Christy Smith started her career in the U.S. Department of Education, working to root out waste so more funding would get where it was needed in the classrooms. And, when she saw that her daughters’ public school didn’t have access to the technology kids need to learn, she founded the Valencia Valley Technological Education Foundation and worked to connect schools to the internet, and put computers in classrooms.

Next, she ran for public office, in part because she saw how schools were failing students and her local economy. She fought for increased accountability and transparency in the state’s schools. And worked to help more students afford higher education, like community colleges and nursing schools. A career in nursing is what helped her mother to escape an abusive situation, so Christy understands first-hand how valuable an opportunity for higher learning can be for a family.

In the state legislature, Christy delivered for her district – securing millions of dollars for local colleges, childcare and health care clinics, and senior centers. She also fought to pass a groundbreaking paid family leave for new parents and caregivers, wrote the law to compensate victims of human trafficking so that they have a chance to rebuild their lives and co-authored a law that ensures first responders have mental healthcare covered in their workers’ compensation policy.

Christy doesn’t take a dime from Washington lobbyists, special interests, health insurance companies or big drug corporations. In Congress she will continue her commitment to a strong public education, fighting for women’s rights and ensuring affordable health care, decreasing the costs of prescription drugs, and more.