Lakesha Womack

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Lakesha Womack completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Womack's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" id=\"heading-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tLaKesha Womack is a Democratic candidate seeking the nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for ASPIRE Community Capital, an emerging Community Development Financial Institution focused on expanding access to capital for undercapitalized entrepreneurs. Womack is also the owner of Womack Consulting Group, where she has provided strategic advisory services to nonprofits, small businesses, faith-based organizations, and political campaigns for more than two decades.\r\n<p>Her political experience includes working on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, serving on the Podium Operations Team for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and acting as a strategist for local and state-level races. She has also facilitated civic engagement and voter education workshops to increase democratic participation.\r\n</p>\nWomack is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. She is pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at Vanderbilt Law School and has completed leadership and candidate training programs, including The Campaign School at Yale, Emerge America, and Lead NC. Her campaign priorities include affordable health care, economic mobility, equitable education, and strengthening democratic participation.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" id=\"heading-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>LaKesha believes affordable health care is a fundamental necessity, not a privilege. She supports lowering prescription drug costs, protecting reproductive freedom, expanding access to mental health services, and ensuring quality coverage through a universal health care plan. LaKesha is committed to protecting and strengthening rural hospitals that serve as lifelines for many communities in NC-14 and across the country. She also believes Congress must provide strong oversight of the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure patient safety, transparency, and accountability. Her approach centers on affordability, access, and dignity, so no family is forced to choose between their health and financial stability.</li><li>LaKesha Womack believes economic mobility is essential to building strong families and resilient communities. She supports policies that expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs, strengthen workforce development, and promote fair wages so that work pays, and families can thrive. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue and supports making the first $100,000 of income free from federal income tax to put more money directly into the hands of working families. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue, recognizing that our economy works best when people can afford housing, childcare, food, and the goods and services that sustain local businesses and corporations.</li><li>LaKesha Womack believes equitable education is foundational to economic opportunity and a healthy democracy. She supports fully funding public schools, closing funding gaps between districts, and ensuring students, regardless of their zip code, have access to fairly compensated teachers, modern facilities, and supportive learning environments. LaKesha champions affordable pathways to higher education and career training, including student debt relief, so education expands opportunity rather than creating lifelong financial burden. She believes a representative democracy thrives when its citizens are educated, equipped with strong critical-thinking skills, and empowered to make informed decisions about their future.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-390858-2026-01-09\" id=\"heading1-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-390858-2026-01-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-390858-2026-01-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-390858-2026-01-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am deeply passionate about democratic participation because a representative democracy only works when every voice is heard and every eligible voter has a fair and equal opportunity to participate. I support protecting and expanding voting rights, increasing access to early and absentee voting, and opposing policies that create unnecessary barriers to the ballot box. I am also committed to civic education and community-based engagement that empowers people to understand their rights, hold leaders accountable, and participate beyond Election Day. Strengthening democratic participation is essential to building trust in our institutions and ensuring government reflects the will and needs of the people it serves.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div><div style=\"margin-bottom:1.5rem\"><h4>Campaign website</h4><p>Womack's campaign website stated the following:</p><div style=\"max-height:400px;overflow-y:auto;border:1px solid #ccc;padding:10px;margin:20px\"><blockquote style=\"margin:0px\"><h3><strong>Affordable Health Care &amp; Cost Containment</strong></h3><p>Health care is a basic necessity, not a privilege. No family should face financial ruin because they get sick. True affordability means addressing premiums, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and access to providers, especially in rural and underserved communities.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act</li><li>Support caps on out-of-pocket and prescription drug costs</li><li>Fight for full funding of rural hospitals and community health centers</li><li>Oppose policies that shift health care costs onto working families</li></ul><h3><strong>Economic Mobility &amp; Fair Wages</strong></h3><p>Working families are being priced out of stability. Wages have not kept pace with rising costs, and economic policy must center people, not corporations.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Support raising the federal minimum wage</li><li>Advance tax policies that benefit working- and middle-class households</li><li>Oppose regressive tax structures that disproportionately burden low- and moderate-income families</li><li>Champion worker protections, benefits, and economic security</li></ul><h3><strong>Small Business Growth &amp; Entrepreneurship</strong></h3><p>Small businesses are engines of economic growth, yet they face systemic barriers to capital and opportunity.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Expand access to capital through CDFIs and community-based lenders</li><li>Increase federal procurement opportunities for small businesses</li><li>Support technical assistance and entrepreneurship development programs</li><li>Reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers while protecting workers and consumers</li></ul><h3><strong>Affordable Housing &amp; Cost of Living</strong></h3><p>Housing should be affordable in every zip code. Families should be building wealth, not trapped in debt by predatory lending or unaffordable mortgages.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Support investments in affordable housing development</li><li>Oppose policies like 50-year mortgages that undermine long-term stability</li><li>Address rising construction and material costs driven by tariffs and supply-chain disruptions</li><li>Protect renters and first-time homebuyers</li></ul><h3><strong>Public Education &amp; Workforce Development</strong></h3><p>A strong public education system is essential to democracy and economic opportunity. Education policy must support students, educators, and lifelong learning.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Increase federal investment in public schools and educator support</li><li>Expand apprenticeship and workforce training programs</li><li>Support affordable higher education and student debt relief</li><li>Strengthen career and technical education pathways</li></ul><h3><strong>Responsible Federal Spending &amp; Accountability</strong></h3><p>Taxpayer dollars must be spent responsibly, transparently, and with measurable community impact to ensure our spending does not create more debt for future generations.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Demand accountability and strong oversight of federal spending</li><li>Prioritize investments that deliver real outcomes for communities</li><li>Oppose wasteful spending and politically motivated budget cuts</li><li>Support evidence-based policymaking</li></ul><h3><strong>Rebuilding &amp; Strengthening Federal Institutions</strong></h3><p>As agencies and departments are weakened or dismantled, rebuilding must be intentional, not a return to systems that failed working families. We must rebuild a system that works for all of us, not just the ones who pay to influence policy,</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Help rebuild federal agencies with equity and effectiveness at the center</li><li>Ask hard questions about what works and what must change</li><li>Support modernized, people-centered public institutions</li><li>Ensure federal services are accessible and responsive</li></ul><h3><strong>Rural Investment &amp; Infrastructure</strong></h3><p>Rural communities deserve the same access to opportunity as urban centers, including health care, broadband, and economic development. Young people should not feel like they have to leave home or cannot return to their communities because of a lack of opportunity.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Expand rural broadband access</li><li>Protect funding for rural hospitals and infrastructure</li><li>Support rural entrepreneurship and workforce initiatives</li><li>Ensure FEMA and disaster-relief dollars reach communities promptly</li></ul><h3><strong>Democracy, Transparency &amp; Civic Engagement</strong></h3><p>Democracy works best when people are informed, heard, and engaged. Representation must be accessible and accountable.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Hold regular town halls and community listening sessions</li><li>Communicate clearly and consistently with constituents</li><li>Protect voting rights and democratic safeguards</li><li>Promote ethical governance and transparency</li></ul><h3><strong>Equity-Centered, People-First Leadership</strong></h3><p>Policy should be shaped by the lived experiences of the people it affects. Equity is not a slogan, it is a governing principle. We have an obligation to ensure working Americans can afford housing, pursue a quality education, and access health care without the fear of bankruptcy.</p><p><strong>In Congress, LaKesha Will:</strong></p><ul><li>Apply a people-centered, equity-focused lens to legislation</li><li>Center communities historically excluded from decision-making</li><li>Build bipartisan coalitions grounded in shared outcomes</li><li>Lead with integrity, compassion, and accountability</li></ul><p><br/></p></blockquote><div style=\"text-align: right; font-size: 0.9em; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5em;\"><p style=\"font-size:0.9em;color:#555\">— Lakesha Womack's <a href=\"https://www.womack4nc14.com/issues\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">campaign website</a> (February 13, 2026)</p></div></div></div><div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;\"><i>Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.</i></div></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nLakesha Womack completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Womack's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. LaKesha Womack is a Democratic candidate seeking the nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for ASPIRE Community Capital, an emerging Community Development Financial Institution focused on expanding access to capital for undercapitalized entrepreneurs. Womack is also the owner of Womack Consulting Group, where she has provided strategic advisory services to nonprofits, small businesses, faith-based organizations, and political campaigns for more than two decades. Her political experience includes working on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, serving on the Podium Operations Team for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and acting as a strategist for local and state-level races. She has also facilitated civic engagement and voter education workshops to increase democratic participation. Womack is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. She is pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at Vanderbilt Law School and has completed leadership and candidate training programs, including The Campaign School at Yale, Emerge America, and Lead NC. Her campaign priorities include affordable health care, economic mobility, equitable education, and strengthening democratic participation. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? LaKesha believes affordable health care is a fundamental necessity, not a privilege. She supports lowering prescription drug costs, protecting reproductive freedom, expanding access to mental health services, and ensuring quality coverage through a universal health care plan. LaKesha is committed to protecting and strengthening rural hospitals that serve as lifelines for many communities in NC-14 and across the country. She also believes Congress must provide strong oversight of the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure patient safety, transparency, and accountability. Her approach centers on affordability, access, and dignity, so no family is forced to choose between their health and financial stability. LaKesha Womack believes economic mobility is essential to building strong families and resilient communities. She supports policies that expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs, strengthen workforce development, and promote fair wages so that work pays, and families can thrive. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue and supports making the first $100,000 of income free from federal income tax to put more money directly into the hands of working families. LaKesha emphasizes affordability as a core economic issue, recognizing that our economy works best when people can afford housing, childcare, food, and the goods and services that sustain local businesses and corporations. LaKesha Womack believes equitable education is foundational to economic opportunity and a healthy democracy. She supports fully funding public schools, closing funding gaps between districts, and ensuring students, regardless of their zip code, have access to fairly compensated teachers, modern facilities, and supportive learning environments. LaKesha champions affordable pathways to higher education and career training, including student debt relief, so education expands opportunity rather than creating lifelong financial burden. She believes a representative democracy thrives when its citizens are educated, equipped with strong critical-thinking skills, and empowered to make informed decisions about their future. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I am deeply passionate about democratic participation because a representative democracy only works when every voice is heard and every eligible voter has a fair and equal opportunity to participate. I support protecting and expanding voting rights, increasing access to early and absentee voting, and opposing policies that create unnecessary barriers to the ballot box. I am also committed to civic education and community-based engagement that empowers people to understand their rights, hold leaders accountable, and participate beyond Election Day. Strengthening democratic participation is essential to building trust in our institutions and ensuring government reflects the will and needs of the people it serves.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.\nCampaign website Womack's campaign website stated the following: Affordable Health Care & Cost Containment Health care is a basic necessity, not a privilege. No family should face financial ruin because they get sick. True affordability means addressing premiums, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and access to providers, especially in rural and underserved communities. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act Support caps on out-of-pocket and prescription drug costs Fight for full funding of rural hospitals and community health centers Oppose policies that shift health care costs onto working families Economic Mobility & Fair Wages Working families are being priced out of stability. Wages have not kept pace with rising costs, and economic policy must center people, not corporations. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Support raising the federal minimum wage Advance tax policies that benefit working- and middle-class households Oppose regressive tax structures that disproportionately burden low- and moderate-income families Champion worker protections, benefits, and economic security Small Business Growth & Entrepreneurship Small businesses are engines of economic growth, yet they face systemic barriers to capital and opportunity. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Expand access to capital through CDFIs and community-based lenders Increase federal procurement opportunities for small businesses Support technical assistance and entrepreneurship development programs Reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers while protecting workers and consumers Affordable Housing & Cost of Living Housing should be affordable in every zip code. Families should be building wealth, not trapped in debt by predatory lending or unaffordable mortgages. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Support investments in affordable housing development Oppose policies like 50-year mortgages that undermine long-term stability Address rising construction and material costs driven by tariffs and supply-chain disruptions Protect renters and first-time homebuyers Public Education & Workforce Development A strong public education system is essential to democracy and economic opportunity. Education policy must support students, educators, and lifelong learning. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Increase federal investment in public schools and educator support Expand apprenticeship and workforce training programs Support affordable higher education and student debt relief Strengthen career and technical education pathways Responsible Federal Spending & Accountability Taxpayer dollars must be spent responsibly, transparently, and with measurable community impact to ensure our spending does not create more debt for future generations. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Demand accountability and strong oversight of federal spending Prioritize investments that deliver real outcomes for communities Oppose wasteful spending and politically motivated budget cuts Support evidence-based policymaking Rebuilding & Strengthening Federal Institutions As agencies and departments are weakened or dismantled, rebuilding must be intentional, not a return to systems that failed working families. We must rebuild a system that works for all of us, not just the ones who pay to influence policy, In Congress, LaKesha Will: Help rebuild federal agencies with equity and effectiveness at the center Ask hard questions about what works and what must change Support modernized, people-centered public institutions Ensure federal services are accessible and responsive Rural Investment & Infrastructure Rural communities deserve the same access to opportunity as urban centers, including health care, broadband, and economic development. Young people should not feel like they have to leave home or cannot return to their communities because of a lack of opportunity. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Expand rural broadband access Protect funding for rural hospitals and infrastructure Support rural entrepreneurship and workforce initiatives Ensure FEMA and disaster-relief dollars reach communities promptly Democracy, Transparency & Civic Engagement Democracy works best when people are informed, heard, and engaged. Representation must be accessible and accountable. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Hold regular town halls and community listening sessions Communicate clearly and consistently with constituents Protect voting rights and democratic safeguards Promote ethical governance and transparency Equity-Centered, People-First Leadership Policy should be shaped by the lived experiences of the people it affects. Equity is not a slogan, it is a governing principle. We have an obligation to ensure working Americans can afford housing, pursue a quality education, and access health care without the fear of bankruptcy. In Congress, LaKesha Will: Apply a people-centered, equity-focused lens to legislation Center communities historically excluded from decision-making Build bipartisan coalitions grounded in shared outcomes Lead with integrity, compassion, and accountability — Lakesha Womack's campaign website (February 13, 2026) Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source."}]