SHARICE DAVIDS

I have a talent for coming up with an analogy about martial arts training for everything. It's because training to improve your martial arts skills and training to step into a cage and fight another person teaches you a lot about... everything.

There's a reason why my mom chose to stay and raise my brothers and me in Kansas - it's a great place to live, work and raise a family.

To go from hit-and-miss promotions barely taking women's fighting seriously to women headlining on a regular basis, high-level fights, it's an amazing thing to see. And it happened in what I felt was a pretty quick succession - though not fast enough - as far as professional sports go. It's really exciting.

I know that together we can and will help shape the future of this country for the better.

We stood up and said that we welcome everyone, and that everyone deserves a shot to succeed.

If we're going to tackle the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, along with so many other issues that are at the top of our community's mind, we need to reform our system and make it work for the people, not special interests and corporations.

I think that it's a mistake to assume that because you're taking a position from somebody else who you might disagree with - or you know you disagree with on some things - to assume that you disagree with on everything and to not look at each policy on its own merits.

Having L.G.B.T. people sitting in the room while decisions are being made, and sitting there as peers, will shift the conversation.

The Paycheck Protection Program has been vital to helping our small businesses and workers weather the coronavirus pandemic. Yet this program has operated with little oversight, and we've seen Kansas small businesses owners struggle to access relief while large corporations with deep pockets have no problem.

Folks in our community have a lot of daily pressures to deal with. Worrying about the rising cost of lifesaving medications shouldn't be one of them. They deserve elected leaders who will fight for them, not special interests, and that is exactly what I will continue to do.

Let me clear, I do not support abolishing ICE.

Kansas businesses depend on high-skilled workers to be competitive and to contribute to the local economy.

We should be encouraging - not penalizing - folks who want to pursue higher education.

If America is to be the land of opportunity and the beacon of hope that we claim, our immigration policies must be rooted in the fundamental principles of humanity. They must recognize, respect and honor the basic human rights of all people. And they must uphold the commitments we as a country have made to the international community.

No one is above the law, not even the President.

Issues that have relevance to the tribal community have routinely been minimized and ignored.

I have always had faith in our community because I've seen us come together in so many ways before, even during the most difficult of times.

The first lesson in truly learning how to throw a punch is so frustrating, so frustrating. Especially if you fancy yourself athletic, that has to do with expectations and that is a different topic. The discomfort is realizing you thought you knew what throwing a punch meant and you just found out you don't even know how to stand.

We have to get away from thinking that everyone coming to the United States is a threat.

Masks. Test Supplies. Ventilators. Gloves. Gowns. These are the most critical tools that our doctors, nurses and other first responders on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic need to continue their tireless work and save lives.

I think Kansas City has one of the strongest entrepreneurial ecosystems in the country.

Students take out loans with the expectation that they will receive an education that sets them up for success - yet too many students are left with enormous debt from predatory institutions and no education to show for it.

Turning away women and children in grave danger; warehousing children in cages; deporting people whom we promised to protect - these actions are not reflective of the America I want to live in. They do not represent the values our country claims to hold.

Affordable health care that protects people with pre-existing conditions is a priority for Kansans, and it's been one of my top priorities since taking office.

Regardless if I made it or not, I really wanted women's MMA to be a real thing.