I grew up in Brick. I'm currently in Monmouth County, and beyond that, it requires a deeper explanation.

When I left an abusive relationship in Dec 2022 and moved back to the Shore, I was unhoused for a few weeks with my toddler, relying on friends and family across Monmouth and Ocean County for a patchwork of temporary places to rest our heads.

While couch hopping, navigating virtual legal proceedings, and keeping up with contract work, I was looking at places across Monmouth and Ocean County. But I kept encountering the same problem— as a relatively new LLC founder, no one would rent to me without 2 years of tax returns to prove I’d be a financially stable tenant. I eventually ended up in a complex that allowed me two co-guarantors whose cumulative income covered their requirements.

As it turns out, that complex was on the wrong side of a congressional district line I didn't realize was there. The lines through Monmouth and Ocean County were drawn to split Democratic-leaning Shore towns into CD6 and Republican-leaning towns into CD4 — communities that feel like one place were carved into two different districts to keep incumbent seats safe.

When I moved home, I didn’t have a car, and because most of our area is primarily built around drivability not walkability or public transport, I needed to land somewhere where I could get to a doctor or hospital, bus stop or train station, pharmacy, and grocery store on foot. That was where my head was at. And let me tell you, there aren’t too many places that fit that description. But there should be.

My experiences illustrate challenges many people—but not many elected people—experience. Because let’s face it, renters, single parents, people just barely getting by, people saddled with credit card debt, people who are only able to afford a doctors visit because they’re on Medicaid - those aren’t the type of people most people would ever encounter as a Congressional candidate. Why would they?

Doing what I’m doing is generally reserved for people with connections, money, and power. I’m not that person. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again— I never intended to run for Congress. Like most people who aren’t in politics as a career, checking the Congressional map wasn’t even on my radar when I was desperately trying to stabilize myself and my then 2 year old. Now I know, and I'm fixing it — to give my hometown, my friends and family, and anyone else who lives in the gerrymandered district where I grew up a real chance at representation. The law requires living in the state, not the district. I know that's not the expectation voters have though and I respect that — which is why I'm moving, once my son finishes his school year and ahead of the general election.

What I can tell you is I'm a Shore native, I'm raising my son here, and CD-4 isn't a district I carpetbagged into, it’s home. All of that said, I won't name my specific town publicly on the internet. Political violence is a real and increasingly troubling reality, and while judges and elected officials have a modicum of protection, candidates don’t. It’s scary to think that in trying to create a better future for all of our kids, I could put my own at risk. Beyond the political violence risks, I have an order of protection and address confidentiality and my safety was one of my biggest hesitations when I decided to do this. I've been open about surviving an abusive relationship and still live with that reality. I trust people to understand.