Perrysburg, OH – Angela Zimmann is a mother, a pastor, a foster parent, a school board member, and a college professor. But now the Northwest Ohio native is adding another title to her list: candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Zimmann, who is the Democratic candidate for Ohio’s newly competitive Fifth U.S. Congressional District, says that she is running to be a voice for middle class families dealing with economic hardship.

More specifically, Zimmann says she is running for people like Kim Clark.

In a speech given at the Ohio State Democratic Party Convention, Zimmann shared the story of Kim Clark, a young mother in her congregation who discovered a lump in her breast two years ago.

But like many of the 49.9 million Americans without health insurance, Clark delayed seeking medical attention. It wasn’t until Clark struggled to lift her arm while helping her children get ready for school that she decided to finally go to the emergency room.

The diagnosis: Stage IV breast cancer that spread to Clark’s bones.

“As I sat with her in the hospital about two weeks ago, she said to me ‘Angela, you have to keep doing this for the rest of your life. You have to fight for what it right,’” Zimmann said.

“‘It’s not enough to preach it on Sunday morning. You have to live it, and you have to convince those other people out there that they need to live it, too.’ So I’m running for Kim Clark.”

Zimmann, who is running against Republican incumbent Bob Latta, is one of only five pastors – and the only female pastor – running for federal office.

Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, once a Republican stronghold, is now a competitive seat due to recently redrawn district lines. The district now includes portions of Toledo, previously represented by fourteen-term Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.

Returning to the story of Kim Clark, Zimmann says that her opponent – who was ranked the most conservative member of the House by the National Journal – has put partisan politics before finding solutions to the nation’s health care problems.

“Rather than seek sensible solutions to our nation’s health care problems, Bob Latta has repeatedly voted to completely repeal the health care law, has voted to defund organizations that provide crucial health care services to women, and supports the Ryan budget, threatening senior citizens’ Medicare and Social Security,” Zimmann said.

Latta voted twice in support of the Ryan Budget, which includes $1 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while cutting funds for education, Medicaid, and transportation. Most notably, the Ryan Budget privatizes Medicare, shifting burdensome health care costs to seniors. Roughly 25 percent of Ohio’s Fifth District voters are over the age of 65.

Zimmann, a fiscal conservative, believes that while Congress should continue working toward cutting spending and balancing the nation’s budget, protecting the middle class and senior citizens’ access to health care should be an issue with bipartisan support.

“Ensuring that people like Kim Clark have access to quality health care should not be divided along party lines,” Zimmann said. “Our elected officials need to put people and compassion before partisanship and personal gain.”