Lou Bartolo – Candidate for Senate District 16 (Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series)

This post is part of the Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series. Candidates who did not receive the questionnaire via email or need more information can get access through our contact form. The information in this post was submitted directly by the candidate and does not represent the views of Moderately MOCO or its publication.

Basic Information

Political Party: Democrate

Campaign Website: www.loubartolo.com

Why Are You Running For Office?

Maryland deserves better leadership than we’ve seen in Annapolis. For too long, decisions about healthcare, public health, and the well-being of our communities have been made by people who have never sat at a bedside, never advocated for a patient who couldn’t speak for themselves, and never had to make a life-or-death call with incomplete information. I’m running for State Senate in District 16 because our government needs the perspective of someone trained to listen, assess, and act, and not to perform. A nurse’s job is to cut through the noise, identify what’s actually wrong, and build a solutions-based plan.

What Is The Biggest Issue Facing Voters In This Race?

The biggest issue facing voters is affordability, with rising housing costs, spiking energy bills, and the high cost of healthcare, which are squeezing working families, seniors, and small businesses in ways that demand urgent, bold action from Annapolis, and I am running to deliver it.

What Experience Best Prepares You For This Role?

My entire career has prepared me for this role because, as a nurse, I listen, as a nurse leader and President of the Maryland Nurses Association, I learned to lead organizations, build coalitions, and drive policy change; and as a senior regulatory affairs professional with the National Marrow Donor Program I learned to navigate complex federal agencies and translate science into policy. That combination of clinical judgment, executive leadership, and regulatory expertise is exactly what Maryland needs.

What Would You Like Voters To Know About You Personally?

I chose nursing because I believed in serving others, and I have spent every chapter of my career fighting for people who needed a voice. I am not a career politician. I am a neighbor, a nurse, and a public servant who will bring the same heart and discipline to Annapolis that I have brought to every patient, every organization, and every community I have ever had the privilege of serving at their best times and their worst times.

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