Name: Pamela Denise Long
What office are you seeking: U.S. Senator
What is your political party? Republican
What is your current age? 52
Occupation and employer: Youthcentrix, Founder; Principal Strategy Consultant & Implementation Specialist
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None.
City: Edwardsville, Illinois
Campaign website: www.longforsenate2026.com
Education: Associates degree; Lewis and Clark Community College (Godfrey, Illinois)
Bachelor’s of Health Science, University of Missouri
Masters of Educational Psychology, University of North Texas
Doctorate of Organizational Development, Grand Canyon University
Community involvement: Migration, Business, and Society Network (November 2024 – 2025).
National Association of Black Journalists. (October 2024 – 2025).
Heterodox Academy. (2022 – 2025).
American Evaluation Association. (2015 – 2025).
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2000 – 2025).
Invited Roundtable Discussant, State Trauma Summit on Sensory and SomaticTools to Address Trauma in Children. Missouri, United States of America. (2018 –2018).
Peer Reviewer, The Journal of Implementation Research and Practice. (2021 –2021).
Peer Reviewer, Stanford Social Innovation Review [Special Issue], Bringing Equity to Implementation Special Issue. (2020 - 2021).
Leadership Advisory Board, Community Psychology Topical Interest Group (TIG), The
American Evaluation Association. United States of America. (2018 - 2022).
Content Reviewer, The Missouri Model for Trauma-Informed Schools, State Trauma Roundtable. Missouri, United States of America. (2018 - 2019).
Conference Program Committee Chair, Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support
Providers Power Up ’17 Eastern Regional Conference. Missouri, United States of America. (2017 - 2017).
Program Co-Chair, Community Psychology Topical Interest Group (TIG), The
American Evaluation Association. United States of America. (2016 - 2018).
Marital status/Immediate family: Single, one human child, one canine child.
What are your top three legislative priorities for your first year in the U.S. Senate?
1. Design rules, regulations, and a Senatorial agenda to incentivize and implement a native-born labor sourcing plan. This plan creates a pathway for Americans to be prioritized in workforce development such that legal immigrants are a labor source of last resort and illegal immigration is not tolerated. Moreover, violating companies and public/private stakeholders will be held accountable.
2. Address the 2027 reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a way that cuts costs for American families/citizens and decreases government spending by focusing on health savings accounts for all Americans, removing noncitizens from taxpayer funded services, and where practicable, baking in self-executing penalties for waste, fraud, and abuse.
3. Prioritize efficiency, effectiveness, mitigation unintended consequences, and drive actions to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in Senatorial processes by demanding adherence of the 1970’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirement that all proposed major federal actions be subjected to an objective pre-assessment of the potential impacts on the human environment (economic, cultural, historical, relational, physical environment, foreign policy, etc). This includes working with existing government offices (CBO, GAO, CEQ, OMB) to streamline implementation processes for legislative, regulatory, and rule making proposals related to immigration policy, criminal justice, environmental policy and conservative efforts, educational policy, data collection and disaggregation, relations with BRICS nations in treaties, trade agreements, and leadership of the western hemisphere).
Should the Senate eliminate the filibuster? Do you support term limits for senators, and if so, what limits?
The filibuster is the voice of the minority. We have a representative republic not a pure democracy because the framers wanted to ensure that every American has a voice and power in that voice. They backed in unlimited debate in the Senate because, as the higher office in Congress, the Senate is supposed to the be highly deliberative and balance majority rule with nuance, conscientiousness, and the rule of law...even when the majority could run roughshod over the minority.
Mandatory term limits would require a Constitutional amendment (via Congress [like every other amendment we’ve passed] or via an Article 5 convention demanded by 34 states). The current state of politics and division in our nation demonstrates that we lack both the discernment and discipline to host an open forum like and Article 5 convention, where anything could be changed. And mandatory term limits would REQUIRE that the people automatically lose a solid and effective official in deference to an arbitrary deadline.
Mandatory term limits remove the voice of the people to choose their representatives and how long they should serve. I have advised The People, to implement a social contract with elected officials based on votes of confidence and codes of conduct. This requires The People to lean into their job of vetting and appreciating if/how/why a particular representative is the best one to elect/reelect or force retirement.
How do you plan to work with or oppose the Trump administration? What’s your approach to bipartisanship?
My job as a U.S. Senator is to ensure the will of the people is balanced by the laws of Congress, discernment, and the Constitutional obligations of a Senator. I would of course work with the Trump administration.
The People elect the President and their other representatives; I am duty bound to work with the President and other officials of any party to serve the people and implement the Constitution...no matter who he/she is.
How would you address inflation and rising costs for Illinois families?
1. The issue of health insurance reauthorizations happen every 10 years. As a member of the Primary Care and the American Family subcommittee,I would work to cut costs by increasing choice and competition among insurers.
2. Energy costs continue to skyrocket. Several steps that need to be taken: The energy costs of AI data centers need to be borne by the investors not the people. I will work with my congressional colleagues and the President to support efforts to ensure the value of the U.S. dollar is safeguarded in tax policy, banking, monetary policy, and foreign policy.
3. Work with the Governor of Illinois to maximize economic growth opportunities given the strengths of the state in terms of transportation infrastructure, agriculture, research and development, repatriating big business that left due to public safety concerns that affect interstate commerce (a jurisdiction of the Senate). I would also offer technical assistance to the governor, in collaboration with existing federal offices, to identify and remediate inefficiencies in investment strategy and money management such that taxation is not the primary way to finance the pension crisis.
What federal actions should Congress take to improve health care affordability?
1. Stop subsidizing health insurance. Everything we subsidize gets more expensive.
2. Give any subsidies directly to the consumer.
3. Increase competition in the health care market by breaking up monopolies.
4. Incentivizing health savings accounts and medical savings accounts...they are portable, owned by the consumer, any unused contributions can convert to retirement funds, and they are inheritable.
Do you support changes to Social Security or Medicare to ensure long-term solvency?
Social Security is not a handout; it is an investment in a retirement plan. The government has borrowed by Social Security. Those monies need to be returned. We should revisit the inclusion process/mandate for participation in social security. Citizens should be able to opt in or out of social security and receive the amounts they contributed alongside the interest accrued. Social Security can be solvent using well designed structure and process. A redesign of Social Security and Medicare is another proposed major federal action that should be submitted to a pre-assessment of the potential impacts on the human environment using existing government offices that can help with efficiency and effectiveness.
The administration has described the $12 billion aid package to farmers as a “bridge payment” to offset losses from the trade war and tariffs. What changes, if any, would you make to U.S. trade policy to address the challenges facing farmers?
President Trump has disrupted the inequities in tariffs and trade agreements. It’s a dynamic situation that will require both reason in real time and resilience. Such drastic changes often come with pushback and downturns. With a focus solely on numbers, we overlook the qualitative factors for mitigating the challenges of trade. I would support an investigation into the extent to which large agribusiness makes small farmers dependent on government welfare. It’s costly and unsustainable. I would support the MAHA movement to ensure that our farmers are on the bleeding edge of rising international standards of food quality, safety, clean/natural nutritious food, and desirability.
How should the U.S. balance border security with comprehensive immigration reform?
1. No amnesty.
2. Change the “nation of immigrants” rhetoric.
3. Change the “legal good/illegal bad” narrative: Mass immigration both legal and illegal hurts the American citizen.
4. Follow the Supreme Court’s ruling and submit immigration policy to full assessment under the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
5. Assess impacts and pause ALL Visa types...not just H-1B
6. Implement a native border labor sourcing plan and manage that plan via the Department of Labor.
7. Implement restrictions across all countries equally. Avoid the shortcomings of the otherwise laudatory 1924 Johnson Reed Act.
Do you believe the President should have the constitutional authority to order military strikes and detain a foreign head of state without prior Congressional authorization? Why or why not, and where should Congress draw the line between executive action and its own constitutional war powers?
The 1973 War Powers Resolution gave the President authority to initiate military action in consultation with Congress (including just the Speaker of the House beforehand), but must brief Congress (such as, select committees) within 48 hours of entering troops into an action. This resolution recognizes that some military actions are sensitive enough to require secrecy until started, or in the case of Venezuela, completed. Congress maintains the power to initiate a formal declaration of war. The U.S. has had many such operations without a formal declaration of war, using the same legal grounds. In addition, the national security and diplomatic underpinnings of the precise extraction of Mr. Maduro are yet to be fully revealed. The implications include immigration policy, monetary policy (escalating de-dollarization), and trade. With a global race to supplant the U.S. in world leadership, the President has called for a reinvigoration of the Monroe Doctrine of hemispheric control. This too requires the U.S. congress to provide checks and balances between strength, diplomacy, and policy innovations to address resistance/retreating of trade partners in emerging economies.
What is your position on U.S. intervention, specifically Ukraine, Israel and Venezuela?
There are no sacred cows. Everything can and should be questioned.
1. Russia is pushing back against NATO’s encroachment in violation of pre-existing promises related to dissolution of the Soviet Union. We would do the same if BRICS amassed military bases within striking distance off our shores. I want an audit of the monies and resources given to Ukraine. End the war. Force an agreement.
2. Israel is a strategic ally of the United States. The growing resentment among Americans about its favored nation status must be addressed. We cannot continue to destroy nations for our ally’s economic interests (e.g. Libya, Iran) ...the enemies become ours and the problems of our children.
3. See previous comments about Venezuela, including our campaign’s official statement/press release with suggested policy alternatives to regime change and approaches to resolve tensions to settle/revisit trade agreements, dated January 3, 2026.
Where do you stand on federal legislation regarding abortion access and reproductive rights?
I’m pro-life. The Supreme Court has clarified that there is no constitutional right to abortion, and certainly not under the Reconstruction Era 14th amendment. It’s now a state issue. I have three primary concerns about state-run abortion access and reproductive rights.
1. Ensuring that women who are carrying a deceased child have full and timely access to medical treatment such that a mother’s life is not endangered by confusion or malpractice.
2. Schools/providers should not be allowed to transport underaged children across state borders to access abortion services without parental consent.
3. Reproductive rights must go beyond the push to terminate pregnancies or promote sexualization. Reproductive rights must also cover a mother’s/father’s access to care and right to safely birth American babies. I also support legislation and implementation guidance to deploy best practices that address the maternal-fetal mortality crisis in the U.S.
Should federal law protect same-sex marriage rights? What’s your position on LGBTQ+ protections?
I think an adult should be able to enter civil unions with another non-related consenting adult who can express informed consent.
I do not support the modification of society to support transgender normalization. We should certainly look at the mental health and other concerns that drive a feeling of being trapped in one’s own body. Children/adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse need mental health supports not federal green light for their mutilation or feeding into mental health concerns from traumatization, children who are gay should not be transitioned because of their parents’ issues or mental illnesses, children with pervasive developmental delays should receive human development.
We cannot write laws about things that do not have operational definitions or that hide root causes. Queer and + are vague. What do each of those cover?
Is systemic racism still an issue in the United States? What role should the federal government play in addressing it?
Racism still happens. And we have all the laws we need on to hold people accountable for it. The federal civil rights infrastructure was implemented by men and women in the 1860’s and 1960’s to do just that. And it should continue its job for all Americans.
What climate and energy policies should Illinois prioritize at the federal level?
More infrastructure and production for liquified natural gas.
Illinois’s ethanol production should be incentivized as the state is the second largest producer of corn and we have robust research and development university infrastructure, alongside remaining big businesses in the biofuel industry.
How should Congress regulate artificial intelligence, if at all?
I support the following AI regulations, at minimum:
AI hubs need to pay their own utility costs rather than off shooting it to consumers.
I will support legislation to ensure Americans have an automatic and self-executing legal copyright of ownership for their voice, likeness, and image. And receive compensation and/or damages for the unauthorized use of their copyright.
Any audiovisual artifact made with AI must have a continuous visual disclaimer notifying the public that the artifacts is AI (visual media) with pre and post disclaimer for play of audio media.
Any politically oriented audiovisual artifact made with AI should have an audio and visual disclaimer of its AI origin at the beginning, a continuous AI watermark, and a statement at the end about the source/creator and funder of the artifact’s creation. This repurposes the Federal Election Commission’s standards for campaigns for public office to apply to all political AI generated materials.
Do you support the proposed elimination of the Department of Education?
Absent a plan for success, No. I do not support elimination of the DOE without pre-assessment of each state’s individual readiness to take on the monumental task of educating our children who are recovering from educational losses due to the COVID shutdown. Moreover, a pre-assessment should be done for a state’s readiness to serve students with special needs across all their local education agencies/school districts and implement a free and fair public education for all students regardless of their zip codes. If there is a plan to return education to the states, design of that transition and capacity building must make sense to achieve the goal of literate, morally grounded, and mathematically competent future leaders.
Is the CDC a trustworthy, qualified source of information under RFK Jr.?
I applaud his efforts to minimize our consumption of unnecessary chemicals in food, medicines, and materials we use for everyday living. MAHA is another necessary disruption that must move forward with balance, research, and no sacred cows...save for the truth and health and wellbeing of the public.
How do states’ autonomy balance with federal policy, for example, with abortion rights vs. Immigration enforcement?
The federal government controls immigration policy and enforcement. The Supreme Court has made it clear that immigration enforcement is in the sole jurisdiction of the federal government. As such, sanctuary cities/states should not exist to thwart immigration enforcement. While a state could resolve to not use their law enforcement to complete immigration enforcement actions, they should not be allowed to willfully harbor illegal aliens. Indeed, several existing criminal laws are broken through the establishment of sanctuary cities/states that welcome, harbor, and give resources to those who illegally enter the United States. Illegal entry is a crime. Overstaying a legitimately-acquired visa is a civil penalty.
See previous responses about returning abortion rights to the states.
Should private equity and hedge funds be allowed to purchase so many homes?
No. Not at all. It’s out of control. They are raising costs of the American Dream. It must be brought to an end.
Do you support or oppose the expansion of work requirements for SNAP recipients? Why?
Yes I support expansion of work requirement for SNAP recipients.
Ultimately, the social safety net is temporary support unless one is completely unable to work.
SNAP is supplemental not all sustaining. It’s meant to help not be a main source of a food budget.
Who are your top five donors? How do you ensure donor influence doesn’t compromise your independence?
All of my donors are small donations from people who’ve heard my message and have chosen to support my policy proposals and campaign ethos of reason, unity, and vision in Americans First policy.
I’m not an establishment candidate and don’t own anyone anything. My independence as a media personality, Newsweek contributor, and public figure are clear for all to see. I tell every donor that their support is to help me implement the vision I have to secure our posterity...not to be their shill. If the donation comes with strings or a script, they can keep it!