Get to know: Shereka Barnes, Democratic Primary Candidate for U.S. Senate District 34

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Shereka Barnes is a current Park Hill School Board member, former educator and a Democratic candidate for State Senate District 34.

"I'm running for this position because of lived experiences," Barnes said. "I am a single mom who's raised two daughters, and I understand what my constituents are going through. I understand what it is to live paycheck to paycheck."

Barnes is currently serving her second term on the Park Hill School Board, and said public education is a top priority.

She points to recent state budget cuts that she says will hurt school districts, especially rural ones, and warns that losing $190 million in funding could mean fewer teachers, counselors and course offerings for students.

"A lot of school districts with that budget cut have decided they're going to lose out on two to three teachers next year or two to three staff members," Barnes said. "Maybe it might not be teachers; it might be a counselor, it may be special education."

Beyond education, Barnes is pushing for healthcare access, specifically capping insulin costs at $100, and tackling the cost of living.

She speaks from personal experience about childcare struggles and Medicaid, saying too many families are forced to make impossible choices.

"Without Medicaid, my kids would not have had health care. My daughter without Medicaid would not have had a $400 EpiPen," Barnes said. "That's just full transparency. I help families navigate that every day."

Barnes said she wants to bring a "regular person's" perspective to the Capitol, someone who has lived the struggles her constituents face every day.

"We need people in Jeff City who just aren't reading these things on a piece of paper, looking at these stats, but who have lived these experiences and can sit at the table and say, if you cut this program, I promise you're going to hurt somebody like me who has lived this."