Zoey Midyett

Biography

Zoe Midyett considers herself a Rural Ranch Democrat. What does that mean you may ask? “It’s simple,” says Zoe. “It means I live on a ranch in middle America where issues surrounding health care and education, among other things, are central to the way of life we value most.” She was in 4-H and FFA and is a lifelong lover of all things agriculture.

A hobby rancher and the owner of Red Earth Feed and Tack in Oklahoma City, Zoe spends her days working with, listening to, and interacting with rural Oklahomans. What she hears most is that the members of the community she lives and works in feel their voices don’t matter in Washington DC anymore.

Zoe is a self-proclaimed computer nerd who moved to Oklahoma in 1996 during the tech boom. She was born and raised in Tucson, AZ and lived for a time in Indiana. She now lives in Wellston with her husband and son.

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Zoe is of strict integrity and she will never lie to you. “Listen, I know all politicians say they will never lie to you,” she said, “but I’m not a politician. I’m a regular everyday American just like you, who is looking for a way out of this mess. I have never made a practice of lying, so why start now?”

Platform Issues

Education

All classrooms nationwide should have basic equipping requirements.  In example every science classroom should have 1 microscope/3 students. Teachers should never be in the position to have to run a fundraiser for school supplies. Student-to-teacher ratio should never exceed 20:1, and we must work to limit class sizes so that students can better engage in their education. Special education classrooms should have 1 assistant for every teacher and the highest ratio should be 15:1. Various incentives should be given to teachers to encourage well qualified individuals to teach in rural and poorer communities. ​ Yearly bonuses Professional development Comprehensive health insurance Funding must be directed toward small, struggling rural school districts. Broadband available at even the remotest sites. Provide professional development and continuing education courses for our teachers the same as we do for our medical professionals. A teacher rating system, based on an annual survey from students, parents, peers and administrators. The high and low score would be dropped. Adjunct teachers, retired teachers and professors willing to teach one or two classes. Fewer districts with a balanced workload and possible reduction in the number or salary of superintendents. ​​ PLATFORM PROPOSAL >>>> RE: EQUAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY 15APR2020 ​ The US was once a leader for healthcare and education — now it ranks 27th in the world. We should not be in a position that requires us to import scientists and experts from other countries, many of whom are being educated at US universities.  If we were doing it right, we would have the next generation of innovators walking out of US high-schools.

Rural Healthcare

​ Oklahoma is currently facing a crisis of rural hospital closures, and the outbreak of COVID-19 simply puts additional stress on a fragile system. Countless Oklahomans face hours-long drives to hospitals as well as a shortage of primary care doctors. To further complicate this issue, many of our fellow Oklahomans also lack sufficient health insurance. This means that when life takes a turn for the worst, many go bankrupt trying to pay their hospital bill. Because of this, our rural hospitals also face incredible financial strain as they try to stay afloat and save lives while paying for care that was not reimbursed. When these hospitals close, hundreds of patients lose access to healthcare, and hundreds of people lose their jobs. ​ Although these hospitals do get modest financial support from the state as well as the federal government, it cannot match its expenses from care that patients just cannot afford. It is for this reason that I urge all of you to vote ‘YES’ on State Question 802 on June 30th. Passing SQ 802 allows Oklahoma to accept Medicaid expansion, extending Medicaid health insurance coverage to adults who make up to 133% of the federal poverty level. Expanding this critical program infuses billions of federal dollars into Oklahoma’s economy, and it will help bolster our rural hospitals by decreasing the amount of money they spend on unreimbursed care. With this money, they can improve their resources and improve their workforce.

Agriculture

Zoe is an advocate for all aspects of both agriculture and agribusiness. Growing up, she was a member of both 4-H and FFA. She has raised cattle, poultry, goats, hogs, sheep, and horses for years. She lives on her family ranch in Lincoln County, and for over 15 years has managed a very successful feed store in Oklahoma City. As an Oklahoman in agribusiness, Zoe has watched her opponent sit complacent for the last three and a half years while the American farmer’s way of life has eroded under the Trump administration. Their ways of life are being destroyed as they are forced to file for bankruptcy. In an interview in March 2018, Frank Lucas said that Trump had “put his thumb on a very important issue” though referring to it as "a shotgun approach". What he was referring to was the imminent threat of Trump's trade war with China. In the same interview, Lucas said, “I represent . . . agriculture, the energy industry, and of course, the folks on Main Street. I cannot personally be involved in something that would create an all-out trade war."

Small Business

Zoe will always advocate for small business and keeping tax dollars within the community. As a small business owner herself, she understands the challenges and costs involved. The heart of America is small business. Making them competitive, convenient and economical against large corporations is vital. Small business in Oklahoma means more tax dollars in rural towns who don’t have access to large retail corporations or even broadband to support online ordering in some areas. Small business and each individual household in those rural towns must get the support of their representatives in Washington to continue to keep tax dollars in their communities to thrive. Take for example, Frank Lucas voted NO on HR 2513 - Corporate Transparency Act of 2019. This is just another way for career politicians and big money corporations to create off shore business' that don't pay US taxes. He opposed placing a civil penalty for providing false or fraudulent beneficial ownership information or for willfully failing to provide complete or updated beneficial ownership information. “To benefit small businesses in Oklahoma, including my own,” said Zoe. “I would have voted yes.”