Democrats will have two options this May when they vote for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District House race in the May primary election. William Padmore of Nebraska Public Media News spoke with both candidates as part of our Campaign Connection 2022 election coverage.
Patty Pansing Brooks
Party: Democrat
Age: 63
Occupation: Attorney, Small Business Owner, State Senator
Why should voters choose you over the other candidates in this race? What makes you stand out?
“Well, I think I've been sort of preparing for this, my whole life and didn't really realize it. What happened is when we redistricted in September in the legislature, and a pathway opened, I felt like I have a responsibility to serve Nebraska, to serve congressional district one and our country.”
If elected, what would be your top policy priority and how would you approach getting it done?
“I will care about Ag and making sure that our interests with our number one economy are represented. I will also care about the people and make sure that people have paid health care and family leave, make sure that we have the ability to protect our people, make sure that their health care insurance is affordable, and that we work to keep our Earth healthy and clean. I care about our roads and bridges, I care about broadband getting robust, high-speed internet across the state. And I expect to do as much as I can to help bring people to our state and welcome all people to our state to help with our workforce crisis.”
Considering agriculture’s outsized contribution to Nebraska’s economy, what policy would you pursue to advance agricultural interest and develop rural communities?
“We really need to work on listening to the needs of the communities, what they are saying that they need, what they're wanting. Workforce development is a huge part of it. Making sure that people know the value of living, even in smaller communities across our state. I'm not an ag expert, but I will be listening to the Ag people across the state and across the district and what their needs are. So I think that you know, it's important to think about our water, our soils, making sure that that the farmers are heard and represented well in Washington.”
Do you have any disagreements with your party on prominent issues?
"It is a hard question. Because I don't want it to seem like I agree because they're telling me what to do. I do not agree because of that. I came to this part of my life after having been a Republican, after having co-chaired the (Lancaster County Republican) party having been elected while I was on the Planned Parenthood board, and a chair of the Lincoln Lancaster Commission on the Status of Women, a mayoral appointment. So I've gotten to this part of the journey of my life, by then realizing that things have changed. That I care about LGBTQ people, I care about the rights of people, the fact that people of color are being over incarcerated, the kids of color are being over arrested. I've gotten to that point, these points where I am, not by hearing what a certain party tells me to say or believe."
Why should voters of the opposite party vote for you? If you had to appeal to them to win, what would be your message?
"I understand and can validate so much of what you believe in, and I can understand the journey that you're on. I would never dismiss your beliefs. I want you to know that I can find common ground with you and I can find consensus. I really hope that you'll support me and that we can work together to reunite this country and bring it back together."
Jazari Kual Zakaria
Party: Democrat
Age: 26
Occupation: Student, Local Social Media Personality
Why should voters choose you over the other candidates in this race? What makes you stand out?
"I think the thing that makes me stand out the most is that I'm just an everyday person trying to represent everyday people. Usually, the people that we see who are sent off to Congress to represent us don't have the same lived experiences as us. And we've definitely put ourselves in a situation where we've created these arbitrary requirements of what it means to represent and who's qualified to represent us. So I feel like I am much more in tune. I live in the same reality as the people - everyday people in our community. Aside from that, you know, I do a lot of stuff in the community already as far as outreach and advocacy and activism. This was a way to amplify what I was doing for our community."
If elected, what would be your top policy priority and how would you approach getting it done?
"Climate change is probably the biggest thing because our whole tagline is ‘Fighting for our Future,’ right? And so if we don't address the climate crisis, then we're not going to have a future anymore. So I think it's important that we invest in clean and renewable energy and that infrastructure because right now, our power grids aren't cut out for that. Another thing is affordable college tuition that I'm really, really passionate about. The conversation I don't see people having is these public universities charge so much for these tuition costs, and the federal government is just dishing out these loans to cover them. So if you think about it, it's like that's like saying, ‘I'm going to pay this bill, but I'm not going to worry about how much I'm being charged for it.' If it's a public university, I feel like there should be some type of legislation that limits how much tuition rates are. Otherwise, we're going to end up in the same position we are back in now."
Considering agriculture’s outsized contribution to Nebraska’s economy, what policy would you pursue to advance agricultural interest and develop rural communities?
"I was reading an article several weeks ago about how our rural communities just don't have enough housing and things like that. People are leaving those areas because they just don't have, you know, the... how do I word this, they just don't have the development in place, and the development ramping up to, you know, build up rural communities. So especially with the crisis in Ukraine. I think that in the war in Ukraine, I think we are headed toward a food crisis soon. I think it's important that we invest in agriculture and ramp up our production of agriculture and limit our imports because then we are dependent on ourselves instead of imports for different agriculture."
Do you have any disagreements with your party on prominent issues?
"I think with health care, I think the whole legislation to cap insulin rates, and insulin costs was a good step. However, I don't think it's enough. Medicare expansion is something that needs to happen. However, I think it's important to look at all the other pharmaceutical drugs that people are dependent on, insulin is just one. But there are a lot of cancer patients out there with that medication that's needed. So there should be a lot more prescription drugs and pharmaceutical drugs that are negotiated and looked at of the cost and trying to find ways to reduce those costs, as well."
Why should voters of the opposite party vote for you? If you had to appeal to them to win, what would be your message?
"I'm an everyday person. I'm not a part of an elite circle or a wealthy individual who's using this as a stepping stone to get to where I want to go next. I'm in it, because I really do care about the issues. And you know, when you look at Republicans have been running on, you know, property tax relief and things like that XYZ. It's kind of funny how that's been the conversation for the last 30 years, and where has it gone? So I'm in it to really fix the issues. And if the issues are all fixed while I'm there, and there's nothing else to run on, I'll pass the baton. Because how long can you run with a torch before you start walking, right?"