Ruth’s Values
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Living Wage.
The federal minimum wage must be a living wage that covers the minimum cost of living. Ruth will fight to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $25 an hour and tie wages to inflation, meaning when prices go up, people’s paychecks will go up.
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Fully-funded Public Schools.
It’s time we fully fund our public school. For decades, we’ve been gutting our public schools while underinvesting in our children. Too many public schools are underfunded, understaffed, and in disrepair. Teachers are expected to do more with less, while the federal government spends billions elsewhere, including $50k hiring bonuses for ICE agents and billions on border security.
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Tuition Free Public Colleges & Trade Schools.
Ruth will fight to make trade schools and public colleges tuition-free for students from families earning less than $150,000 a year, indexed to inflation. This ensures that as costs rise, opportunity doesn’t shrink. Every student, regardless of background or income, deserves the chance to pursue education or skilled training without being buried in debt.
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Immigration Reform.
America’s immigration system should reflect our values, not our fears. Ruth’s plan will: Provide a fair path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants, Protect immigrant families and expand opportunity, Reaffirm America’s promise as a nation of hope, fairness, and second chances. When government works for the people, it can transform and uplift even the most marginalized among us, just like it did for Ruth.
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Make Democracy Stronger & Fairer.
Ruth believes we have a moral obligation to protect and strengthen our constitutional rights, not just for ourselves, but for future generations. That means standing firm against any effort to weaken the rule of law, while also fighting to make the rule of law more fair and inclusive of us all.
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Healthcare as a Right.
More information to follow soon.
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Universal Child Care & Early Learning
More information to follow soon.
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Medicare to Fully Cover Long-Term Care
More information to follow soon.
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We will continue to update this page as more policies are announced.
A federal living wage that grows with the cost of living
The federal minimum wage must be a living wage that covers the minimum cost of living. Ruth will fight to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $25 an hour and tie wages to inflation, meaning when prices go up, people’s paychecks will go up.
So many of our challenges, like unaffordable housing or food insecurity, are all actually one problem. Wages have not kept up with rising costs. With a $25 minimum wage tied to inflation, every person who works full time will earn at least $50,000 annually AND their pay will go up annually to keep up with inflation.
It’s time to restore balance and fairness to our economy by ensuring every worker earns a true living wage that covers the real cost of living and keeps pace with inflation.
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The minimum wage must be a living wage that reflects the cost of housing, food, transportation, and healthcare in today’s economy.
Raising the wage to $25 an hour ensures that a full-time worker earns at least $50,000 annually.
The increase must take effect immediately because working families cannot afford to wait another decade while corporate profits soar.
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Wages should automatically rise when prices rise.
By indexing the minimum wage to inflation, workers’ paychecks will maintain their real value over time.
This is not a novel concept. For example, the estate tax exemption, the annual gift tax exclusion amount, and social security benefits are all tied to inflation.
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Ruth recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of our local economies and must be supported through this adjustment. Her plan includes:
Tax credits for small businesses to offset initial labor cost increases.
Federal transition grants and zero-interest loans to help with payroll adjustments.
These supports ensure that small businesses can thrive while paying fair wages and competing on a level playing field with large corporations.
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A $25 federal living wage, tied to inflation, is not just an economic reform, it’s a moral and practical commitment to rebuilding the American middle class. This plan ensures that workers earn fair pay for fair work while small businesses receive the support they need to adapt and grow. Our economy will become stronger, fairer, and more sustainable for all.
Fully funded. Fully future-ready.
“Every child in America deserves a great public school no matter their zip code.”
It’s time we fully fund our public school. For decades, we’ve been gutting our public schools while underinvesting in our children. Too many public schools are underfunded, understaffed, and in disrepair. Teachers are expected to do more with less, while the federal government spends billions elsewhere, including $50k hiring bonuses for ICE agents and billions on border security. Some students are not reaching their full potential because we’ve failed to give them the tools, teachers, and facilities they deserve.
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Will fully fund every public school in America.
Increase federal investment in K–12 education to ensure schools can hire and retain qualified teachers, maintain safe facilities, and offer enriching programs.
Close funding gaps between districts so that rural, suburban, and urban schools all have the same access to quality resources.
Build stronger ties between schools, local employers, trade unions, and universities.
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Education is the foundation of opportunity. A great public school opens doors for every child, not just the privileged few.
Teachers deserve respect and fair pay. They shape our future and should be treated as professionals, not as afterthoughts in the federal budget.
A well-educated workforce drives economic growth. An investment in education is an investment in America’s prosperity.
Debt-Free Education for Working Families.
Ruth will fight to make trade schools and public colleges tuition-free for students from families earning less than $150,000 annually indexed for inflation.
When Ruth enrolled at Baruch College in Manhattan in 2006, the tuition was $2,160 per semester. She was fortunate to get a waitressing job that helped her cover most of her tuition, rent, monthly subway pass and other living expenses. She worked hard, balanced classes and shifts, and earned her degree without going into crushing debt.
But today, the narrow path to a debt-free higher education that was available to Ruth is shrinking. The cost of living—from tuition, rent, and food—has skyrocketed. Students are forced to take on mountains of debt to pursue their education.
Students who want to work their way through school are finding that even full-time jobs can’t keep up with the price of a degree. For many, the math just doesn’t work, and that reality deters too many talented students from even enrolling.
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Ruth will fight to make trade schools and public colleges tuition-free for students from families earning less than $150,000 a year, indexed to inflation. This ensures that as costs rise, opportunity doesn’t shrink. Every student, regardless of background or income, deserves the chance to pursue education or skilled training without being buried in debt.
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The fear of lifelong debt keeps young people from chasing their potential. Those who do take on loans often spend decades paying them off. Instead of building a life, they’re trying to dig out from under it. Student debt delays homeownership, makes it harder to start a family, and forces people to postpone dreams of entrepreneurship or community leadership.
This burden doesn’t just hurt individuals—it holds our entire economy back. When an entire generation is shackled by debt, fewer people can buy homes, open small businesses, or invest in their futures.
Immigration Reform and Abolish ICE
Ruth’s Story
Ruth came to the United States as a child and spent a decade—ages 12 to 21—living as an undocumented immigrant. When she first arrived from Haiti, eight people, including Ruth, her parents and brother, shared one bedroom in her aunt’s house in New York. Ruth knows what it means to grow up with potential but without papers, to dream big while feeling invisible.
When the Obama Administration granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, it changed Ruth’s life. For the first time, she could step out of the shadows, work legally and live without fear of deportation.
That experience also forced Ruth to confront something deeper. For years, she had internalized the shame of being undocumented and thought her family hadn’t planned well enough, that somehow they had failed. It took time and perspective to understand that what she carried wasn’t personal failure. It was the weight of systemic barriers designed to keep people like her excluded, invisible, and afraid.
That experience also taught her something profound: government can be a force for good. When it removes barriers and creates opportunity, government can transform lives and lift communities.
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America’s immigration system should reflect our values, not our fears. Ruth’s plan will:
Provide a fair path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants.
Protect immigrant families and expand opportunity.
Abolish ICE and invest its $45 billion budget in making the American dream accessible, not impossible.
Reaffirm America’s promise as a nation of hope, fairness, and second chances.
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When government works for the people, it can transform and uplift even the most marginalized among us, just like it did for Ruth
Democracy Doesn’t Defend Itself. We Do!
“Society prospers when we plant trees whose shade we shall never sit in.”
That timeless wisdom captures what it means to live in a democracy: to take responsibility not just for ourselves, but for the generations who will come after us. Our Constitution was written with that same spirit to create a framework for liberty, justice, and equality that endures beyond the moment, beyond the individual, beyond our own time in history.
Today, the trees that have shaded many of us are being cut down and the history of the people who planted them is being erased. From attacks on free speech, voting rights, birthright citizenship, reproductive freedom, due process and equal protection under the law, we are witnessing a dangerous mass deforestation that is leaving too many of us exposed to burn in the sun. These aren’t abstract issues. They are the guardrails of our democracy, the promises that allow each of us to live freely and with dignity.
Ruth believes we have a moral obligation to protect and strengthen our constitutional rights, not just for ourselves, but for future generations. That means standing firm against any effort to weaken the rule of law, while also fighting to make the rule of law more fair and inclusive of us all.