Potter seeks Jenkins' seat

Britani Potter of Ottawa, 28, is the Democratic candidate for the Second District of the U.S. House of Representatives during the general election.

Potter is running against incumbent Republican Lynn Jenkins and Libertarian candidate James Bales. 

Potter grew up in Arizona and moved to Kansas in middle school. She graduated from Ottawa High School, earned three associate degrees, a bachelor of arts in business administration from Baker University and is finishing her master of science degree in family financial planning.

Throughout her education, Potter worked in a variety of fields including childcare, retail management, mortuary science, case management, insurance and financial consulting.

Potter currently owns her own financial consulting business and serves on the USD 290 Board of Education, as well as numerous community boards and committees.

She and her husband, David, have three sons, Lukas (11), Logan (9) and Reiden (2).

Potter said that as the country continues to rebound after the recession, the federal government needs to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“Too much of Washington has been bought and sold by corporate interests, and this hurts the people trying to establish their own businesses in the marketplace,” Potter said. “Competition is key to a successful capitalist economy, and the more opportunities we give to small business owners and their employees to succeed, the more competition develops, which is to the benefit of businesses, workers and consumers alike.”

Potter said she will represent the interests of farmers and ranches, if elected. 

“These Kansans provide food and other valuable resources to the entire country, and as such they deserve protections and safety nets under federal law,” she said. “I am committed to making sure that these hard-working individuals aren’t forgotten by a government that has a tendency to cater to the needs of more heavily-populated areas. Agriculture represents about five percent of our country’s Gross Domestic Product, and we must make sure that their livelihoods are a priority of Washington policymakers.”

As a member of the school board in Ottawa, Potter said she knows firsthand the struggles of local educators and school districts.

“I strongly believe that providing youth with a proper education from day one will result in adults who are more prepared to enter the workforce and find gainful employment, which lessens the cost to society in other areas,” she said.

She said she considers herself a lifelong learner and that education is one of her highest priorities as a policymaker.

“College graduates are finding themselves deeper and deeper in debt, paying too steep a price for their efforts in educating themselves and trying to prepare themselves for the professional world,” she said. “We need to do more as a nation to ensure that education is an opportunity and not a burden. Every child should have access to quality, efficient, equitable and public education opportunities.” 

Potter admits that the country’s healthcare is in “bad shape.” 

“Sadly, President Obama’s Affordable Care Act did not solve these important problems. I do believe some progress has been made in this area, including free contraception, the elimination of lifetime maximums and eliminating the exclusion of those in need of healthcare due to preexisting conditions,” she said. “However, healthcare is still not affordable for millions of hard-working Americans.”

She said congress needs to pursue new ways of attacking healthcare so it’s not a financial burden.

“No one should have to make healthcare decisions on the basis of financial concerns,” she said. “That’s the reality we live in today, even in post-Obamacare America, and it must change.”

Potter said she does not support measures that prevent law-abiding Americans from purchasing guns, but she does support simple measures, such as background checks, that could help prevent guns from falling into the hands of terrorists or those with criminal records. 

“I do not wish to take guns from any law-abiding, legal American citizens, but more steps should be taken to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of those who wish to do harm with them,” she said. “We should do everything we can to stop events such as the San Bernardino killings last year and the recent Orlando mass shooting, while maintaining the integrity of Americans’ Second Amendment rights.”

Note: Information for this election profile was gathered from Potter’s campaign website, www.bpotterforcongress.com