Keith Stern in 2018 VT Governor's race


On Gun Control: Vermont won't be Vermont with all this gun legislation

Keith Stern is running for governor because he says the state needs to be saved. "I love Vermont but it's not going to be Vermont much longer," Stern said. "We now have an individual mandate law that's forcing some people to buy health insurance that they can't afford. We have gun legislation that doesn't do anything to make anybody safer, but they wanted gun legislation for the sake of passing gun legislation. It's issues like that."
Source: Vermont Public Radio on 2018 Vermont gubernatorial race Aug 10, 2018

On Tax Reform: Holding the line won't work; cut taxes and fees

Stern clearly wasn't accepting the incumbent's claim of holding the line on tax increases and fees as a final economic solution. He said he decided to enter the governor's race when he saw that the state budget chugged along merely by not raising taxes, adding that such an approach, without tax cuts, will ultimately fail. "We have such high taxes in this state," Stern said. "And then to just say 'we're not going to raise taxes (because) this is the solution, we're fine,' this is not acceptable."
Source: True North Reports on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Jul 26, 2018

On Immigration: Supports Trump's crack down on undocumented immigrants

In the first debate in his bid for re-election, Gov. Scott stepped into a community TV studio with his sole challenger in the upcoming Republican primary, Keith Stern. The two candidates diverged on their approach to immigration. While Stern supports President Donald Trump's recent efforts to crack down on undocumented immigrants, Scott said he supports legal immigration and the cities and towns in Vermont that want to take in more refugees. "We need more people in Vermont," he said.
Source: VTDigger.org on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Jul 25, 2018

On Tax Reform: Supports new tax reform and wants Vermont to cut taxes also

Stern says Vermont's current path forward is not sustainable. "The thing is, there are so many people that can't afford taxes in this state. To celebrate, here you go, we are not going to raise, not make it any more unaffordable for you, that is it not an answer," Stern said. Stern supports Trump's tax reform efforts and says the Green Mountain State needs to cut taxes. He differs on newly imposed international tariffs, saying new taxes only hurt the consumer.
Source: VTDigger.org on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Jul 25, 2018

On Families & Children: Paid family leave and $15 hour wage would hurt his business

On his website, Stern said that he and his wife make "a comfortable living," but he also told Vermont Public Radio during an interview that an employer requirement for paid family leave or a $15 minimum wage would probably put him out of business.
Source: Valley News on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Jul 20, 2018

On Abortion: Pro-life advocate but will not interfere with settled law

Stern is also pro-life, but said he wouldn't interfere with "settled law" making abortions legal if elected. "If it ever got brought up, and I had to decide, I'd have to think long and hard," Stern said.
Source: Stowe Today on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Jun 21, 2018

On Drugs: Send drug addicts to treatment & dealers to boot camp

Stern said he would handle the opioid crisis by cracking down on offenders and expanding treatment.ÿ "We have to spend more money on treatment centers," he said. "My plan is for drug dealers to go to prison boot camp. These people don't have respect for others. They don't have discipline, no sense of responsibility. People need to learn that to become useful citizens."
Source: Mountain Times on 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race Aug 31, 2017

The above quotations are from 2018 Vermont Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
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Page last updated: Aug 10, 2019