Candidate Profile: Democrat Medrick Yhap

Editor’s Note: Below is an interview conducted by phone with Democratic candidate Medrick Yhap as a part of The Red Ledger’s look into the candidates of the race for Texas’s District 3 seat in the House of Representatives. This interview has been edited for length and a copy of the full interview can be found here.

The Red Ledger: President Trump has proposed building a wall on the U.S.- Mexican Border. What are your thoughts on this?

Medrick Yhap: I think it’s a bad idea, and I think it’s a waste of time, one of the reasons being that it won’t stop illegal immigration because immigration is a bit more complex than that. Sure, we do need border control and border security, but it won’t stop people from overstaying their visas, it won’t stop people from coming across the Canadian side of the border, so I think we need a little better solution than a wall.

TRL: Regarding DACA, what is the scenario you would most like to win out?

MY: I do believe that these kids were raised as Americans. They’re well-educated, they’re productive, and I believe that we should give them paths to citizenship or a path to residency and then citizenship.

TRL: President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for “sanctuary cities.” What is your opinion of this, and of “sanctuary cities” in general?

MY: I do believe that at one point, America was, herself, an entire nation of sanctuary. Cutting funding for these so-called “sanctuary cities,” I think it’s a bad idea because we would look at, perhaps, an increase in crime, where victims will not want to participate in reporting those crimes. So it will make their lives a little bit more miserable.

TRL: What is your general stance on healthcare?

MY: I do believe that we need a universal healthcare system, whether it’s Medicare for all or a system where we can cut cost as well as provide healthcare for all Americans.

TRL: What is your general stance on abortion?

MY: This is a tough one for me because I am a Roman Catholic. I do believe that it is a woman’s right to choose; however, I also believe that preventative care, such as contraception, being widely available would significantly reduce the demand for abortion.

TRL: Texas has recently passed laws permitting the open carrying of firearms in public. What is your opinion of open carry?

MY: As a former police officer, I’m against open carry. I think that there are some psychological studies out there starting in the 1960s and moving forward that indicate that we become a lot more aggressive whenever there’s a weapon in play. As a former police officer, I’ve seen a lot of damage that guns do to human beings, and today we’re losing a lot of our citizens to guns. So, over 100,000 Americans as of 2015 have died as a result of guns, and I’m not going to break down the categories of how they died or were injured, but it does cost a tremendous amount of lives. It costs a tremendous amount of psychological harm as well as, conservatively speaking, about $45 billion a year to our economy.

TRL: What is your general stance on student loans?

MY: Student loans are a silent crisis in America today. It is the second most expensive bill that we have next to mortgage, so there’s got to be some kind of solution for that. And with that kind of debt, that would impact the economy. A young student 20 years ago could probably get married, start a family, and buy a house or car within five or six years of coming out of college, but that is now being extended to about maybe eight, nine, 10 years.

TRL: What do you think are the most pressing issues regarding first-time voters?

MY: That, I believe, is a very personal decision for first-time voters. From my perspective as a father, one of the most pressing issues for me is healthcare as I get older, and also being able to afford it for my children. Another pressing issue for me would be creating some kind of solution for this student loan dilemma that we’re in because when I look at my son, who is currently in college, and the kind of debt that he’s carrying and the debt that I’m carrying as a result, it is detrimental. So again, my point is that it is a very personal decision for each and every voter.

TRL: What could draw Republicans to your campaign?

MY: I think that Republicans and Democrats, we have a lot in common. Physical safety, defending against terrorism is one of the things that Democrats and Republicans can agree on. We’re both worried about the economy. We want to create an economy that is strong enough to incorporate all of the new students coming out, and I’m referring to college students because I believe each student should graduate college. Improving the job situation, of course, and improving income.

TRL: What sets you apart from the other primary candidates?

MY: I think that when we look at ourselves, we look at our passion, and we also look at the qualities of a great leader. And I’ve mentioned this many times on the trail, that we need to have empathy and compassion. Our leaders must be altruistic and of course, possess integrity and good moral character. Those [qualities] I believe I possess as a former police officer. I’ve got 24 years in the private industry, so I do know the public from both the public aspect and the public service aspect as well as from the private industry aspect.

TRL: Do you think the November election will act as a sort of referendum on the current administration?

MY: I don’t know. On the one hand yes, on the other hand, no. On the one side, with the sitting president, the midterm can be considered a referendum. But from my perspective, it’s more of Americans deciding, “Is the direction that we’re currently going appropriate for us?” So, I do believe that instead of a referendum, it’s more of what we expect from our democracy and where we expect our democracy to go.