Madison Gesiotto Gilbert talks campaigning while pregnant, pro-life position, and student loan handout

EXCLUSIVE — Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, the GOP nominee running in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, has a unique challenge as she hits the campaign trail ahead of the November election: She is expecting a child.

Gilbert spoke with Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about what it has been like campaigning while pregnant, her thoughts on the student loan handout, and America’s concerning fentanyl crisis.

“Well, it certainly hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been super blessed to have a very healthy pregnancy, so it’s been incredible and honestly. It’s just really invigorated me even more and reminds me each and every day why I’m doing this,” Gilbert said of her pregnancy journey on the campaign trail. 

“I’m fighting for a better country for my child, my future children, the children in my community, the children across our state and across our country. We want to make sure that that same American dream that we know and love is going to be alive for them to be able to experience and take advantage of.”

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Gilbert used her pregnancy to discuss her position on abortion, one of the most talked about midterm issues this cycle after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. 

“I’m proud to be pro-life. I’ve been speaking on the issue for over ten years, and I feel like people in my district know where I stand and feel confident about that, and I think we’ll see that reflected in the results this November for our race specifically,” Gilbert said.

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President Biden’s recent student loan handout was “pretty frustrating to see,” Gilbert said.  

“I’m actually someone who still has student loans that I’m paying off from law school, so I totally understand the way people feel about the student loan system, about the flaws. $500 billion is just something we cannot afford, just simply unacceptable.”

A recent study on the handout from the Penn Wharton Budget Model found that Biden’s plan could cost American’s up to $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

“And you see people so frustrated in different clips going around the Internet right now talking about, hey, I saved up money that I really couldn’t afford to save up to make sure I could pay for my kid’s college instead,” Gilbert concluded.

“I’m the only candidate in this race that’s talking about the common sense solution. It’s something that I’ve seen in my own community. And we got hit really, really hard.” Gesiotto spoke about the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., and how it has personally effected her and her community. “People in my district has been decimated as a result of this. So it’s definitely a difficult issue to solve. However, it’s not just about who’s coming over our border, but what’s coming over our border. And that’s coming straight to my state of Ohio.”

Gilbert, who was endorsed by former President Trump ahead of her primary win, is competing against Democratic nominee Emilia Sykes this fall, who ran unopposed in the May primary.