CINCINNATI, OH — Ahead of Election Day, Democrat Kate Schroder spoke exclusively with Spectrum Washington bureau reporter Taylor Popielarz about her race against longtime incumbent Congressman Steve Chabot (R, 1st Congressional District)
You can watch the full, uncut conversation above or read the full transcript below.
And you can watch the full report on the race in the 1st Congressional District by clicking here.
Taylor Popielarz: I want to start off with the most cliche question. Why do you want this job at such a time when Congress is not really viewed favorably?
Kate Schroder: I mean, I'm doing this because I think we need change. I think we have so many real and pressing problems in this country right now, whether it's the pandemic or economy, racial injustices, and that we're just not going to solve them with the status quo. I think for too long, we've been electing people like my opponent who focuses on pulling us apart and what divides us. And I think we need people that bring us together and get things done. And I'm a low-ego Mom, I have a five and seven-year-old, I know how to de-escalate, I do it every day. And that's the attitude that I want to bring to Congress. And I also have a lot of experience in health care, you know, leading projects globally, and also on the board of health here helping to reduce drug prices, expand treatment, access, and I want to bring that attitude to Congress, somebody who focuses on results and getting things done. And I have personal experience in health care as well. I'm 43 now, but 10 years ago, I went through Hodgkin's lymphoma. So I've experienced what it's like when your survival depends on access to health care, and it's really personal to me. And I think we need leaders that understand that, that aren't there playing politics with people's lives, but go there to do the right thing, regardless of political consequences and aren't beholden to special interests.
Taylor Popielarz: I think somebody, if they read up on your bio, they could look at how long you were with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, how you rose to vice president. You were there for 12 years, right? And I think they may say, especially because health care is such a passion, couldn’t you argue you were getting a lot done in that arena? And do you worry that if you were to be elected, you would get a lot less done in Congress?
Kate Schroder: Well, certainly, you're one of 435. So in my work experience, you know, you never get things done as an individual, the way you get things done is by building relationships and partnerships. And in my work in global health, I have an MBA, you know, I focused on bringing business skills to solve public health challenges. We worked with governments, with drug companies, with community organizations to really bring people together and solve these complex problems. And those skills, I think, really do translate to Congress. That's what we need. We need people that are there and committed to building those relationships. I'm not an ideologue. You know, I'm somebody that wants to be part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, which is a group where you can only join with a member of the other party. I want to build relationships, not just in my party, but across party lines, with businesses, with community organizations to be someone that's focused on, how can we come together and solve problems? Because I think that's just been lacking.
Taylor Popielarz: Explain your legislative approach to health care, because obviously, you have an extensive background in it. It's a topic that is talked about so much. For the average person who's sitting at home, and they're reading up on you, how would you approach health care if you were in Congress?
Kate Schroder: I think the first thing to do is agree on what are our goals? What are the metrics that we're trying to achieve? And for me, it's expanded access first and foremost. We need to move towards universal coverage. We are paying for everyone anyway when they show up in the emergency room, and we need to ensure that everyone has access to health coverage. So for me, the metrics are how do we expand access, improve quality, and improve affordability? And those are the three things — and I'm open to any proposal that moves the ball down the field on those three things. I do believe, you know, the right next step, first of all, is shoring up the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Because I think, you know, what we've seen is when that went into effect, the number of uninsured came down, you know, and kept going down for many years, until our current administration, who’s come in and taken a lot of steps to erode it, you know, getting rid of the mandate, getting rid of navigators that help enroll people, getting rid of the marketing funding that helps to educate. And so we've seen the number of uninsured go up and up in recent years. And, I mean, that is devastating during a pandemic right now, we see that. And so we've got to really shore up the Affordable Care Act first and foremost. I believe in a public option, so that anybody on the exchange or any company can choose to offer a public option instead of a private one, if they want, or anybody on the exchange can choose a quality, affordable public option. And I also believe we need to do things like negotiate on prescription drugs. I mean, that's something that I did in my career in global health. And, you know, this is, we're the only country in the world that I am aware of that does not negotiate on prescription drugs. You know, when the government — number one buyer of prescription drugs — they’re price takers, they just have to take whatever price the companies are giving. And I think we can look at this, and this is what I did in my work, is say, OK, for a lot of these drugs, you know, the market, it's a smaller volume with these high margins on it. We understand that companies do need to make a profit to invest in research and development, but make that over a high volume with a lower margin so that more people have access. And you need to sit down at the table and really negotiate on that, and that's something I want to help be a leader on.
Taylor Popielarz: With the topic of Medicare for all, as you know, in D.C. it's a hot button phrase and you know, everyone tries to say, oh, you're for it, you're against it, that'll kind of paint your career. As you outline that you're supportive of a public option, do you view Medicare for All as something, down the road, that's achievable, kind of after a public option? Or are you against kind of doing away with private insurance?
Kate Schroder: I mean, I'm not somebody that rules out anything down the road, right? I think when you have a public option, what you get to see is how does the public compete with the private and which is working better? You know, for me, it's about are we expanding access, reducing costs, improving quality, and when you have more people in a public system, you can see that comparison and make those decisions with the data as it bears out.
Taylor Popielarz: In terms of other legislative issues that matter to you — I've looked at your website, read your platform — besides health care, what would you say are maybe the other top two in that group of top three? That would be your priority going into Congress?
Kate Schroder: Yes, well, a couple of things. I always say I'm not like a one trick or a two trick pony, right? I think we need leaders that go there and are prepared and ready to, you know, make meaningful progress on any issues when a door opens. And my issues are driven by the issues in this community. And healthcare is the number one issue across all demographics, it was even before the pandemic. The other issue is jobs and the economy right now. So you know, we are at epic levels of job losses right now, and also the wealth inequity that we have. So I really want to be someone that invests in jobs and rebuilding our economy and strengthening the middle class. Our middle class has just been shrunk — we haven't had these levels of wealth inequity in this country since the Great Depression. And that's a problem. You know, that's, for us to be competitive as a country, we need to have a strong middle class, so that's a big priority of mine. And then I want to be somebody that's a champion for this community. My family's been here five generations on both sides. I love this community. And I want to be someone that's just, you know, working every day to bring jobs and investment and resources to this community. And projects like, we have a Brent Spence Bridge here, which I don’t know if you drove across it from the airport, but it's structurally unsound. I know engineers that have inspected that refuse to drive across it. And as a mom, you know, I try to avoid it with my kids. And I can't help myself, like I crack windows, I look at how many semis are on there. And it's things like that, that's non-partisan. But we need to fix that bridge. And we need somebody in D.C. who's there banging on doors and bringing people together to figure out ways to get investment for our community and projects like that.
Taylor Popielarz: Because D.C. is the way that it is, a lot of times politics gets in the way of that policy work. I've been keeping a close eye on this race, and it has gotten heated at times, as a lot of them do. I wanted to ask you about one thing, which was the ad that Congressman Chabot's campaign ended up filing a lawsuit against your campaign for. It talked about the investigation surrounding the $123,000 that went missing from his campaign. And in your ad, it said, quote, “Chabot is facing a grand jury investigation for $123,000 in missing campaign money." And it also used the phrase “getting caught.” Now his team sued. You guys took the ad down, you re-worded it. Do you regret that initial ad?
Kate Schroder: I mean, to be clear, we updated the ad once he confirmed — because he was sitting on information about the FBI investigation that wasn't known to the public. So as soon as he released the letter showing that the FBI was actively investigating his campaign, we updated our ad to show that. And I think it's super important for voters to know what they're dealing with here. You know, you have a member of Congress who has $123,000 that went missing from his campaign, and he had a treasurer of eight years, whose name was on all the FEC reports, who put out a statement saying he never knew he was treasurer. So, I mean, it's interesting to me, you know, our congressmen last, a couple of years ago, talked a lot about accountability and that a culture of corruption starts at the top. And I think it's only fair for voters to know this information about his campaign.
Taylor Popielarz: Do you worry, as you've been interacting with constituents virtually or random in-person meetings that you've had, have they expressed I guess frustration with maybe how political this fight between you and Congressman Chabot has become? Have they said to you go higher, don't stoop to that level? Or have they said we want you to kind of go in and brawl in that way?
Kate Schroder: I mean, voters now are caring about getting through the day. People are really suffering, you know, in this community. I've got a five and seven-year-old who are in Cincinnati Public Schools and they’re virtual. It’s really hard. Like a lot of our families are struggling to keep up with childcare and parenting during a pandemic. They've lost their jobs, they're struggling to pay rent, like those are the issues that people care about with our campaign. I mean, they've known for years. I think what frustrates them the most about Chabot is just his lack of results over the 24 years that he's been in there. And they expect, I mean this is his — he’s yet to run a single positive ad about himself in this campaign. Every dollar that he has spent has been an attack ad on me and the community expects that, it's nothing new. And it is important — I get a lot of feedback — but it's important for voters to also know about some of the issues going on with him because, you know, facts are facts. And that's a clear differentiator and contrast there that's important for people to know about.
Taylor Popielarz: Because this district, and obviously, gerrymandering is a thing. We'll put that out there. But because this district has elected a Republican to office for most of the last two plus decades, except for 2008, I guess, how are you approaching Republicans in this area? Who maybe talk to you and say, ‘You seem great. You have a great, storied background? But because you're a Democrat, I'm worried that your party is too extreme, and by extension, you must be.’ Are you even attempting to win people over in that way? Or are you finding that because you have that label of I'm a Democrat, it's just not worth the time?
Kate Schroder: You know, people are open. I mean, people are looking for someone to connect on the issues, on the issues that matter to them. And I think that's a real contrast here. Like I'm not running, I'm not an ideologue, right? I am running because I care about this community. And I believe this community deserves somebody who wakes up every day and is fighting to solve the problems that matter in this community. And I genuinely believe the majority of people in this community are more in the middle. You know, our media environment and political system tries to paint us in these two corners. But when I talk to people, the vast majority are people in the middle and want reasonable leaders that will go there and put politics aside and focus on what matters here. And so I do find a lot of connection, particularly with women, you know, we have shared experiences. They're dealing with parents that are sick and taking care of them, they're dealing with kids going through active shooter drills at schools, you know, these are, these are issues that matter. And for most people in this district, it's not about, you know, I'm not going there to be a lackey for anybody, you know, for Chuck Schumer, for Nancy Pelosi, I am going there to be a champion for this community. And that's what I care about. It's important to me that when I'm talking to voters, that we’re able to dialogue about those issues, because we do have shared values and, and that's just who I am, you know, my opponent’s keep trying to paint me as this person that I'm not, but I know who I am. And when I interact with folks, they see that as well.
Taylor Popielarz: Because Congressman Chabot has been in office for so long, something could be said about maybe a voter feeling comforted by the fact that, hey, he's been in Congress for over two decades. He knows all the bells and whistles in D.C. He's a high ranking member on several committees. He played a role in Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, whether they agree with it or not. You know, he's kind of a senior member of Congress in a lot of ways. What are you saying to constituents to convince them that it's worth it to side with you, a political newcomer, even though you worked for a senator in D.C., to say, let me go in kind of running fresh, rather than have somebody in there who, even if you don't agree with them fully, has some more leverage just because of seniority?
Kate Schroder: Yeah, well, I think — and a lot of this, I don't have to say myself, because voters have seen it — but there's a lack of results here. Right? He may have been there a long time, but our Brent Spence Bridge hasn't been fixed, even though that's been a priority for well over a decade. And there are so many issues in this community where they're not seeing their congressman show up or deliver results on. And so I think that is something where it's even more egregious. You've been there for 24 years and all we know, you know, the majority of things he talks about is what he's opposed to and what he doesn't do, and it's like, be part of the solution. If you've been there that long, like be solutions-oriented, bring people together. So I do think, you know, there's an opportunity here, and not only have we been represented by Chabot for 24 years, we've been represented by white men for over 200 years since, you know — 39 white men have represented this district and I do think people are ready for a little change.
Taylor Popielarz: How do you think President Trump's first term in office has been?
Kate Schroder: I mean, I think it hasn't worked. It's been, I mean, we've seen the results of that. We've seen the lives lost to coronavirus. I mean, we've lost now around 210,000 lives in this country, which is the most of any country in the world. We are less than 5% of the world's population, and yet, we're around 20% of the deaths due to the coronavirus and that's because we've mismanaged it. And I'm a public health person, right? This isn't Democrat or Republican — it's not partisan. Like we need to take the right steps to have a strong, responsible response to the coronavirus. And one of the things that really frustrates me is that I think a lot of our political leaders have pitted, you know, you're either for public health or you're for the economy, and these are interrelated, right? The stronger our public health response, the sooner and more safely we can fully reopen the economy. And we've got to do these hand in hand. And we need leaders that acknowledge that and bring us together to say, let's do this together, let's have a strong public health response, let's invest in our economy to get it fully reopened. And really not play politics, like it truly is people's lives, as we've seen. And so I, you know, we've seen the results of having a leader who's more focused on himself and his own reputation than doing what is right for our country, for our communities. And it's a big part of what motivates me, and I know many others, to stand up and run for office, to be part of, you know, getting our country back on track. I'm also someone who's, you know, because I lived overseas for two years and have spent a lot of time working internationally, you know, I've worked in a lot of places that don't have stable democracies. And we're a pretty young one, and I think we do take it for granted, and that we need people that go there and are willing to stand up for our country to strengthen our country and, you know, stand up for the values that we believe in and not just be about their own political career.
Taylor Popielarz: Congressman Chabot — he got a lot of attention during President Trump's impeachment trial because of his role on the Judiciary Committee and because of the role he played in Bill Clinton's impeachment. I'm curious, had you been in the House, would you have voted to impeach Trump?
Kate Schroder: Yes, I would have. I do think there was evidence there for that.
Taylor Popielarz: And then one of my last questions, kind of a more political thing too — you mentioned House Speaker Pelosi before, you mentioned Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, you also mentioned that you would want to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, which, as I've covered them, because a couple of Ohio members are on it, it is kind of this weird island where sometimes they get attention, but a lot of times they don't because Congress has become so political. How do you feel Speaker Pelosi has been doing leading your party? And if you get into office, will you support her staying in that position?
Kate Schroder: Yeah, I mean, I'm not there yet. And I’m not going make any promises on that until, to even see who's running, until I get there. But I, for me, it's important that we're a big tent party, you know, those are my principles. I do believe that we need folks that are focused on getting results. Like to me, it is not about standing up on a policy issue, just for the sake of standing up on a policy issue. We need to be able to get legislation through and make meaningful, positive impact in people's lives. And like, that's what motivates me. If I go there, and I get, you know, you're one of 435, that's hard. That's why you have to be a coalition builder and somebody who really negotiates and engages with people to get things done. But for me, I will not have succeeded as a member of Congress if I am not having a meaningful, positive impact on people's lives. And that's the standard that I hold myself to, and that I would hold our party to. And I want to, you know, really support leaders that really focus on results and improving people's lives.
Taylor Popielarz: And then lastly, what has surprised you most or been the most surprising moment of this campaign so far?
Kate Schroder: That we're in a global pandemic! I mean, there's so many surprises. I think, you know, when you — and we talked about gerrymandering before, right? So I actually have a necklace here that is our district. So my amazing husband gave me this prop. This district was drawn to be five points Republican. There are a lot of people that thought this wasn’t possible. And I just, you know, as somebody who, particularly on the health care issue, you know, running against someone who's voted multiple times against coverage for pre-existing conditions, to take health care away with no alternative plan, like, that wasn't OK to me. And I felt like somebody needed to stand up and say — to run and to, even though it's gerrymandered, even though it's hard, and that's how I got into this. A lot of people didn't think it was possible. But because of the groundswell of support from people in this community, I mean, whether it's my high school teachers or kids I used to babysit or people that I've just met out on the trail that are standing up to get involved, you know, delivering literature, doing phone banking, texting, writing letters. It is so humbling as a candidate. And it also makes you believe in people, especially during a really dark, difficult time for our country. As a candidate, it's been wonderfully refreshing. And yeah, surprising to see how much people do care. And it's not about me, you know, it's about the values that we stand for and this movement that we're creating. So that's what gives me hope, even as we go through a really tough time as a country.
Taylor Popielarz: That it is. Anything else you want to add I haven't asked you about?
Kate Schroder: No, just that if anybody wants to get more information about us, kateforcongress.com. And I really, I believe in this. I guess one one last story I will share with you: So one thing you should know about covering Cincinnati, number one question in this area is where you went to school. It means high school. I went to [Ursuline Academy] for high school. I went to Nativity for grade school. Those are both Catholic schools here, and when I was in fifth grade at Nativity — so Nativity had mass twice a week, and we always had the boys that would put on the white robes and assist the priests during the service. And one time in fifth grade, the priest came to my class and said, ‘Oh, we had a cancellation for Pentecost mass. Can any of the boys come and help on Sunday?’ And of course, their 10-year-old boys, nobody raises their hand. So the priest asked again, and again, nobody raises their hand. So I did. And the priest didn’t know what to do. They never had a girl who did this before. And he looks at the teacher. And eventually, after a lot of awkward silence, he says, ‘Well come on Sunday.’ So I went on Sunday, and I put on the white robe and I serve the mass. And from that point forward, Nativity had altar girls, as well as altar boys. And I share that story because at the time, I was not trying to do anything dramatic or bring attention to myself. I was just trying to help. And it's that same spirit that motivates me to run for office now. I am a helper and a doer. And I think we need more people to get involved.
Taylor Popielarz: That is an interesting story. Thanks so much.
Kate Schroder: Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it. It's good to be here.