Delaware 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 support a woman's right to choose. I am opposed to the Hyde amendment and parental or spousal notification laws. I believe in a Medicare for All system that covers all aspects of women's health, including abortion services.

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
- I support a more progressive tax system and reducing Pentagon waste. We have to be careful about the rhetoric around balancing the budget, however. Powerful billionaires like the late Peter Peterson have spent tens of millions of dollars arguing that to balance the budget we need to cut Social Security and Medicare. We need to make sure corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share so the burden doesn't fall on the middle class. A balanced budget is one that meets the needs of ALL Americans and ensures everyone has a dignified standard of living.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- In addition to overturning Citizens United, we need to ban corporate PACs, reign in and regulate lobbying, and lower the limits for campaign 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
- We need a Green New Deal that will end unemployment and transform our economy away from fossil fuels.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- The federal government should ensure that students' civil rights are not being violated by school districts and state legislatures, and that students with disabilities are getting the help they need. Besides that, I believe in local control over education policy. The federal government does need to significantly expand funding for pre-K and K-12 public education, however.

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 addition to a Green New Deal, I believe that the EPA should regulate greenhouse gases pursuant to the Endangered Species Act.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Yes. I support a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, universal background checks for all firearm and ammunition purchases, and a 14-day waiting period for all firearm and ammunition purchases. We also need to significantly expand funding for mental health and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. My call for expanded mental health services does not mean that I feel that having mental health issues automatically means a person is a danger to others or oneself, however, for some it requires treatment and intervention to prevent loss of life.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- The Affordable Care Act was an important first step to a universal healthcare system. However, we need to move forward and offer more than expanded access; we need to ensure all Americans have free, quality healthcare. I support Medicare-for-All; healthcare is a human right.

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 do not support the construction of a wall along our Mexican border as I believe it will serve no purpose but to be a symbol of bigotry and wasteful government spending. I would rather see those funds used to strengthen our schools. In addition, I believe that hunting down undocumented law abiding residents is also an example of wasteful government spending and we should work on strengthening our communities by investing in schools, job training, and infrastructure.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Yes, I support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. The benefits of legalization are such that we can't afford to continue stalling. We can lower the prison population and we can raise revenue. However, it is imperative that we pass the correct legalization legislation, meaning we don't put the power of the industry into the hands of pharmaceutical companies and wealthy investors and instead enact rules that require a certain number of minority and low income entrepreneurs licensure from the onset.

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
- President Obama showed the world how powerful diplomacy can be with the Iran deal. I support military action only when there is a direct threat against the US. Kim Jong-un and Hassan Rouhani would be gambling with the lives of themselves and their people if they threatened the US. We need to pursue multilateral nuclear disarmament. The US needs to make plans to ultimately destroy our nuclear arsenal, and rid the world of nuclear weapons once and for all. As a veteran, I have witnessed the costs of war firsthand. I believe we should build a culture of peace.

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 once elected will be to work towards meeting the basic needs of all Delawareans, this includes passing Medicare for All, increasing the national minimum wage to $15/hour and implementing a universal pre-k system. We will obtain funding for these items by prioritizing people over corporate profits.