2014 Montana Senate debates


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Amanda Curtis: 100% pro-choice voting record.     Champ Edmunds: Human life begins at conception.     Steve Daines: No exceptions for rape nor incest, but no criminalization.     John Walsh: Opposes extremism like declaring life begins at conception.     John Bohlinger: 2001: Supported Fetal Protection Act & partial-birth ban.     John Bohlinger: Supreme Court decided the issue; state cannot overturn it.

Budget & Economy     Amanda Curtis: Economy that works for all of us, not just for the richest.     Champ Edmunds: The borrower is servant to the lender.     Steve Daines: Obama stimulus shipped American jobs to China.

Civil Rights     Amanda Curtis: Outspoken advocate for labor unions and women's rights.     Champ Edmunds: Government shouldn't redefine marriage.     John Walsh: Voted against NAACP staffer's appointment to Dept.of Justice.     Amanda Curtis: Repeal state ban on sodomy; make gay sex legal.

Corporations     Amanda Curtis: Wall St. is doing great; recovery hasn't reached rest of us.     Sam Rankin: End tax subsidies; & tax corporations in foreign countries.

Drugs     Amanda Curtis: Medical marijuana law is over-restrictive.     Steve Daines: Limit federal DEA from interfering with state marijuana laws.

Education     Steve Daines: Expand school choice where public schools are poor.     Amanda Curtis: Math teacher and unabashed backer of public schools.

Energy & Oil     Steve Daines: War on American energy is part of war on middle class.     Champ Edmunds: No subsidies for wind and solar.     John Walsh: Energy boom in Montana instead of foreign oil dependence.

Environment     Amanda Curtis: Big supporter of protecting access to public lands.     John Walsh: More regulations to develop natural resources responsibly.

Foreign Policy     Steve Daines: Congressional support for Israel is bipartisan & strong.

Free Trade     John Walsh: Don't ship American jobs to China.     Steve Daines: Worked for 6 years bringing U.S. consumer products to China.     John Walsh: On trade mission: Montana is open for business.

Government Reform     Amanda Curtis: When wealthy in Congress, playing field tilts to wealthy.     Sam Rankin: Special interests support the status quo; Americans don't.     Sam Rankin: Eliminate earmarks; 3-year federal pay freeze.     Champ Edmunds: Photo ID for voting.

Gun Control     Amanda Curtis: Supports expanding background checks.     Champ Edmunds: 2nd amendment is about tyranny, not hunting.     Amanda Curtis: Common-sense solutions like expanding background checks.

Health Care     Amanda Curtis: ObamaCare: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.     Sam Rankin: Tort reform plus higher deductibles & co-pays.     Champ Edmunds: Repeal ObamaCare; it's not a government responsibility.     John Walsh: Yes to Medicare Rx negotiations; no to privatization.     John Bohlinger: Strong advocate of a single-payer system like Medicare.     John Bohlinger: Expand Medicaid to cover 70,000 low-income Montanans.

Homeland Security     Sam Rankin: Reduce our nuclear warhead stockpile & reduce F-35's.     Champ Edmunds: Maintain a superior nuclear arsenal.     John Walsh: Worked to prohibit warrantless cell phone tracking.     John Walsh: Cut wasteful spending in our military.     Champ Edmunds: Allow easier driver licensing for military service members.     John Walsh: OpEd: Walsh was fair about National Guard Association dues.

Immigration     Champ Edmunds: Protect the borders; prevent illegal entry.     Steve Daines: Comprehensive reform is the wrong approach; no amnesty.

Jobs     John Walsh: Supports increasing the minimum wage.

Principles & Values     John Walsh: OpEd: 2007 Master's thesis plagiarized from online sources.     Champ Edmunds: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework.     Steve Daines: AdWatch: Walsh appointment was "Big Sky buy-off" D.C. deal.     John Walsh: AdWatch: "Where's Walsh-o" website: "Walsh is hard to find".     John Walsh: Appointed to Senate while running in Senate primary.     John Walsh: AdWatch: "Big Sky buyoff" to appoint Walsh to Senate early.     Brian Schweitzer: Considered Senate run; now supports both Dem. candidates.     John Bohlinger: An outsider supported by the people & not the establishment.     John Bohlinger: Elected as Republican; then ran on Democrat governor ticket.

Social Security     Amanda Curtis: Against privatizing Medicare and Social Security.     Sam Rankin: Phase in age increase and more realistic CPI.     Steve Daines: AdWatch: Accuses opponent of considering privatization.     John Walsh: Consider privatization for new employees entering workforce.

Tax Reform     Sam Rankin: Simplify to three tax brackets: 12%, 22%, 28%.     John Walsh: Tax cuts for the wealthy only seek to preserve privilege.

Technology     John Bohlinger: Digital privacy threatened by warrantless NSA invasions.     John Walsh: Digital privacy threatened by warrantless NSA invasions.

War & Peace     Steve Daines: The best way to ensure Mideast peace is Israeli strength.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Amanda Curtis Democratic Challenger Montana Brian Schweitzer Montana Previously Democratic Governor Champ Edmunds Democrat Challenger Montana John Bohlinger Democratic Senate Challenger Montana John Walsh Democratic Senate Challenger Montana Sam Rankin Reform Senate Challenger Montana Steve Daines Republican Senate challenger Montana