New Mexico Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Other or expanded principles
- Abortion, as one of many women's health options, is more than health equality. The freedom to choose a family on their own terms provides women economic equality and opportunity on par with men. I oppose the decision by the Democratic Party to support candidates who oppose central planks of our platform, including abortion.

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- Defense spending has risen out of control, mostly in response to proposals by corporate contractors to expand weapons programs. Trump's tax scam now makes DOD 60% of our federal spending, while domestic programs are cut. I propose creating a trust fund for service member healthcare to be funded by DOD each year for the members of the service in active duty. Those funds would be available to members after service to provide VA services, behavioral health support for reintegration after active duty and post-duty housing and job support services to ensure we fully support veterans returning from service immediately.

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support a constitutional amendment to overturn the ill-decided Citizens United ruling. As a city councilor, I ran on public financing and then passed laws expanding it to support more candidates who choose to say no to corporate money. Corporations are not people. In Congress, I will fight to ensure we have reasonable limits on political spending and contributions.

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- Corporations should pay their fair share for the roads, public safety, and infrastructure that allows them to create products and deliver them to market. We've seen the results of these failed policies before. Corporate profits from tax cuts don't trickle down to workers where they can grow the economy; instead, 80% goes to stockholders and corporate profits. Economic growth comes from workers who have disposable income to spend in local communities where it supports other families.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- In New Mexico, I fought against Hanna Skandera and her national Chiefs for Change agenda to privatize and hollow out our public schools. In Congress, I will continue to fight against Secretary DeVos, advocate for robust funding of our public schools with local control, and pass strict regulations on charter schools and voucher programs. I support ESSA and under ESSA, each state is empowered to create their own accountability standards. This is a real opportunity to return local control to schools and expand the use of highly-effective culturally-specific turnaround models like community schools.

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- In Congress, I will continue the work I started on the City Council. In spite of Trump, I co-wrote and passed a new 25% renewable energy goal for Albuquerque, then passed legislation implementing it by taking millions of dollars we paid to PNM for coal-fired power and reinvesting it in local solar companies to put solar on city buildings. In Congress, I believe we can achieve 100% renewable energy production by 2035, and one way to do so is by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies to level the playing field for renewables on the grid.

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- My 'F the NRA' campaign made national news because, as a former police officer, FBI Academy graduate, community organizer working on local gun violence legislation, and a legislator who has passed gun violence prevention legislation that works, I will be a strong new voice for gun laws in Congress. In Congress, I'll fight for universal background checks, a new assault weapons ban and laws to require domestic violence offenders to surrender their weapons. I'm proudly endorsed by gun violence victims and survivors in this race.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- No. When I started Progress Now NM, our first campaign on national issues, 'Know Your Care' was in support of a single-payer option for the ACA. And even though single-payer was not included in the final law, I never stopped fighting for it. I fully support Medicare for All and am proud to have the only endorsement from a national organization fighting for universal healthcare in Congress.

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- No. Families who give up everything to provide a better future for their children should have the ability to earn citizenship for themselves and their children. When Jeff Sessions threatened to require local police to aid ICE in cities, I proudly defied Sessions by passing new sanctuary city legislation to protect them. If the Trump administration wants to run a deportation force, they will not have a partner in this effort in the City of Albuquerque. I will keep up this fight in Congress to protect our immigrant communities and stop policies of fear and hatred.

Marijuana

1. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- Just this year, I introduced and helped pass Albuquerque's own marijuana decriminalization ordinance to help refocus our already strapped police force on more serious crimes and not have them bogged down with small marijuana arrests. As a former police officer, I know first hand that we have lost the War on Drugs and I will be a strong new voice for legalization in Congress.

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- The policies of Trump, and his Twitter account, have made the world more dangerous. I believe that prosperity comes from economic stability and prosperity, not threatening rhetoric. But President Trump is forfeiting our leadership by withdrawing from international agreements and seeking unilateral agreements on climate, trade and nuclear proliferation. None of these issues are simple, nor are their solutions. And no reasoned foreign policy could ever be 140 characters long.

Administrative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My top priority is public safety, and specifically gun violence prevention. As a former cop, I know that guns in the wrong hands wreak havoc on our community. I'm the only person in this race to stand up boldly against the NRA. New Mexicans also know it is time to stop being last and I will proudly continue my work creating solar jobs and building community schools to create new trade and tech jobs our students will not have to leave NM to find.