Ron DeSantis in 2018 FL Governor's race

On Civil Rights: Backs bill impeding voting by ex-felons

On Abortion: Ban abortions after fetal heartbeat detected

Ron DeSantis (R): Ban. Pledges to sign legislation banning abortions after fetal heartbeat detected (roughly 6 weeks) & to appoint constitutionalist justices to FL Supreme Court who will "protect & defend life."

Andrew Gillum (D): Legal. Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right and decision should be made by women & their doctors--not by politicians. Opposes making healthcare harder for women to access.

Q: Allow employers to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if disagree with it morally?

DeSantis: Yes. Employers should not be required to "pay for abortifacients in violation of their faith."

Gillum: No. Proposes a law to protect women's access to no-cost contraceptive care under ObamaCare.

Q: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion healthcare?

DeSantis: No. Voted for a bill to end funding.

Gillum: Yes. Challenged Rick Scott effort to defund Planned Parenthood.

On Crime: Don't restore voting rights to former felons

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Opposes amendment.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. "Floridians who have paid their debts deserve a second chance & should have a voice in our state's future. Our current system is a relic of Jim Crow."

On Drugs: No recreational marijuana; let voters decide medical usage

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Opposes recreational use. Will implement will of the voters on medical.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. "Legalize it. Tax it. Use the revenues to fix Florida's public schools."

On Education: Expand both charters & vouchers

Ron DeSantis (R): No statements found on funding, but prefers setting policy at local level.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. Proposes a $1 billion "Fair Share" investment in public schools covered by increasing state's corporate tax rate & legalizing & taxing marijuana.

Q: Education: Support the expansion of charter schools or help parents send their children to private schools with public money?

Ron DeSantis (R): Yes. Expand both charters & vouchers. Let federal dollars follow students to any schools their families choose.

Andrew Gillum (D): No. Against vouchers & "unaccountable, for-profit charter schools who use public dollars to enrich their executives."

On Education: Fund training for high schoolers who enter workforce

Ron DeSantis (R): No statements found on state funding, but more training support for students who enter workforce from high school.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. Wants to make college debt-free for professions like nursing & teaching. Also higher pay for adjuncts.

On Energy & Oil: No carbon tax; no wind energy subsidy

Ron DeSantis (R): Mixed. "I don't know if it's because of my activity, your activity, but.we've got to deal with it." Opposed resolution saying greenhouse gases contributed to climate change.

Andrew Gillum (D): Climate change is a real & urgent threat. Transition Florida to clean energy.

Q: Limit or tax production of greenhouse gases?

DeSantis: No. Voted against any potential carbon tax as negatively impacting economy, voted against greenhouse gas emission standards, & to cut EPA funding.

Gillum: Yes. Sees Trump withdrawal from Paris Climate accord as "disturbingly reckless."

Q: Government support for renewable energy?

DeSantis: No. Opposed continued wind energy subsidy, calling it "anti-competitive & economically harmful."

Gillum: Yes. "Transition Florida to clean energy as rapidly as possible."

On Environment: Deal with Red Tide: clean the water; build a reservoir

Ron DeSantis (R): Clean the water; build a reservoir to redirect the flow south; seek federal funding to help. Has also criticized the sugar industry and open to more regulation of development that affects runoff.

Andrew Gillum (D): Reverse Rick Scott environmental policies that eased pollution standards; redirect freshwater flow; eliminate the political influence of the sugar industry; work with surrounding communities to deal with potential job loss.

On Families & Children: Protect faith-based noncooperation with gay marriage

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Cosponsored bill to protect individuals for faith-based noncooperation with gay marriage.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. While Tallahassee mayor invited same-sex couples to get married there when refused in other FL counties.

On Free Trade: Trump's tariffs will get concessions from China

Ron DeSantis (R): Yes. Trump is a master negotiator trying to get concessions.

Andrew Gillum (D): No. "He's threatening Florida's workers, farmers, & companies."

On Gun Control: Concealed carry statewide; open-carry on campuses

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Solution to gun violence is "'identifying the problem people' rather than enforcing `blanket bans on the rights of law-abiding citizens.'" Supports allowing Floridians with conceal carry permits to carry openly on campuses.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. Called for additional restrictions after Parkland. Sued by NRA over prohibiting firing weapons in public parks.

On Health Care: Repeal ObamaCare; health care isn't a right

Ron DeSantis (R): Voted to repeal ACA. No FL Medicaid expansion. Says health care isn't a right. The right is to pursue the type of healthcare you want. ObamaCare infringes on that.

Andrew Gillum (D): Support & strengthen ACA, guarantee care for pre-existing conditions, expand Medicaid in Florida. Work toward "Medicare for all."

On Immigration: DACA is unconstitutional; opposes any path to citizenship

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Considers DACA unconstitutional. Opposes any path to citizenship. DACA "amnesty" would further incentivize illegal immigration & chain migration. Fire officials who abet sanctuary cities.

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. Can protect national security "without criminalizing" undocumented people.

On Tax Reform: Keep Florida a low-tax state; super-majority to raise taxes

Ron DeSantis (R): Yes. "The reforms will better enable American companies to compete with foreign businesses & will help stem the tide of companies & jobs going overseas."

Andrew Gillum (D): No. Puts "billions of dollars in the coffers of our richest corporations, money that would otherwise protect Social Security & Medicare, & pay for roads & bridges."

Q: Increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Keep Florida a low-tax state "by opposing tax increases & requiring a supermajority vote in the Legislature to raise taxes."

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. Increase Florida's corporate tax rate by 2% to generate $1 billion for education funding.

On Technology: FCC requirement for net neutrality was a massive power grab

Ron DeSantis (R): No. Obama-era FCC requirement for net neutrality was a "massive power grab."

Andrew Gillum (D): Yes. FCC decision to dismantle was an attack on FL communities & residents.

On Education: Expand voucher and charters; stop Common Core

DeSantis also wants to "stop Common Core"-- the standards adopted by 45 out of 50 states as a way to improve education--but the steps he'd take to unwind them is unclear. The standards were criticized by conservatives as a top-down approach to education, and lawmakers responded by tweaking and renaming them "Florida standards" in 2014.

[Democratic gubernatorial opponent Andrew] Gillum wants to spend an additional $1 billion on education, part of which would go toward increasing the minimum salary for teachers to $50,000 per year, and for early-education and vocational programs.

On Environment: Stop Lake Okeechobee discharges that caused algae crisis

DeSantis has shown concern about the algae crisis, which has blighted waterways on the Treasure Coast and southwest Florida, damaging marine life and tourism. He's met with officials and pledged to stop the discharges of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that led to the crisis. But the water releases are done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a federal department, to prevent the Herbert Hoover Dike from being overwhelmed. Other planks of his platform include beefing up beach restoration and restoring the Everglades.

On Gun Control: Allow carrying guns openly and on college campuses

He has also criticized the gun control measures in the bill passed by lawmakers in response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The legislation banned rifle sales to those under 21, prohibited bump stocks and placed a three-day waiting period on all gun sales.

[Democratic gubernatorial opponent Andrew] Gillum called for a series of gun-control measures after the Parkland massacre, including a ban on assault weapons, limiting the size of magazines, banning armor-piercing bullets and prohibiting guns to those with domestic violence felonies or misdemeanors. The National Rifle Association has given DeSantis an A- grade and Gillum an F.

On Health Care: No right to health care; that's just a bureaucratic right

DeSantis hasn't laid out a specific platform on health care and has said little about health care policy. His issues page on his website, which was published a week before the primary, doesn't include the subject. In a debate with GOP primary opponent Adam Putnam, he indicated health care wasn't a right.

"What I think you have a right to do is pursue the type of health care you want. ObamaCare infringes on your freedom to be able to do that," DeSantis said. "Democrats are saying that there's a bureaucratic right where you create bureaucracies."

On Immigration: Supports E-Verify; opposes sanctuary cities

Alachua and Clay counties have been accused of being sanctuary areas for not complying with detention requests in some instances, but those claims are disputed as well.

DeSantis also wants to enact an E-Verify law requiring employers to check the immigration status of their workers. It's an idea Gov. Rick Scott pushed in his first year in office but quickly dropped when it failed to get through the Legislature.