Dr. Alexandra Owensby is running to unseat Congressman Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Fourth District. Christina Conover interviewed Dr. Owensby via email, which led to this in-depth profile. We are glad to share it with our readers, especially the voters of KY-04, and hope you will share it via your own social channels and by email.
Introducing Alexandra Owensby
My name is Dr. Alexandra Owensby. I am a nurse practitioner in the field of Neurology and Neurosurgery. I was born and raised one and a half hours from where I currently live in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
After earning my first college degree in the field of telecommunications, I moved down to Florida for a few years, where I got married and started my family. Shortly after having children, I felt a strong desire to return to the Midwest where my roots were and where I wanted my children’s roots to be.
My path to return to the Midwest was not simple. I had found myself in an abusive marriage, and after several years of being a stay at home mom, it was hard finding a stable job after being out of the workforce for several years. I ended up going back to school, and put myself through three degrees with my two children in tow and being a full-time single mom.
I ended with a doctorate degree in nursing, with a great job at the University of Cincinnati as a Nurse Practitioner in the field of Neurology; but, I also had such significant student loan debt that I needed to work side jobs to make ends meet for myself and the children.
Why did you decide to run?
I realized this was not the values our founding fathers had in mind when they founded our country. Hard work should be able to overcome poverty in time. This, in addition to seeing our country become more and more polarized made it clear to me that we needed better representation in government. We needed someone who has faced the challenges middle and working class people face on a daily basis in order to overcome these challenges moving forward.
We need someone who recognizes we all agree on 90% of issues and who doesn’t try to pit Americans against each other for their own political success. We need someone who will work for unity and the average Kentuckian. We need someone who recognizes we have a failing healthcare system and who will work to fix it. We need someone who will stand up for Kentucky.
You frame yourself as a moderate and Thomas Massie as an extremist. How would you define the terms “moderate” and “extremist”?
A moderate is someone who sees things in shades of grey instead of black and white. There are always two sides to every story and the truth is somewhere in between. An extremist is someone who sees only their own point of view and does not listen to people around them and people who have opposing viewpoints.
We very much see this with my opponent, Thomas Massie. He constantly votes for extreme viewpoints and is frequently the only vote against legislation which would help Americans. We have seen him vote against bills making it a federal crime to advertise sexual acts with a minor or a victim forced into the act, we have seen him vote against providing appropriate emergency medical care to children. We have seen him vote against bills making lynching a federal hate crime, against legislation aimed at preventing terrorist groups from recruiting US residents. We have heard him praise Savannah Maddox as a “rising star.” Thomas Massie is a fringe extremist who represents his own interests and is dangerous to the citizens and children of Kentucky.
During this era that some would define as a striking transformation of the GOP, are there Republican leaders whom you respect? If so, identify a Republican you respect and what you respect about him or her.
Absolutely there are Republican leaders I respect. One of the first ones that comes to mind is Governor DeWine in Ohio. I very much respect his handling of the COVID crisis in Ohio. I think he has done a great job listening to science and making appropriate, although difficult, decisions on how to manage the virus and keep people as safe as possible during this time. I work on the frontlines at University of Cincinnati Medical Center and I feel so blessed to be working where I do as both Beshear and DeWine have done a great job of working together to flatten the curve.
What issues are most important to you? As a freshman member of the Congressional body, how would you work to ensure those issues are addressed and garner the attention of your colleagues?
As a medical practitioner, healthcare is at the forefront of my mind at all times. I will work every day to bring affordable, accessible healthcare to EVERY American citizen. I will also prioritize bringing more jobs which pay a living wage to Kentucky. I will work tirelessly to bring federal money to Kentucky to help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, unlike my opponent who voted against providing federal money to replace the Brent Spence bridge in 2015. I will also support our teachers and the Department of Education to build a brighter future for our children, and world class school systems which will keep them in the area to raise their own children here.
One of the biggest issues with my opponent is that he is so universally disliked because of his extremist views that he can’t find people willing to work with him on bills to actually get anything out of committee. When I am elected to Congress, I will prioritize making the connections I need to get bills passed which will benefit Kentucky’s 4th District. I will reach across the aisle and do what it takes to get legislation passed to get us better healthcare, jobs which pay a living wage, quality education, and fix our crumbling infrastructure.
What are your views regarding women’s reproductive rights?
Women’s reproductive rights are a healthcare issue. Women should have the same healthcare access as men and our bodies should not be regulated more so than men’s bodies.
As a single mom, I understand very well how difficult it is to raise a family and make a living. Family planning is essential to preserving the integrity of the family structure and to enable parents to start a family when the time is right for them. The recent attempts to control women’s bodies and enable employers to choose whether or not a woman can receive birth control under her insurance are horrifying to me and all other women I know. We must do better as a country and allow women to make the healthcare decisions which are right for themselves and their families.
Why should the people in District 4 vote for you rather than Thomas Massie?
The polarizing, extremist personalities in Washington have taken their toll on our country. Since my opponent has been in office the past 8 years, he has not passed a single bill which has benefitted the 4th district. He is continuously on the list of the most absent and most ineffective members of Congress. This is not representative of our District. Our District is filled with good, hardworking men and women who deserve someone who works just as hard as they do representing them in Washington. We deserve someone who shows up to work every day and votes YES on measures which will improve the lives of people in our district, which improve our infrastructure, and which help strengthen our communities and school systems.
I know what it is like to work multiple jobs to support my family. I know the barriers working and middle class families face to make ends meet. I am a part of the public water system, the public school system, and I get my electricity from the same grid almost all 4th District Kentuckians do. I understand the burden of student loan debt on parents and students. I understand the faults of our current, broken healthcare system. As someone who has faced the same challenges Kentuckians face, I will stand up for our needs and work day in and day out to make life better for those in our district. I will find the middle ground for Republicans and Democrats and work to accomplish the 90% of issues we agree on, rather than trying to sow discord by focusing on the 10% we don’t agree on and creating division between the parties. I will be a voice for all people in the District, not a voice for myself, or worse, a voice that is mute when needed the most.
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Dr. Owensby’s campaign site is here. You can donate to her campaign here.