Kansas 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
- As a congressman, I will take action against any kind of legislation that would prohibit reproductive rights. Women should be trusted to make the right decisions about their own healthcare and I support a woman's right to choose.

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
- It's time to rein in unfair tax schemes for the ultra-rich, like last year's cuts, that leave working people behind. We need a tax environment where risk-takers are rewarded for investing in job creation while working and middle class families can enjoy greater prosperity. Middle class tax cuts did not go far enough. The corporate tax cuts should be repealed. Furthermore, we can afford to tighten up defense spending as long as it does not affect the ability of our brave men and women in uniform from performing their duties in protecting this country.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- The Citizens United decision made our politics more toxic than ever. By shifting the power away from democracy and toward monied special interests, the notion of one person-one vote has transformed into one dollar-one vote. It is pertinent that we remove dark money and PACs from the system so that elected officials are beholden to their constituents, not to their wealthy donors.

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
- A strong economy is one in which everyone has the opportunity to work for the wages they earn. In order to accomplish this we must strengthen and thoroughly enforce a corporate tax code that guarantees everyone paying their fair share of taxes. In doing so, we can ensure that our tax dollars flow away from Wall Street and back to Main Street. We can reinvest in our infrastructure, small businesses, and rural communities and help the average American contribute to a flourishing economy.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- All children in the American school system should have access to the same quality education, no matter where they live. In order to achieve this, the adoption of a national standard is important. However, we must give our teachers the freedom to teach critical thinking skills and not just to pass standardized tests.

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
- Regulating greenhouse gas emissions is a necessity. The simple fact is that climate change is real and is an imminent threat to our world. The federal government has an obligation to play a direct role in combating this threat. By investing in the development of renewable energy, we can not only expand our economy and create a wealth of new jobs, we can also take huge steps in protecting the Earth.

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Unknown Position

2. Other or expanded principles
- It is important to ensure that only law-abiding citizens have access to firearms and all sales of firearms are monitored and regulated. I support reasonable restrictions that promote gun safety. This includes universal background check requirements for all gun sales (closing the gun show loophole), mental health screenings, a set and consistent purchase age requirement, concealed carry permit requirement, and safety training.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Until the time that a single payer system can pass, we should be working to support and improve upon the Affordable Care Act by ensuring a path to lower costs and guaranteed access to everyone. I believe we must increase market competition with a public option plan. This would help lower the staggering cost of healthcare. We must also allow our government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare.

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
- Forcing hardworking, law-abiding immigrants to return to their country of origin would impose an undue hardship in our already burdened path to citizenship.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position

3. Other or expanded principles
- Military force should only be utilized if every other option has been exhausted. Diplomacy and liberalism are the foundation upon which peace is built, and only in the event where neither are an option should we even consider risking American lives in war.

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.
- Returning the voice of the people to the voters is the first step towards fixing many issues in the American political system. Rolling out a package of comprehensive campaign finance reform, along with automatic voter registration, establishing a National Election Day, and commissioning independent and nonpartisan groups to address gerrymandering are the incredibly vital first steps towards affecting real change.