My mother raised me herself, along with my six younger siblings, in Cleveland, and life wasn't easy even in the best of times. At age 42, she died, and it fell on me, then aged 22 and working minimum wage, to take care of all of us. At the time, I was newly married with a baby son. And I was deeply afraid for our future.

Every step of the way, life was hard. I was supposed to be a statistic.

People want to see you be genuine.

We are the only industrialized nation in the world that does not have a Medicare for All type of program, and that's an idea whose time has come. It is the morally right thing to do.

It is un-American, it is unjust to target any group of folks whether they are African-American, Hispanic, poor or elderly when it comes to access to the vote.

The folks in this counrty need somebody that will stand up for them.

Environmental justice is vitally important to the mission of Our Revolution.

Never did I think I would live to see the day Jim Crow was resurrected, making repeat appearances in the South. And he has packed his bags, and he has moved North. Something is wrong.

I stand up for what is right even if it puts me in a political conundrum. Supporting Senator Sanders was one of those moments when the status quo said 'Uh uh, bad girl.'

Most men that run for office wake up in the morning and say, I am worthy to be the president of the United States of America. I want women to channel their inner man and say, Oh yeah, I am worthy.

The GOP will not be satisfied until women are barefoot, pregnant and back home by 5 o'clock P.M. to cook dinner.

Early voting is a vital component of the electoral landscape in Ohio.

I am a black woman, last time I checked.

You never get to too big to phone bank, that's my opinion.

As the quintessential swing state, Ohio has been on the front lines of battles to restrict access to the vote and make government less transparent. Conservatives know that they can't win without putting a thumb on the scale of electoral outcomes.

Strong communities start at the ballot box - where every eligible Ohioan has the opportunity to make their voice heard.

I'll never forget when I was running, when I was knocking on doors for my first office as I served as a Cleveland city councilwoman and to have older men say to me, 'Can you do this and be a wife and a mother?' Excuse me? Women make the world go round. We multitask... But to have that kind of condescending question asked of me in modern times.

There is no reason why the right Democratic nominee can't win Ohio. President Obama did it twice in 2008 and 2012.

It hasn't been for a lack of trying. But we really have to analyze in a deeper way why we have these problems - at least at the state level - electing an African-American.

If you care about potholes, you have to vote. If you care about pre-k education, you have to vote. If you care about women's health care, you have to vote.

I was director of governmental affairs at the Cleveland school district. I served in the administration of Mayor Michael R. White.

Cleveland is my hometown.

We can't solve all of our problems in a short time.

We need to deliver efficient, transparent government.

My family was always there for me, and believe in me whether I have a title or not.

Our state is great, but it can be greater and I am committed to helping realize that potential.

I'm interested in running for an office that would allow me the opportunity to work harder and do a better job for the citizens of this state, and I will not rule out any office that gives me that ability.

I think it is wrong to balance the budget on the backs of local government.

You would think people who call themselves pro-life would want to make sure that our children are educated, that people could work and live a good life, that you can take a vacation every now and then.

Redistricting reform is one of the most important issues we can tackle.

Our Revolution has been the keeper of the flame doing the vital work of building a grassroots movement that leverages the people's agenda.

If someone were lying on the road dying would it matter to you who came to save you? If it was a Democrat or a Republican, would it matter?

The vote is the last great equalizer that we have in this country.

As a female candidate, you always expect that some people will think you are not as capable of being an executive, or that you may be 'too emotional' for office. As an African-American woman, the bar can be even higher.

It is my hope that the establishment part of the Democratic Party will heed what the grass roots is saying.

If we want to be the big-tent party, if we want to be the party that is seen as the party that really stands up for the working class, we have to welcome people in and not just believe a certain way.

You have a voice, you have a vote. Use it.

It is the duty of governments to create a pro-voter environment that encourages participation, but it is also the responsibility of citizens to make their voices heard.

It is imperative that Democrats take a stand and embrace Medicare for All and other progressive policies that address the needs of millions of Americans.

Our country is the richest in the history of the world. We should be working to expand and improve successful programs like Medicare, and offer more to our citizens.

The more Democrats try to abandon the values and policies embodied in our platform, the more we will continue to lose. We can't win by running on incrementalism.

Making it harder for the most vulnerable voters to participate in the political process inevitably leads to policies and policymakers that do not represent the interests of all people.

The right to vote is an important guarantee by itself, but it is what those votes add up to that matters even more. These votes shape the government under which we live.

Ohio is my home, always. I'm a homegirl. Ohio is my home. Ohio is my first love.

If there is a Republican or a Libertarian or Green Party person that believes in Medicare for all, then that's our kind of person.

Everybody in the working class is important, whether you're black or white and that's what I want them to feel and know from Our Revolution.

I was born to teenage parents who got married young and divorced early.

My mother was born into a solidly middle-class family, but, as all too many Americans understand, everything doesn't always go as planned - no matter how hard you work. She died on welfare. Without the support of the state, I shudder to think of where we would have ended up.

Global warming is a real threat to our communities, to everybody, to everything.

Democracy is stronger, is better, is more robust when people participate. We should want to encourage that.