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Home , Dave Brat, Hugh Hewitt, Kay Coles James, Ken Cuccinelli

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KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Policy Positions and Areas of Focus • Supports school choice policies that give Conservative policy views shaped by formative parents more decision-making power years and emphasis on education • Cites DC Opportunity Scholarship Program as

an example of an effective voucher program Urban Policy Reforms – Cites firsthand knowledge of failed urban policies Free Trade – Advocate of less government • Criticized what she views as liberal policies for intervention in US trade deals not addressing urban poverty and crime • Does not think tariffs are a conservative policy; • Believes encouraging two-parent families with believes that unrestricted free trade is one of a mother and family in the household is crucial the best ways to maintain a strong economy to curbing drug abuse and violent crime • Encouraged President Trump to abandon use • Believes there is an overreliance on welfare in of tariffs because, in her view, they amount to urban areas and that states should have the a tax increase on working families ability to reform their welfare systems • Supports USMCA despite its inclusion of

minimum wage requirements, which she Welfare Reform – One of the top policy issues describes as trade barriers that she has personal experience with

• Prioritized welfare reform as Virginia’s health secretary Core Communities • Believes welfare generally needs reformed to Virginia GOP – Longtime member who forged encourage less dependency and more self- connections over several decades sufficiency • Friend of former Senator George Allen who • Designed and implemented Virginia’s welfare appointed her to his cabinet, featured her in his reform that set strict time limits and imposed senate campaign ads, and introduced her work requirements for welfare recipients during her confirmation hearing for OPM • Proposed increased child-support enforcement • Has known former Governor Bob McDonnell for several years, and was appointed by him to Tax Cuts – Proponent of the 2017 tax cuts VCU’s board of visitors signed by President Trump • Virginia GOP created an award in her honor, • Supported tax cuts as a mechanism to boost the Kay Coles James Award, given to an economic growth and create new jobs individual who makes significant efforts to • President Trump credited her with helping expand diversity in the Virginia GOP pass the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Conservative Advocacy Community – Robust Pro-Life Movement – Drawn to pro-life issues network of advocates from desire to protect the vulnerable • Mentored conservative activist and • Chief spokeswoman for National Right to Life commentator CJ Pearson and CEO of Committee in the 80s Concerned Women for America, Penny Nance • Counseled young women against as • Strong ties to and is a volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center close friends with Chief of Staff Joel Vaughan • Matt Schlapp, Chair of CPAC, is a friend and Education – Issue of interest throughout career close associate • As a member of the VA Board of Education, disagreed with federal Goals 2000 education reform program because she believed it could threaten state autonomy over policy

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PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 2

KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION

u Core Communities Cont. Financial Disclosures and Donations • Tiffany M. Moore, SVP of Consumer Tech Donates infrequently to Republican candidates Association and former Bush 43 staffer from Virginia considers her to be a mentor • Maintains strong ties to pro-life community, Federal – Select VA candidates including National Right to Life, from her • $1,500 – Dave Brat for House (R-VA) involvement pro-life issues throughout her • $2,500 – George Allen for Senate (R-VA) career State – Select VA candidates, focused on GOP Hill Leaders and Influencers – governorship Relationships with former members of • $2,500 – for Governor (R-VA) Congress • $3,000 – Ken Cuccinelli for Governor (R-VA) • Maintains strong friendships with several • $250 – for State Senate (R-VA) former GOP leaders in Congress including former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and former Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Media Appearances Jim DeMint (R-SC) Favors a mix of traditional and new media and • Doug Stafford, Chief Strategist for Sen. often sits down with conservative outlets , is an ally and friend • , Fmr. Lt. Governor of Television – Discusses her life and career as Maryland and RNC Chairman, is a personal well as being voice of Heritage on cable news friend • C-SPAN: Touched on life, career, and what shaped her conservative views, August 2019 • Fox Business: Discussed President Trump’s Selected Publications progress ahead of State of the Union, January Wrote about her life growing up and 2018 personal growth; commentary focuses on conservative issue advocacy Online – Talks about formative years and views

on conservatism Books – Authored three memoirs about • The Stream: Interview with conservative personal growth and success publication discussing how tragedy shaped her • Never Forget: The Riveting Story of One Women’s Journey from Public Housing to belief system, December 2018 the Corridors of Power, 1994 • The Hugh Hewitt Show: Discussed views on • Transforming America From the Inside Out, conservatism and leading the Heritage 1995 Foundation, February 2019 • What I Wish I’d Known Before I Got Married, 2001 Speaking Engagements Often gives advice to younger generations and Editorial – Publishes opinion pieces speaks about how Christian faith has influenced boosting conservative policies her life • “Conservatives want to hear about new • Speaker at Project 2 Empower Leaders success in State of the Union,” , Conference about mentoring the next January 2019 generation in principles of limited government, • “I wanted to help Google make AI more September 2019 responsible. Instead I was treated with • Q&A with Michael Lindsay of Gordon College hostility,” , April 2019 Convocation on faith and her life story, • “Tax cuts only help the wealthy, right? November 2014 American paychecks show otherwise,” Fox News, July 2018

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KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Profiles Others Have Written • Lola Fadulu: “The First Black Woman to Lead ,” The Atlantic, December 2018

Info From Formative Years Deeply influenced by family upbringing • Grew up in public housing • Attending an HBCU () was a transformative experience and exposed her to black culture, something she later expanded on by founding the Gloucester Institute • Mother’s “monumental faith” inspired her to religious beliefs • Niece’s overdose was influential life event that she attributed to urban culture

Family Background • Born in Portsmouth, VA and lived in a public housing unit • One of six children • Father, Bernard Coles, struggled with alcohol abuse, causing her mother to leave him • Husband, Charles, was director of state personnel and training under Gov. George Allen and is now the Director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Transportation

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