.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Expand rural broadband accessProtect funding for rural hospitals and infrastructureSupport rural entrepreneurship and workforce initiativesEnsure FEMA and disaster-relief dollars reach communities promptlyDemocracy, Transparency & Civic EngagementDemocracy works best when people are informed, heard, and engaged. Representation must be accessible and accountable.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Hold regular town halls and community listening sessionsCommunicate clearly and consistently with constituentsProtect voting rights and democratic safeguardsPromote ethical governance and transparencyEquity-Centered, People-First LeadershipPolicy should be shaped by the lived experiences of the people it affects. Equity is not a slogan, it is a governing principle. We have an obligation to ensure working Americans can afford housing, pursue a quality education, and access health care without the fear of bankruptcy.In Congress, LaKesha Will:Apply a people-centered, equity-focused lens to legislationCenter communities historically excluded from decision-makingBuild bipartisan coalitions grounded in shared outcomesLead with integrity, compassion, and accountability— Lakesha Womack's campaign website (February 13, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.