Florida 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
- I believe women have the right to make their own healthcare decisions, and will support policies that protect these rights. All women - regardless of income, location or education - deserve healthcare and family planning choices that are not inhibited or curtailed by gender bias or systemic injustice. Therefore, I support Medicare for All, equal pay for equal work, a livable minimum wage, publicly-funded education from preschool through college or trade school, affordable quality childcare, paid sick and family leave, and protection of women from abuse, discrimination and harassment.

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
- We must close loopholes so that hardworking Americans and small businesses don't pay excess taxes to support tax breaks for big businesses and billionaires. I support repealing tax cuts on corporations and the wealthiest Americans to ensure they pay their fair share. America has the largest military on the planet; we spend more on defense than the next seven countries combined. I support decreasing massive investments in wars on foreign soil, more effectively sharing costs with our allies, investing in innovation domestically, and building relationships abroad so we can confront emerging global challenges including climate change, water scarcity, and cybersecurity.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Corporations are not people, and money is not speech. We must eradicate the corrupting influence of money in politics, eliminate super PACs, and promote fair public financing of elections to restore government of, by, and for the people. Our leaders must represent the people they serve, not the special interests and donors who fund their campaigns. I support publicly-funded elections, ending lobbyist bundling and dark money from PACs, making all donations immediately visible on the internet, preventing politicians from fundraising during working hours, closing the revolving door between elected officials and lobbyists, and improving enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

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
- I support a Green New Deal that would puts millions of Americans to work repairing crumbling infrastructure and converting our economy to 100% renewable energy. This public program would mitigate the risks of climate change, protect our environment, stimulate national economic growth, and secure our nation from global conflict over increasingly scarce fossil fuels. Large corporations and the wealthiest Americans should pay their fair share. Massive tax cuts passed in 2017 are benefiting the wealthy at the expense of working people. Businesses that received big tax breaks are buying back stock rather than paying their employees fair wages.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support federal education standards and basic levels of educational competency for states to ensure interstate parity and equal opportunity for every child, but these standards should not diminish our trust in teachers, nor require them to "teach to the test". Teachers can't effectively educate our kids when they're overburdened with high-stakes testing. Additionally, I believe all Americans have the right to a quality publicly-funded education from pre-K through college or trade school. Our economy depends on the expansion of an educated workforce ready to create the future, and our democracy requires an educated and well-informed electorate.

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
- It's time for America to invest in a bold, comprehensive plan to sustainably rebuild our country's crumbling infrastructure while migrating our economy to renewable energy sources. I support a national Green New Deal that puts millions of Americans to work to sustainably redesign and rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges, sewer, stormwater, electrical, and mass transit systems - and convert our economy to 100% renewable energy. There is overwhelming evidence that humans are the main cause of climate change. I support policy decisions based on science, including a carbon tax and the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in gun safety laws guided by the Constitution, common sense and compassion. Most Americans, regardless of party, support common-sense gun reforms. I support: *universal background checks; *research into the public health epidemic that has made gun violence one of the leading causes of death in our country; *keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers;*banning large-capacity ammunition and weapons built for mass lethality rather than sport or personal protection; and *ensuring that guns aren't more affordable and accessible than mental healthcare in our country - the vast majority of firearm deaths across our country are suicides.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Making healthcare a human right is a moral imperative in the richest country in the history of the world. By ensuring every American has healthcare, we can build a system that not only cares for the sick, but emphasizes health and wellness for all. I support making healthcare a human right for every American, decreasing prescription drug prices by improving our ability to negotiate prices through a single-payer system, expanding mental health, dental and vision care coverage, investing in treatment to address America's opioid epidemic, and decreasing the total cost of America's healthcare system by adopting Medicare for All.

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
- I support: *comprehensive immigration reform that creates safe, expeditious pathways to legal immigration, protects national security, and secures the economic and cultural benefits of immigration; *protecting the Dreamers through a Clean Dream Act that offers DACA recipients a path to citizenship;*ensuring safe and humane treatment of those who come to our country seeking asylum and searching for a better life; *reunifying separated families immediately and ensuring that families not be separated during the immigration or asylum process; and *reducing spending on unnecessary detention of non-criminal immigrants and applicants for asylum.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support the legalization and taxation of marijuana. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. I will work to reform our justice system to end mass incarceration and overcriminalization of non-violent offenses, including recreational adult use of marijuana.

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 many veterans and military families in our district want to ensure that their sons and daughters are only sent into harm's way as a last resort. Peace, wherever possible, is our best protection. I support using diplomacy and international cooperation to maintain global security, and aim to move away from policies that favor unilateral military action and preemptive war. I support decreasing massive investments in wars on foreign soil, more effectively sharing costs with our allies, investing in innovation domestically, and building relationships abroad so we can confront emerging global challenges including climate change, water scarcity, and cybersecurity.

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.
- Our top priorities include: *Making healthcare a human right for every American by passing Medicare for All;*Ensuring livable wages and affordable cost of living for working people in our district; *Protecting our air, land, water, and wildlife - especially the Indian River lagoon; and*Ensuring every kid has access to a quality, public education from pre-K through college or trade school without a lifetime of burdensome student debt. We must build a budget that is reflective of our priorities, repeal tax breaks and loopholes for the wealthiest Americans, and ensure that big businesses and billionaires pay their fair share.