Civics & The Commonwealth: My Open Response to Bullitt East High School

Bullitt East High School Interview:

1. What are your top three priorities if elected governor of Kentucky? My top three priorities are aggressive state oversight to root out institutional corruption, fiercely protecting individual liberties, and uniting Kentuckians. Kentucky is a state built on strong faith and community, and I am committed to working alongside Christian, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim leaders, among others, as well as drawing on our legendary Southern Baptist infrastructure. That commitment to unity extends fully to the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring that equality and dignity belong to everyone. No single congregation owns the Commonwealth's conscience, we share it, and we will lead with shared values and mutual respect. 2. What specific steps would you take to improve public education in Kentucky? I plan to help champion the integration of Artificial Intelligence and advanced learning systems in our classrooms, while putting strict rules in place to protect against deepfakes, misinformation, and identity misuse. By bringing modern AI tools and smart automation into our schools, we can equip our students to thrive in a rapidly changing global economy, ensuring they have the resources needed for unprecedented economic mobility and success after graduation. My dedication to our schools is deeply personal. On my mother's side, my grandparents were both teachers, and my grandfather served as a principal and superintendent. My mom was a teacher for her entire career, spanning over three decades, and my stepfather worked as a school janitor while she taught. Today, my younger sister and brother are both teachers. On my dad's side, my grandfather and uncle founded Southeast Christian Church. Growing up with this foundation, I have been surrounded by teachers my entire life, both public and biblical, and I truly understand the profound impact educators have on our communities. 3. What are your plans for addressing Kentucky's economy, job opportunities, and cost of living? We must build a future-proof economy that tackles the rising cost of living head-on and puts working families first. Job opportunities, household budgets, and the cost of living are directly tied to our transportation networks and logistics infrastructure; when our roads, bridges, and transit corridors are modern and efficient, the cost of goods drops and businesses can expand rapidly across every region of the Commonwealth. I plan to actively recruit visionaries like Elon Musk to collaborate and invest in Kentucky, proving that world-class innovation belongs right here in the Bluegrass State. By leading in the AI era, we can modernize workforce training and equip our people with high-wage skills for the jobs of tomorrow. From a civic and economic perspective, understanding how public policy directly shapes everyday life is at the very heart of social studies. Building a sustainable economy means bridging our rich history with forward-thinking enterprise and robust transportation systems. We will honor our agricultural traditions and champion new economic drivers that empower our small businesses, our rural communities, and our hardworking farmers who are so often severely underappreciated. When we stabilize our local markets, eliminate supply chain and transit bottlenecks, and reduce financial pressure on households, we strengthen the entire civic fabric of our Commonwealth, ensuring true economic prosperity and opportunity belong to every corner of the state. 4. What policies would you pursue regarding health care and access to services? First and foremost, I am unapologetically pro-choice; reproductive freedom is a matter of basic bodily autonomy and a fundamental human right, and we must protect healthcare provider access and patient privacy across Kentucky. Beyond that, to solve our severe rural doctor shortages and healthcare deserts, I will champion advanced AI and telehealth integration to bring diagnostics and specialist consultations directly to local community healthcenters. We will completely overhaul and streamline state health portals to cut bureaucratic wait times, slash administrative overhead, and ensure that every Kentuckian can access affordable care. Finally, we will launch a state-backed youth mental health initiative, putting resources directly into our schools and communities to tackle the crisis head-on. 5. What are your priorities for infrastructure, transportation, and rural communities? Our infrastructure must bridge our rich traditions with a modern future. For transportation and rural communities, we must aggressively repair and modernize our physical roads, bridges, and public transit networks so that every small town and farming region is safely connected to major economic hubs. At the same time, we must build out the high-speed broadband and technological infrastructure required to support AI and advanced industries in all parts of the state, ensuring rural Kentucky is never left behind. Beyond physical and digital transit, I am deeply committed to honoring the cultural infrastructure that brings us together, which is why I plan to dedicate streets to legendary sports icons like Rick Pitino, John Calipari, and Tubby Smith, and work to restore the 2013 Championship banner to the KFC Yum! Center. 6. What experience or qualifications best prepare you to serve as governor? I am a builder and a fighter. I wasn't handed anything; my life was forged in real-world trials. I have operated in high-stakes environments, orchestrating campaigns that helped launch global icons like Rihanna and producing Billboard No. 1 albums. But I also know what it takes to stand up to unchecked power and corruption. I served as a whistleblower to the FBI in Louisville, leading to the first-ever criminal conviction for AI-assisted music streaming fraud in U.S. history, a case that exposed an $8 million illicit scheme and resulted in federal prison time. Furthermore, stemming from a creative project that started right here in Louisville, I am taking on major cultural and corporate heavyweights through active, advancing civil litigation in the Superior Court of Los Angeles against Sean "Diddy" Combs. In this civil case, I am proudly represented by a firm founded by a hall-of-fame trial attorney, with a trial date set for 2028. Additionally, my related criminal case is under active review by the District Attorney after submissions by both the LAPD and the LASD. Closer to home, after surviving a violent home invasion in St. Matthews, where I was pistol-whipped, bound, and duct-taped, I worked directly with state prosecutors to help secure three convictions for kidnapping and robbery. I know how to stare down terror, fight for victims, and hold criminals fully accountable. These real-world trials, from weathering multi-million-dollar fraud and corporate titans to staring down violent crime, are precisely what prepare me to serve as your governor. A governor cannot be a career politician who hides behind a script; a true leader must have the courage, resilience, and battle-tested grit to protect everyday Kentuckians and clean up Frankfort. 7. Is there anything else you would like Kentucky voters to know about your candidacy? Every Kentuckian and person around the world knows the name Muhammad Ali. Long before he was the Greatest of All-Time, he was a kid from Louisville who showed us how to use our voices loudly when the world wanted us quiet. His spirit runs through everything I do. I am light on my feet when it comes to bringing people together across religious and political lines, but I hit hard when it comes to corruption and abuse. I am running to give Kentucky a fighter of its own. As I recently became a candidate, my message will naturally grow and evolve, and I will always stay transparent with you. Just like everyone else, I am flawed and I have made mistakes, but I live for accountability and constantly strive to learn and be a better person. Politicians often like to put on a perfect mask, but that is simply not me. I have been broken, depressed, and I have suffered, but I have always been resilient. I got off the canvas and continued to fight. I want everyone to grow with me. This is our candidacy, not mine. We are in this together, and there is true strength in numbers.