Wisconsin 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 member of Congress, I will be a champion of access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, including the right to choose abortion that was decided in Roe v. Wade. However, I also recognize that we can prevent the need for abortion by supporting policies that increase access to reproductive health care, especially contraception.

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
- A balanced budget should be a bipartisan issue and when elected to Congress it will be a priority of mine. One of the government's main responsibilities during a recession is to help stimulate the economy. An economy doesn't get spurred by cutting taxes for corporations through trickle-down economics, economies boom when wages grow and we invest in our shared resources like education and infrastructure.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Regulating campaign finance and ensuring transparency is critical to the ongoing health of our democracy. Ensuring that special-interest groups are not able to simply buy our elections has to be a top priority.

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
- Increased Federal spending during a recession is critical to promoting economic growth and ensuring a recession doesn't escalate into a full-blown economic depression. Generally, lowering corporate taxes does not promote the broad-based economic growth needed to spur economic development and drive wage growth. We've seen with this latest round of corporate tax cuts that the money goes into the pockets of already wealthy investors instead of new economic development and wage growth.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Our nation is facing an educational crisis. States continue to cut funding for both K-12 schools and public universities. The Trump administration is now waging an all-out war on our schools, threatening them with policies that seek to undermine our entire public education system. We must reverse this trend. We need education reform that strengthens our public education system and equalizes it across the country because every student deserves access to a world-class public education.

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
- Climate change is real and we cannot continue to deny the findings of our climate scientists. Humanity?s effect on global climate change is undeniable, and to ignore this fact is extremely dangerous to the well being of every single person on our planet. Sound environmental policy is paramount to reducing even more environmental issues, preventing future international crises and securing the health and long-term success of humanity at large.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- As a hunter and past gun owner, I respect that the Second Amendment guarantees the rights of law-abiding and responsible gun owners. Gun violence in America is an epidemic. The American people overwhelmingly support common-sense gun laws and gun safety reform, yet my opponent has earned an ?A" Rating from the NRA by voting against multiple gun safety bills and putting the interests of gun manufacturers ahead of the safety of the American public. The time is now to protect children in their schools, worshipers at church, moviegoers at the theater and every single American from preventable gun violence.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- While the Affordable Care Act is far from perfect, it is a stepping stone that we must build upon. I believe healthcare is a right and we must work towards universal healthcare. Every other developed nation in the world has guaranteed the right of healthcare to its citizens and America continues to lag behind. A universal healthcare system will not be an overnight solution, we are going to have to be willing to build upon our already existing laws and take advice from experts in these fields in order to make this a reality.

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
- Immigration spurs economic growth and adds jobs to the economy, contrary to the myth that immigrants take jobs away from current citizens. Fixing our outdated immigration system, while protecting the dignity and rights of immigrants, can be accomplished. I support reinstating DACA and providing immigrants within our country an easier path to citizenship and I oppose any policy that separates children from families.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana will promote personal freedom of all Americans while ensuring the safety of those who consume it, as well as create jobs and business opportunities from a burgeoning new sector of the economy that will also add new sources of tax revenue. Marijuana is far safer than alcohol and tobacco and shows promise as an alternative to opioid medications that are fueling the current opioid epidemic in this country.

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?
- Yes

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

3. Other or expanded principles
- Military action should always be a last resort, but shouldn?t be completely removed as an option. Preventing nuclear proliferation and promoting peace and the end of human rights abuses around the globe must be a top priority of the United States. However, the way that we have intervened in various Middle East conflicts has completely failed and has actually led to an increase in terrorism and destabilization throughout the region. Any future intervention that cannot be avoided through diplomacy must take into account the long-term goals and stability of the region.

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.
- Everyone deserves their chance at achieving the American dream. We need universal healthcare to provide access to every American and reduce the economic burden these costs have on our economy. We need to reform our broken education system to ensure that every child receives a world-class public education so they can achieve their full potential. We must rebuild our economic infrastructure because when our economy is strong, our country is strong. We can fund these initiatives by ensuring large corporations and the wealthiest Americans contribute their fair share towards the public resources that benefit us all.