addressing the issues
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For this year’s midterm elections, we’re preparing to “Paint the Polls Black.” We want Black women to know which politicians are addressing issues that matter to them and access a central hub for ESSENCE’s full slate of 2022 election coverage.
PHOTO CREDITS: Stacey Abrams, Gunner Stahl; Aramis Ayala, David Ayala; Mandela Barnes, Alli Peters, Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin; Cheri Beasley, Courtesy of Cheri Beasley; Charles Booker, Denisha McCauley; Andrea Campbell, Courtesy of Andrea Campbell’s campaign; Aaron Ford, Courtesy of Ford for Nevada; Summer Lee, Summer Lee for Congress; Raphael Warnock, Warnock For Georgia; Karen Bass: Leroy Hamilton; Gary Chambers, Gary Chambers Campaign; Deidre DeJear, Courtesy DeJear for Iowa
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After conducting our Power of the Sister Vote Poll with the Black Women’s Roundtable earlier this year, we learned that Black women are concerned about jobs and wages, healthcare and social security, public safety, and affordable housing. We asked candidates in competitive and notable races all over the country—from campaigns for governor to attorney generals—how they will address these issues as they relate to Black voters. Here is what they told us.
Stacey Abrams
Candidate for Georgia Governor
Aramis Ayala
Candidate for Florida Attorney General
Mandela Barnes
Candidate for U.S. Senate (Wisconsin)
Karen Bass
Candidate for Los Angeles Mayor
Cheri Beasley
Candidate for U.S. Senate (North Carolina)
Charles Booker
Candidate for U.S. Senate (Kentucky)
Andrea Campbell
Candidate for Massachusetts Attorney General
gary chambers
Candidate for U.S. Senate (Louisiana)
Deidre DeJear
Candidate for Governor of Iowa
Aaron Ford
Candidate for Nevada Attorney General
summer lee
Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)
Wes Moore
Candidate for Maryland Governor
Jobs/Wages
The foundation of a thriving economy is the ability of every Georgian to find a good job and earn a decent living. As governor, I will invest in small businesses, support entrepreneurs, generate 20,000 apprenticeships, and create more than 60,000 jobs across the state by expanding Medicaid.
- STACEY ABRAMS
Healthcare & Social Security
Public Safety
Affordable Housing
The Attorney General is not only the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the state; she is also the People’s Lawyer—their advocate, charged with ensuring economic justice. As Attorney General, in addition to aggressively suing corporations who violate our anti-trust laws and violate the people of the State of Florida, I will also establish a Division of Labor in the office that will receive and support unions and respond to workplace violations such as misclassification, retaliation, wage theft, safety violations and discrimination.
- Aramis Ayala
I grew up in Milwaukee in a proud union household. I want to create good-paying union jobs like the ones my dad and granddad had. Further, when we make things at home, we don’t have to worry about global supply shortages that drive up prices. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll crack down on oil and drug companies that are using inflation as a smokescreen to raise prices on the American people and bring manufacturing back home.
- Mandela Barnes
The staggering cost of living in Los Angeles is unacceptable as wages have not kept pace with the sky-high cost of housing and daily expenses. As Mayor, I will support small and minority-owned businesses, build diverse career pipelines to expose our young people to new industries, and seize on our climate and transportation goals to create good jobs, especially in neighborhoods that need them most.
- Karen Bass
What’s good for Black workers is good for North Carolina. I’ll fight to raise the minimum wage to $15. And I’ll work to expand apprenticeship programs that are a direct pipeline to good-paying jobs in industries like manufacturing and technology. These opportunities can make the difference for Black communities right here.
- Cheri Beasley
I grew up in one of the poorest zip codes in Kentucky and have felt the pain of poverty firsthand. We must raise the minimum wage to at least $15, invest in and support small business growth in the Black community, and create a sustainable economy that provides good paying union jobs. All of this must be bolstered by universal basic income and capital, reparations, and restorative economics to build paths to prosperity.
- Charles Booker
I am a vehement supporter of workers’ rights, the right for labor to organize, and raising the national minimum wage to ensure that Louisianans have a livable income. By this, I support the Real Corporate Profits Tax Act of 2021 to ensure the wealthiest companies pay their fair share, including addressing the equitable division of wealth in this country. We must grapple with the nation’s original sin of chattel slavery through reparations for Black Louisianians.
- Gary Chambers
I’m working to create pathways for economic success by increasing the minimum wage to a sustainable wage, supporting small businesses, fully funding and strengthening our education system, and bringing the trades back into high schools, better preparing students to step into a career post-high school, if they desire. These initiatives will lead to a stronger economy with the greatest gains seen in under-resourced populations.
- Deidre DeJear
Black women must work nearly 21 months to get paid what a white man earns in 12–that’s not by accident, that’s by design. I’m running to increase wages to keep up with inflation, pass paid family and medical leave, ensure every worker has the right to organize and form a union, and raise taxes on corporations and billionaires so we can finally invest in working families across the country.
- Summer Lee
In the Senate, I successfully worked to strengthen relief for small businesses, allowing them to keep their doors open and workers on the payroll as we all navigate our changing economy. I championed specific provisions in two bipartisan laws that will create good-paying jobs by investing in domestic manufacturing and strengthening our nation’s transportation and water infrastructure. As a proud graduate of Morehouse College, I’ve led the effort in the Senate to strengthen HBCU funding and help prepare today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow.
- Raphael Warnock
I will expand Medicaid which will give 500,000 Georgians access to insurance, create more than 60,000 jobs across the state and ensure that hospitals across Georgia are able to keep their doors open. Additionally, I will work to repeal the dangerous and extreme six-week abortion ban in Georgia and support reproductive freedom for all women.
- STACEY ABRAMS
Every American deserves affordable, quality, health care. There are a lot of immediate steps we can take so people get the coverage they need—like letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and capping insulin costs at $35. Medicare recipients deserve comprehensive health insurance that includes dental, vision, and hearing benefits. In the Senate, I’ll fight to stop any legislation that would privatize Social Security or send our seniors back to work. I’ll make sure the wealthy pay their fair share so Social Security remains solvent for future generations and lower the Medicare eligibility age to 50, which will expand coverage, lower the cost of health care, and provide access to working families in Wisconsin.
- Mandela Barnes
I am the only pro-choice Democrat running for mayor. I began my career as a nurse and Physician Assistant in L.A.’s hospitals and emergency rooms, and I understand the importance of reproductive healthcare. I will ensure L.A. remains a haven for women by expanding access to reproductive rights. In Congress, I fought Republican attempts to roll back the Affordable Care Act and Social Security, introduced legislation to address America’s maternal health crisis, which disproportionately affects Black women, and delivered millions of dollars to L.A. to help communities of color recover from COVID-19. As Mayor, I will partner with the county to rebuild our mental health and substance use systems to address our homelessness crisis.
- Karen Bass
We must lower health care costs and address racial disparities. Black North Carolinians have disproportionately high rates of diabetes, and Congress must cap the cost of insulin, so folks aren’t forced to split doses. We must also protect Social Security and expand Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing, which will help Black seniors and all Americans.
- Cheri Beasley
I believe that healthcare is a human right. Period. That means we must close the racial disparities in how healthcare is delivered by not only passing Medicare for All, but also ensuring that our communities have access to high quality providers. I also believe we must protect and expand Social Security so everyone can age with dignity.
- Charles Booker
It is unacceptable how significant the Social Security and health disparities are between Black and white Louisianans. Republicans are trying to gut Social Security and healthcare benefits, which I seek to fight by expanding Medicare, passing Medicare for All, and protecting Social Security. Protecting healthcare and Social Security will be job #1, especially as a Black man whose family has depended on Social Security.
- Gary Chambers
I am committed to ensuring accessible, affordable healthcare for both insured and uninsured Iowans, working to decrease the cost of insulin and other prescription drugs, and increasing education and training for our healthcare practitioners to serve the needs of Black Iowans. We also need to establish an adequate and sustainable funding system for adult and children’s mental health services statewide and expand mental health services and facilities, while attracting more workers into the mental healthcare field.
- Deidre DeJear
I am a strong advocate for increased federal investments in Social Security as well as passing Medicare for All. I’m going to fight back against the right-wing assault on our reproductive freedom, push to codify Roe v. Wade’s abortion rights into federal law, and directly invest in combating the Black maternal mortality rate that is about three times higher than it is for white women.
- Summer Lee
I’ve led the effort to pass a federal fix that would close the healthcare coverage gap and provide roughly 4 million people in the U.S. access to affordable health care. I’ve also championed efforts to strengthen health care equity and passed bipartisan legislation to address maternal mortality–a crisis that disproportionately impacts Black women. Lastly, I pushed for legislation (recently signed into law) that will finally allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and help keep health care costs low for tens of millions of Americans.
- Raphael Warnock
I am the only candidate with a comprehensive plan to tackle public safety, address violence and advance criminal justice in Georgia. Our state currently ranks ninth in gun violence and guns are the number one killer of Georgia’s children. As governor, I will strengthen gun safety laws, combat the fundamental causes of violence and poverty, and more to ensure safety and justice in Georgia.
- STACEY ABRAMS
This is personal to me. I’ve lost more friends than I care to count from gun violence. Our communities must have what they need to stop crime from happening in the first place by providing good jobs, good schools, and opportunity. We also need to make sure our law enforcement officers have what they need to keep us safe. Since I was an organizer, I’ve advocated for gun violence prevention which led to one of my proudest achievements as Lt. Governor: investing $45 million in violence prevention programs, including an additional $8 million to address violence in Milwaukee.
- Mandela Barnes
I have fought against injustice in the legal system–and for police reform–my entire adult life. In Congress, I focused on the unique public safety needs of women, authoring legislation to protect survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking as well as women in the criminal justice system. As Mayor, I have a plan to stop the crimes of today and prevent the crimes of tomorrow.
- Karen Bass
I’m an African-American woman. My husband and my twin sons are African-American. I worry about their safety every day. I was also a judge and the first Chief Justice to speak out after George Floyd’s murder. I’ve spent over two decades partnering with law enforcement to keep communities safe, and I know we can support police and strengthen accountability. We must build trust between police and communities, get ghost guns off our streets, and invest in community policing and violence intervention.
- Cheri Beasley
When we look at the root causes of crime, poverty is at the center. We must start addressing crime and poverty as the public health crisis it is. By fully funding community safety, we can address the social determinants of health and make our communities safer. This, coupled with accountability measures like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, will help our country get ever closer to making justice real in every community.
- Charles Booker
I am committed to advocating for and passing legislation for the following priorities of a new federal Community Public Safety Agency: the BREATHE ACT put forth by the Electoral Justice Project of the Movement for Black Lives and refunding juvenile delinquency prevention programs. Additionally, this includes the demilitarization of the police. Citizens want the best law enforcement service their tax dollars can buy. However, when unarmed and innocent civilians are killed, tax dollars that could pay for better community services are instead spent on lengthy and costly lawsuits against the city and its officers.
- Gary Chambers
I’ve talked with law enforcement throughout my campaign addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, recidivism rates in the state corrections department and mental health challenges within the community impacting their ability to best protect and serve Iowans. I’m committed to working to create solution-oriented initiatives that improve community-police relations, while removing systemic barriers that exist for Black and Brown Iowans.
- Deidre DeJear
My office has expanded programs that bring community leaders and law enforcement together to stop violence before it causes tragedy. We unanimously passed two criminal justice bills – one that reforms the use of “no knock” warrants and another that allows us to investigate police departments alleged to be engaging in patterns of unlawful policing.
- Aaron Ford
I’m running to end our justice system’s dependency on incarceration and over-policing and instead invest in the root determinants of public safety: investing in public housing, education, and jobs in our community as well as passing common-sense gun safety reforms to put an end to the epidemic of mass shootings nationwide.
- Summer Lee
Everyone deserves to feel safe at home, at work, at school, at church, or at the grocery store. As a pastor I’ve counseled families who have been impacted by senseless violence. I helped to pass common-sense gun safety legislation and helped lead the Senate’s effort to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that will help prevent future violence. I have also worked to strengthen federal funding for our local law enforcement officers to ensure they have the training and resources they need.
- Raphael Warnock
Georgia’s affordable housing crisis means many families cannot find homes to buy or rent that they can afford. Lack of stable, safe and reasonably priced housing hurts all aspects of people’s lives — from education to the economy to crime. I am the only candidate with a comprehensive plan to address Georgia’s housing crisis by tackling four central housing challenges faced by Georgians across the state: housing affordability, inventory, gentrification, and homelessness.
- STACEY ABRAMS
In the U.S. Senate I’ll be fighting for a middle-class tax cut to help families keep more of what they earn and give them the ability to save and have some breathing room. I will also support raising the minimum wage and investments in the development of affordable housing.
- Mandela Barnes
Until we make housing affordable in Los Angeles, the crisis on our streets will only get worse. As Mayor, I will protect renters from eviction as well as small mom and pop property owners, because I understand that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted renters and mom and pop property owners of color. I will be aggressive in making it easier to build in L.A., dramatically spurring the construction of truly affordable housing by cutting red tape, waiving city fees, and launching an Affordable Housing Strike Team to expedite projects so that unhoused Angelenos will finally be able to come inside.
- Karen Bass
Having a safe and affordable home is foundational to families' well-being. I will prioritize expanding housing options for our most vulnerable including seniors, low-income families, and veterans. I will also fight to end discrimination in the sale, rental or financing of a home–which has harmed Black families and held folks back for far too long.
- Cheri Beasley
As Senator, I will not only work with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to bring much-needed affordable and sustainable housing to Kentucky, but also work to pass a Tenant Bill of Rights that protects renters from unfair housing practices.
- Charles Booker
As a first-generation homeowner, I know affordable housing helps Black families build wealth and break cycles of poverty. As Massachusetts AG, I’ll fight discrimination, advocate for capital equity, investigate digital redlining and hold landlords, property management companies, and predatory lenders accountable for unlawful evictions and poor living conditions.
- Andrea Campbell
I seek to combat the widespread racial inequities in our housing system. This will include advocating in the U.S. Senate to preserve existing housing benefits and expand the total supply of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities throughout the City of New Orleans. This includes preventing future displacements through development activities, continued studies and housing policy reviews, and supporting strategies that address racial inequity and disparity in housing, as outlined in the New Deal for Housing Justice.
- Gary Chambers
In order to fill our current gap of over 50k affordable housing units, I will work to create a comprehensive infrastructure and housing plan which will address economic ecosystems, develop and rehabilitate our housing stock and empower Iowans to become homeowners.
- Deidre DeJear
I’m pushing to repeal the Faircloth Amendment, which put a federal limit on public housing in 1998, and fully fund public housing as well as make billions in federal investment to fund permanent affordable, and then we must fully fund the Section 8 assistance program. I support a national cap on yearly rent increase, expanded rights and right to counsel for tenants facing evictions, ending exclusionary and restrictive zoning that has worsened segregation, and providing federal financial assistance to first-time homebuyers to support families that have been priced out of homeownership.
- Summer Lee
I grew up in public housing in Savannah, Georgia, so strengthening housing access and affordability is personal. In the Senate, I’ve scrutinized racial discrimination in home appraisals and predatory companies that drive up housing prices. I’m fighting so hardworking families can access affordable housing and achieve the American dream of purchasing a home–including bills to lower costs for renters, allow working people to save to purchase a home, increase transparency of federal housing information for tenants and strengthen affordable housing access for our servicemembers and military families.
- Raphael Warnock
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jobs/ wages
Affordable Housing
Public Safety
Healthcare & Social Security
Raphael Warnock
Candidate for U.S. Senate (Georgia)
After my father died, my mom did not find a job that paid her benefits until I was 14 years old. When we’re having conversations about pay disparities between men and women, or people of color, I’ve seen these realities first hand. We need an economy that supports our small business, that pays our workers fairly, and that provides an opportunity for every Marylander to create wealth for themselves and their families. That’s the Maryland I’ll fight for.
- Wes Moore
I watched my father die when I was three years old because he didn’t get access to the health care he needed. Too many families have a similar story. And right now, getting sick is the number one cause of bankruptcy in Maryland–a staggering statistic that drastically affected our Black communities. As governor, I’ll fight every day to ensure that all of our communities have access to quality, affordable healthcare.
- Wes Moore
Violent crime is on the rise across Maryland, and people are dying in our streets. There is no greater priority or responsibility for the chief executive than ensuring the public’s safety, and rising crime is a statewide problem requiring statewide leadership. As governor, it will be my job to fight for our communities getting the resources and the attention they need to remain safe–because no matter what zip code you live in, every Marylander should be safe on our streets.
- Wes Moore
We need to be doing a better job ensuring that every Maryland family has a pathway to home ownership — this is about economic and financial stability as well as having the opportunity to pass down something to our children other than debt. That’s why I’m committed to ensuring not just the preservation of but the production of Maryland’s affordable housing inventory. I promise to combat redlining and racial discrimination in appraisal values.
- Wes Moore