Lucia Simonelli

Lucia Simonelli earned a high school diploma from Commerce High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in 2010, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 2016.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, to a working-class family. My mother’s family has been in the area for over 50 years, and my father immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. Despite growing up without financial stability, I did have the privilege of access to public education, enabling me to pursue a PhD in mathematics. Studying mathematics trained me to be a problem-solver and critical thinker, to know what it means to think objectively, to focus on facts, and to recognize when things simply don’t add up.

After graduating, I spent several years conducting research and teaching math around the world before serving as a scientific advisor in the United States Senate, working on energy and climate policy. There, I gained a deep understanding of the legislative process. I observed how a strong society and economy depend on smart policy informed by independent technical guidance. Without that guidance, policy bends to the whims of corporate special interests.

Billionaires are hollowing out our communities, and corporate greed continues to pull us away from the fundamental principles that should govern our policy and politics. We need leaders who are more connected with their neighbors and working people than they are with the political class. We need leaders who are more interested in making good than holding power. I’m ready to fight for you and with you to make a good change, together.

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?

Take our power back: The status quo doesn’t work for working families. We live in a country with the resources, talent, opportunity, and values to ensure that our generation and future generations have access to basic needs and the right to live with dignity. But to make this a reality, we have to take our power back. We have to unrig our tax code so that the rich pay their fair share, and we need to get money out of elections. Our campaign pledges not to accept any corporate PAC money, AIPAC money, or donations that come with strings attached. We are accountable, first and foremost, to our community.Healthcare is a human right: Extending the ACA subsidies is necessary in the short term, but it’s a temporary measure and doesn’t address the root cause of our broken healthcare system: industries that put profit over people. I believe that Medicare for All is the policy that makes healthcare a right. It would put into place the optimal structure to ensure that everyone in this country has access to quality healthcare. In a nation as wealthy as the United States, no one should have to face monthly premiums, denial of coverage, or medical debt. As an intermediate step, I would support the State-based Universal Healthcare Act that would allow states to develop universal healthcare programs, paving the way to a national program.Data center moratorium: I support a pause on AI data center expansion so we can equitably equip all communities with the information and tools needed to keep utility bills low, create safeguards for AI, prevent job loss, protect the environment, upgrade and modernize the grid, and bring clean energy online. I have worked in climate and energy policy for the past 7 years, and I know that adding large loads to the grid is not inherently bad – in fact, eventually it could be a good thing. It’s an optimization problem, but one that we aren’t yet prepared to solve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Climate change: During my time teaching internationally, I saw the effects of climate change around the world, disproportionately impacting countries and communities that have contributed the least to the problem. Climate change is a humanitarian crisis. Climate touches on public health, affordability, dark money, protection of marginalized groups, national security, and domestic competitiveness. I’ve devoted my career to fighting climate change because I believe that we must protect our communities and ensure the well-being of future generations.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to do my part in leaving my community and this Earth better than I found it.

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

I think that climate change and AI are two of the greatest challenges we face. We need objective, science-based expertise guiding policy decisions in order to prepare future generations for impending challenges. To that end, I would support reviving the Office of Technology Assessment, a legislative agency that is absolutely critical to the function of our Government.