Sherrod Brown in 2018 OH Senate race

On Welfare & Poverty: GAIN Act: $111 billion a year for people in poverty

On Abortion: Trust women to make their own healthcare decisions

Sherrod Brown (D): Legal. "I will always trust Ohio women to make their health care decisions, plain & simple."

Jim Renacci (R): Ban. "I firmly believe in the sanctity of life. proud to have a 100 percent pro-life voting record since being elected to Congress."

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

Sherrod Brown (D): No. "Healthcare decisions should be between you & your doctor, not the government & your boss."

Jim Renacci (R): Likely yes. ObamaCare requirement for faith-affiliated employers like hospitals to provide contraceptive coverage was "an assault on religious freedom."

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

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. They offer "lifesaving cancer screenings, HIV/AIDS prevention & contraception education."

Jim Renacci (R): No. Supported defunding.

On Corporations: CFPB stops Wall Street from calling the shots on the budget

Sherrod Brown (D): No. "Now is not the time to let Wall Street & payday lenders call the shots on the budget."

Jim Renacci (R): Unclear. Sponsored bill that critics said restricted CFPB's ability to monitor releases of personal information.

On Drugs: Supports medical legalization; opposes federal intervention

Sherrod Brown (D): Supports medical legalization. Wants to study how legalizing recreational works elsewhere before legalizing in Ohio. Opposes federal intervention.

Jim Renacci (R): Opposes recreational legalization. Watch how medical implementation goes. Voted against protecting states from federal intervention.

On Education: Longtime opponent of vouchers for private schools

Sherrod Brown (D): No. Longtime opponent.

Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Strong historical supporter.

On Education: Reduce student loan interest rates; increase Pell Grants

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. Cosponsored Warren bill. Also supports Pell Grant increase.

Jim Renacci (R): No. Supporter of student loans, but not government's role to keep rates down. Unknown on Pell Grants, but supports tax credits for education spending.

On Energy & Oil: Pretending that climate change isn't happening is dangerous

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. "Pretending that climate change isn't happening isn't just foolish. It is very dangerous."

Jim Renacci (R): Probable no. In 2010 said emission regulations have "virtually no impact on global temperatures."

Q: Limit or tax production of greenhouse gases? Support US participation in Paris Climate Accord?

Brown: Yes. Supported EPA regulating greenhouse gases, said Paris Accord withdrawal would hurt OH clean-energy industries.

Renacci: Contested. Says supports limiting greenhouse emissions if Ohio industries such as coal are not harmed. Opposed EPA regulating greenhouse gases. Supported withdrawal from Paris Accord.

Q: Support government subsidies for renewable energy?

On Energy & Oil: $30 billion to transition manufacturers to clean energy

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. Introduced $30 billion loan fund to help smaller manufacturers transition to clean energy economy.

Jim Renacci (R): Mostly no. Called Obama stimulus "a failed experiment," though supports Trump infrastructure plan.

On Environment: Maintain funding for Environmental Protection Administration

Sherrod Brown (D): No. Strongly opposes.

Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Voted for bill that reduced funding.

On Families & Children: Practicing family values means loving all God's children

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. "Practicing family values means loving all God's children."

Jim Renacci (R): No. "Marriage should be between one man & one woman."

On Free Trade: Tax auto company foreign profits; then discounts in US

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes, for protecting steelworkers, but need long-term strategy. Also tax auto company foreign profits to give $3,500 discount to US-made cars.

Jim Renacci (R): Yes, but concerned about the negative impact on farmers. Seeks a "balance between free trade & fair trade."

On Government Reform: Special interests shouldn't have louder voice than families

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. "Special interests should not have a louder voice. than middle-class families."

Jim Renacci (R): No stand found. Did support strengthening Federal Elections Commission.

Q: Support Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations & unions?

Sherrod Brown (D): No. "Corporations are not people." Supports amendment to overturn.

Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Considers political donations to be political speech--"the most protected speech there is."

On Government Reform: Photo-ID rules discourage people from voting

Sherrod Brown (D): No. Should be encouraging people. Photo-ID rules make it harder.

Jim Renacci (R): Unknown.

On Gun Control: Ban on assault weapons & high capacity magazines

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. Ban assault weapons & high-capacity magazines, expand background checks & raise age to 21.

Jim Renacci (R): No. Opposes bans on assault weapons & high capacity magazines & expanded background checks.

On Health Care: Repealing ObamaCare would devastate Ohio children

Sherrod Brown (D): Support & improve ACA. "Repeal would devastate Ohio children" & reduce access to opioid treatment.

Jim Renacci (R): Repeal ACA. Key to affordable healthcare is increasing competition, decreasing overhead.

On Immigration: Support DACA program: legal status for DREAMers

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. "We should not be targeting young people who are working, going to school, paying taxes & contributing to this country."

Jim Renacci (R): No. Voted in 2013 to overturn DACA program interim protection of Dreamers. Now supports Trump's approach-tying potential legalization to cuts in legal immigration & funding for border wall.

On Jobs: Increase federal minimum wage from $7.25/hr to $15

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. Phase in increase to $15.

Jim Renacci (R): Likely No. Rejected 2013 increase to $10.10.

On Social Security: No full nor partial privatization of Social Security

Sherrod Brown (D): No. Strong opponent.

Jim Renacci (R): Partial. Allow workers "to privately invest a portion of their payroll taxes."

On Tax Reform: Trump tax cuts apply to corporations that send jobs overseas

Sherrod Brown (D): No. "Outrageous that Senators . would try to take health care away from working families . to cut taxes on corporations that send jobs overseas."

Jim Renacci (R): Yes. They enable Ohio companies "to invest in workers, innovation, & future generations."

On Technology: Supports Net Neutrality (equal access to Internet)

Sherrod Brown (D): Yes. Strong supporter.

Jim Renacci (R): No recent statements found. Has previously opposed regulations supporting Net Neutrality.

On War & Peace: Keep nuke deal with Iran, but use remaining sanctions

Sherrod Brown (D): No. Use remaining sanctions instead of unraveling agreement.

Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Called Iran #1 state sponsor of terrorism.

On Free Trade: Longtime critic of NAFTA; re-negotiate to help Ohio workers

"We still need to review the text of the tentative agreement with Mexico, but this is an important step forward," said Brown. "We still have a lot of work to do to bring Canada on board and write the legislation needed to make any deal a reality, and I will keep working to make sure every detail is right for Ohio workers," said Brown, a longtime critic of NAFTA.

Senate Republican candidate Jim Renacci, who is opposing Brown in the November election, praised Trump for "following through with yet another promise by delivering a fairer and more reciprocal trading relationship with Mexico."

On Tax Reform: Help working families instead of millionaires & corporations

While the typical pharmacy worker or restaurant cook or cashier or janitor in Ohio will see an average tax cut of just $33 a month, someone making more than $830,000 a year will rake in $5,100 every single month in tax cuts. And the bill actually created a new set of incentives to reward corporations that outsource jobs.

We were promised that the corporate tax cuts would end up in workers' pockets in the form of higher wages. Instead, corporations have used their tax cut to buy back more than $700 billion of their own stock since the law passed. Stock buybacks don't support workers--they are a financial sleight of hand to boost shareholder profits and CEO bonuses.

On Homeland Security: Screen returning veterans for PTSD, and offer entitlements

SB: The Department of Defense and the VA knows veterans are returning home the moment they get home. One of the things we have done is better connect the two so they're talking to each other. We also want the VA to get the men and women coming home from overseas screened and tested for head injuries or potential post-traumatic stress disorder. We're also working to ensure veterans receive the reimbursements they're entitled to and have better care.

Q: What can the average American do to support veterans returning back to the U.S.?

SB: A lot of politicians vote to fund wars, but they're not willing to support veterans. The more people in Sandusky, Monroeville, Bellevue and Huron that speak out and support our veterans, the better Congress will respond.

On War & Peace: Pull soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan and end wars

Brown offered his opinions on war, politics and aiding veterans in an exclusive interview with the Register. Brown said, "A lot of politicians vote to fund wars, but they're not willing to support veterans."