Meet Bethany Mann, running for Congress in Missouri’s 3rd District
Bethany is a scientist who began her career as an intern at The EPA testing water, air, and soil samples. She then went on to work in agriculture and food processing. Since then, she has worked in many different lab settings from energy companies to chicken nugget factories!
Bethany realized officials in her state were out of the touch with the needs of the people back in 2018. During this time, she was the campaign manager within her same district. Through her door-to-door campaigning work, she talked to and met many different people in Missouri and realized that they needed a solid representative in government. Bethany also found out that many of the officials that represented her community would essentially take bribes and be bought out to support certain people’s interests. This didn’t sit right with Bethany at all—and this is one of the reasons she is running today. She aims to be an honest, straightforward leader.
A lack of funding for education is a huge problem in Missouri. Bethany wants to provide students with opportunities to succeed and make sure that teachers are getting fair pay. This means having a system of equitable funding for all schools. Another item on Bethany’s list is improving infrastructure within the state. We learned that many parts of her district don’t even have access to broadband internet. Because of this, the people who live in these areas miss out on the opportunity to get remote jobs that pay well and give them the opportunity to spend more time at home. Along with this, Bethany wants to build better roads, bridges, and dams while improving water quality for the community.
If Bethany succeeds in her goals, she hopes that the future is one where all of the people in her district have good healthcare, reproductive rights, and a sense of security. Many people in Missouri pay high amounts for insurance but they don’t always benefit from their plans. Bethany told us that her state expanded medicaid but their leaders overruled it and ended up forcing many rural hospitals to completely close. She believes in expanding medicaid and providing everyone with coverage.
Bethany wants people to know that Missouri is a state with beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams. Hiking outdoors and hanging out down by the water are just some of the beautiful activities they offer there. They also have amazing views and scenery! Bethany has two dogs who are both named after scientists and a husband who is a professional blues musician!