Priorities
Strengthening Maryland’s Democracy for All
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Having advised candidates in highly competitive primaries for local, state, and federal campaigns, Craig is no stranger to the flaws in our first-past-the-post electoral system. That is why he supports reforms like proportional ranked choice voting to give voters an impactful voice beyond the zero-sum game that our current system offers.
When up to 40% of our counties’ legislative representatives are initially selected for appointment to their seat by their respective County Central Committee, we must change the way we fill state legislative vacancies. Craig supports authorizing special elections for these vacancies so that Maryland voters always have a say in who represents them.
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Craig will continue to fight against the illegal and immoral actions of ICE by supporting legislation ending all 287(g) agreements, supporting the Community Trust Act, organizing against new facilities, and banning employees and firms associated with the conversion, construction, and/or operation of detention facilities from future employment or contracts with the state of Maryland.
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There are several isolated areas of unincorporated neighborhoods across Prince George’s County. People living in these areas do not have official representation at the local level. One particular precinct, Precinct 17-14 in unincorporated Hyattsville, is particularly egregious. Anyone living in this precinct MUST travel into the city limits anytime they leave their home for work, school, shopping, or entertainment.
Residents in the area are routinely frustrated when they seek help with basic local constituent issues like street snow removal and trash pick-up. Too often they end up facing a game of “pass the buck.” Unfortunately, this reality is not surprising when you consider the historical contexts and demographics of this precinct that predominately houses renters and their families.
Craig supports incorporated localities annexing precincts like 17-14 because he believes all Prince Georgians deserve democratic representation and government services at every level.
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Craig believes that excellent constituent services are a fundamental component of any elected office. Having managed constituent casework for a congressional office, Craig knows what it takes to make sure residents’ issues find timely resolutions.
Ensuring Maryland’s Affordability for All
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If we are going to effectively tackle the affordability crisis, we must support a living wage. Craig supports passing a $25/hour state minimum wage indexed to inflation so that we can get closer to achieving one fair living wage for all workers in Maryland.
In addition, we must also address regressive retailer practices by banning dynamic and surveillance-based pricing. As a renter, Craig understands the challenges everyday folks face when trying to find affordable housing for their families, and collusion should not be one of them. That is why he supports banning Maryland landlords from using algorithmic rent price-fixing software to collude against working class families seeking affordable housing.
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Craig will fight to make Maryland affordable for all by protecting and expanding workers’ rights to collectively bargain, including binding arbitration and allowing educators, school staff, and librarians to strike.
He will support legislation requiring project labor agreements on state-funded construction projects, including those involving the Maryland Stadium Authority, valued at $35 million or more. This will help prevent wage theft and provide workers a safe and structured way to voice pay and safety concerns. -
Craig supports promoting fairness and equity in the tax code by making sure everyone is paying their fair share– including the ultra-wealthy and corporations. We could achieve this by closing the corporate LLC loophole, increasing the state capital gains tax, passing a wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy, and empowering the Comptroller’s Office with the personnel and resources to crack down on tax fraud and under-reporting by wealthy individuals and corporations.
Craig also supports empowering local governments to raise additional revenue with progressive reforms that allow for variability in the property tax rate, like HB090 sponsored by Delegate Kris Fair. This will give local governments more flexibility in how they can raise revenue to fund services like public schools.
Expanding Maryland’s Healthcare for All
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16 years have passed since the historical passage of the Affordable Care Act, but it was never supposed to be the end. We must join our democratic contemporaries and pass Medicare for All.
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Having personally navigated the challenges of the Medicaid Managed Care Organization model, including denial of important care and outdated & limited network provider directories that left him stranded for care, Craig supports adopting a fee-for-service model to eliminate the Medicaid middlemen and save taxpayer dollars.
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We must work to improve hospital ER wait times across the state and pass the Safe Staffing Act to protect Maryland patients and healthcare workers.
Improving Maryland’s Infrastructure for All
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Waiting up to 30 minutes or more for a bus is inconvenient and takes valuable time away from working class families. Craig wants to improve our existing infrastructure by lowering bus headways and installing universal covered and lighted bus shelters to keep our commuters safe.
District 22 is no stranger to vehicle accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians. Craig supports banning right turns on red and increasing the use of dedicated left turn signals. He will also advocate for the continued removal of slip lanes from heavily populated areas and the expansion of protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.
Access to safe sidewalks should not be decided by private property owner consensus. Craig will fight to ensure all neighborhoods have ADA-compliant sidewalks— especially in and around school zones.
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Craig supports guardrails around the use of autonomous vehicles, including restricting the use of self-driving trucks and buses on Maryland roads.
Billionaires like Elon Musk have already demonstrated their propensity to oversell the promises of their tech products while invoking little concern for the public’s safety and well-being. Even the “better” of these companies that implement back-up lidar technology have been shown to fail spectacularly in real world scenarios. Maryland’s public roads should not be used by rich tech oligarchs as a commercial testing ground for unproven and unsafe technology.
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Your potential to thrive in Maryland should not be dictated by whether or not you can afford access to a vehicle. WMATA’s Metro and bus system is the lifeblood of District 22 and expands our residents’ access to schools, jobs, and recreation in an affordable way and must be fully funded!
Protecting Maryland’s Natural Resources for All
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Utility costs in Maryland are skyrocketing due to corporate greed, unstable oil prices, and increased regional demand from data centers. We need better utility regulation coupled with green energy investments to make our homes, schools, and workplaces energy efficient and powered by renewable sources like wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and “green” hydrogen.
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The ill effects of climate change and pollution are disproportionately shouldered by our immigrant communities and communities of color, and any justice-minded approach to cleaning our planet must prioritize the unique challenges these frontline communities face.
Craig believes environmental factors, rising consumer energy costs, and community concerns must be prioritized against any expansion of data centers in Maryland. These considerations are especially important in District 22 and Prince George’s County, where local input has historically been tossed aside in favor of corporate and special interests.
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The Potomac River is one of our state’s most vital natural resources that provides more than 6 million people in the region with drinking water. With the latest local major ecological disaster where 243 million gallons of sewage was dumped into the Potomac River after a sewer line collapsed, it is clear we must secure funding to repair and replace our aging wastewater systems to avert future environmental health disasters.
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As a renter looking after two rescue cats, Craig knows how hard it can be to find pet-friendly affordable housing without discriminatory policies or fees. Craig favors placing limits on pet deposits and monthly pet fees in rental agreements.
He also supports efforts to prohibit discriminatory breed-based policies in rental agreements and insurance policies and will advocate for legislation that preempts municipalities from enacting these harmful laws based on misinformation. He will also champion the end of cruel animal testing and ensure the state has proper enforcement mechanisms in place to hold individuals and organizations accountable for animal welfare crimes.
