Christal Lloyd, Nashua State Representative Candidate

Christal Lloyd

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

State Representative, Ward 6

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Single

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Education

University of Kansas- BA

Occupation

Payroll Management

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

This is my first campaign.

Campaign website

https://www.clloydcampaign.com...

Why are you seeking elective office?

People. Community. I often tell people that when I moved to Nashua, I bought a house but found a community. I’m running for you, plain and simple. I have over 16 years of experience working for non-profit organizations, and I know the value of both personal independence and a supportive community.

I’m running for State Representative because I believe I can give back to our immediate community of Ward 6, our community in Nashua, and our larger New Hampshire community. We need people who are sincere and genuine representing us at the state level. We need people who are looking out for everyone, not just those with similar political beliefs and interests. We need big-picture thinkers who can examine the problem at hand and understand the impacts their decisions have on both the community and individual level.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Preserving our freedom and access to reproductive health care. We have lost federal protections for reproductive health care, and now our protection comes down to representation in the statehouse. It is disheartening to me that overnight, half of the population lost the ability to decide what happens to their own bodies. States that have already successfully implemented restrictive abortion bans serve as jarring examples of what could happen in New Hampshire if our legislators fail to act.

In Texas, for example, pregnant women who are in early stages of miscarriage are being turned away from medical care because their inevitable (and unavoidable) miscarriage is “not far enough along.” In effect, doctors can be prosecuted for performing an abortion of an already self-terminating pregnancy. This drastically increases the risk of maternal death. These mothers could “bleed out” at any point in time before they reach the point where they are eligible for abortive care, or even supportive healthcare under Texas law. I never want to see that happen in New Hampshire.

I trust women to make these decisions for themselves, knowing their own circumstances, their own schedule, their own health. Health care decisions need to be kept between patients and providers. I feel like people forget that “pro-choice” also implies that if someone wants to carry their pregnancy to term, that choice should be 100% supported as well.

I heard that a male politician recently said that maybe men need to be the ones to make these decisions for our state. I’m sorry, but I was raised to believe no man has the right to tell me how to use my own body. If you don’t like that standpoint, you can take it up with my Republican father who taught it to me.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I was born and raised in a small town in Kansas. I was just a typical American kid. In my neighborhood, we walked or rode our bikes to school. We met up with friends at the local parks. We climbed trees, and we lived by the rule of either come home when you hear your mom whistle OR the everlasting “be home by the time the street lights come on.”

When I go out for a walk in Nashua, I see the neighborhood kids playing in their yards. I see kids climbing trees. I see kids walking together to school or riding bikes past my house. Given how large of a city we are, this is extremely rare. We’re a large city, but we feel like the small town I grew up in back in Kansas. We have a community here in Nashua. That’s what made me fall in love with this city, and that’s why I want to fight for our community and our values in Concord.

I haven’t exactly followed a traditional path to politics; I actually work in payroll management, where I ensure a workforce of over 7000 employees is paid on time and as accurately as possible. My job has given me what many politicians lack – a deep understanding of the financial pressures faced by average Americans.

I know what paychecks look like after deductions and taxes are withheld. I know how many people are currently living paycheck to paycheck. I know how many people have struggled to keep up with student loans, and how many struggle to keep up with rising healthcare costs. These are important things for our representatives to not only know, but to fully comprehend when they are making decisions on our behalf.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Supporting Public Education – I grew up in the public school system. My family relied on our town’s schools to provide me with an education that would set me up to succeed. My mom was a single mom for part of my childhood, and I remember how difficult it was for her to balance caring for me with her work schedule. Without the support of our family and afterschool programs, I don’t know how we would have managed. The programs provided by my public school allowed me to explore, learn and grow in a safe environment.

As an adult, many of my friends and relatives now work in public schools. I have seen them continuously struggle to make ends meet. Not only do teachers make a low starting salaries, but many need to buy their own classroom supplies. Most businesses reimburse their employees for the purchase of work-related materials, yet our teachers are left to ask parents to help purchase supplies for their classrooms. These are people who have been employed to educate our children, and eventually our children will be running the country when our generation retires. We owe it to both our educators and our students to make sure that they have the resources they need.

Supporting Diversity (in all forms!) – I believe that our community needs to be a diverse and welcoming place. We all bring our own backgrounds and experiences to the table, and one is not more valuable than the other. All voices need to be heard. History belongs to everyone, and everyone’s experience needs to be taken into account.

Diverse communities do not just include ethnic or racial diversity; when we talk about diversity, we must also include those with physical or intellectual disabilities. I think one of the most important lessons we learned during the pandemic was that many jobs can be done fully remote; continuing to support remote work opportunities will allow people with disabilities the chance to build and enhance their careers.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

When I was managing the Lowell Humane Society, the shelter was going through a major
transition. The organization had been run by the same people for over 40 years, and many of the business processes and procedures had not changed in decades. This led to the
community not trusting the shelter and turning to other options when it came time to adopt.

I often say that I learned every business tool I use now from my years working at the Lowell Humane Society. I started there having never held a cat before, and by the time I left I was able to do a blood draw on an anemic kitten on a turned-over 5 gallon bucket by flashlight. My time there taught me how to roll up my sleeves and get the job done.

We had to learn how to think outside the box and learn to work with extremely tight budgets. If we didn’t know the answer to something, if we faced a new challenge, we didn’t throw in the towel – we spent our time and energy researching solutions and coming up with new plans. The changes we made were seen and recognized by the community. After years of hard work, we became a trusted community resource once again.

This is exactly the kind of rebuilding we need to see in our government; many of our elected officials have come to take the trust of their communities for granted, forgetting that trust is earned, not given. We need leadership that can take a hard look at problems and address root causes instead of spending money on short-term solutions.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I don’t know about advice, but I can tell you two quotes that stand out to me.

1) “Strength ain’t what you take, it’s what you give…” Carsie Blanton

People want to elect “strong” leaders. But what does it mean to be strong? I personally don’t
think that there is any strength in being the sort of leader who governs by using fear,
intimidation, and hate. To me, a leader is a person who is strong enough to admit when they’re wrong, strong enough to lead with integrity, and strong enough to stand up for what they believe in.

2) “Always be curious”- Unknown

I think a lot of opposition comes from a place of fear. I approach the world with a curious mind and see every challenge as an opportunity to learn something new. We didn’t
have cable when I grew up, and I suppose you can blame Mr. Rodgers on PBS for this
inspiration!

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Many of the voters I meet ask me how we can support our senior citizens. I have seen that Republicans are currently looking at cutting social security and medicare programs. This is a HUGE concern for me. I know many of our senior citizens rely on these payments, and rightly so! They have paid into these programs throughout their working lives. My maternal grandmother died from bone cancer before I was 13 years old; however, I remember how concerned she was about what procedures would be covered by medicare or what she would need to pay for out-of-pocket.

I was old enough to realize that this was a constant worry for her. I don’t want to see that happen to anyone else’s family. As a state rep, I will vote for programs and policies that make it easier for seniors to access comprehensive, high quality care -- people who have paid into medicare for decades should not be penalized for the government's budget mismanagement.

Additionally, it’s no secret that our state is suffering from a lack of affordable housing options. Rent prices have continued to increase while salaries have lagged behind. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Nashua is $1,725 – more than most folks’; mortgage payments. People all across New Hampshire are being pushed out of their homes and their communities by astronomical rents and property taxes. If we want to attract new businesses and new residents to our state, we will need to have housing options. I hear these concerns. I will fight for you.