Corky Messner in 2020 NH Senatorial race


On Abortion: Ban abortion after 20 weeks; no government funding

Q: Keep abortion legal or ban?

Corky Messner: Mostly ban. Ban after 20 weeks. Supports rule barring U.S. support for health care NGOs that in any part of their work provide, refer or promote abortion.

Jeanne Shaheen: Legal. Worked to block Planned Parenthood cuts and to protect access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other health services.

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Civil Rights: Horrific that students learn about transgender

Q: Support same-sex marriage and extension of LGBTQ protections against discrimination?

Corky Messner: Unclear. "What they're teaching kids in school [about `transgender'] is horrific." "Transgenders in military's OK, as long as there's no distraction from the mission."

Jeanne Shaheen: Yes. "Elated" by Supreme Court decision for marriage equality. Co-sponsored Equality Act that adds explicit protections for LGBTQ Americans to the nation's civil rights laws.

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Crime: We need law and order; get bad cops out of the system

Q: Restrict police use of force and increase public oversight?

Corky Messner: No. "We need law and order." Reform law enforcement "to the extent that bad cops are out of the system" and have "better training . to de-escalate problems."

Jeanne Shaheen: Yes. Ban choke holds; address police reform at its core; "compromise between people who want to totally redefine it and those who don't want to change it at all."

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Energy & Oil: Climate changes just part of earth's life cycle

Q: Consider human-caused climate change a serious threat?

Corky Messner: No. "No one really knows" about human impact on climate change. Climate changes are "just part of the earth's life cycle." "Improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions create incentives to shift to modern, cleaner manufacturing processes."

Jeanne Shaheen: Yes. Introduced bill directing administration to meet Paris Climate Agreement standards. Supports funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Environment: Against overreach of environmental regulations

Q: Tighten or loosen environmental protections?

Corky Messner: Loosen. "I am against the overreach of environmental regulations."

Jeanne Shaheen: Tighten. Opposed repeal of Obama-era Clean Power Plan. Trump is "pursuing a policy that puts the well-being of the fossil fuel industry over American lives."

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Immigration: For border wall to stop flow of illegal immigrants & drugs

Q: Support expanded border walls?

Corky Messner: Yes. Supports Trump's wall to "secure the southern border to put an end to illegal immigration" and "help stop and slow the flow of illegal drugs."

Jeanne Shaheen: No. Opposed diverting military funding to pay for wall "that President Trump promised Mexico would pay for." Supports common-sense strong security at our borders.

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Jobs: There should be no federal minimum wage; leave to states

Q: Raise federal hourly minimum wage above current $7.25/hour?

Corky Messner: No. "This is a state issue; there should be no federal minimum wage."

Jeanne Shaheen: Yes. Has supported Raise the Wage Act "so that we can help lift families out of poverty and improve our economy."

Source: CampusElect survey of 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Sep 30, 2020

On Homeland Security: Build up defense but spend money wisely

On the military: "I would say that I would be more aggressive than the president on government deregulation, although the president has been very aggressive," he said. "I would be more aggressive than the president on making sure the Pentagon spends its money wisely, though I agree with the president in his spending to build up the defense of the country.
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Aug 30, 2020

On Crime: Criminal investigation requested of Messner Foundation

A former chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court has requested a criminal investigation into a charitable foundation run by Messner. The letter accuses Messner of running a fraudulent foundation purported to help low-income college students. It was spurred by a Washington Post article describing how the Foundation awarded just one scholarship in its first 10 years.

Messner's campaign says the scholarship program did not begin until 2016 and that a second student recently was awarded funds.

Source: National Public Radio on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Aug 12, 2020

On Civil Rights: Black Lives Matter is revolutionary, don't defund police

Q: What is one specific action you would take if elected to combat systemic racism?

Messner: The first thing I would do is I would bring together a group of people to broadly discuss issues around race in this country, and I would bring together people from various factions, including those African-Americans who view the race issue in a different way than what we hear from the left.

Q: Do you support the Black Lives Matter movement?

Corky Messner: I do not. I think the Black Lives Matter movement is a revolutionary movement. For example their support of defunding police, I do not support. Safety and security is important. Are there certain reforms that need to be made to law enforcement? Absolutely. But the idea of totally defunding police, I do not support. We need law and order. We need safety and security.

Source: National Public Radio on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Jul 9, 2020

On Health Care: COVID: Supports wearing a mask, against mandatory mask order

You know, it's interesting about masks. In my reading about the H1N1 pandemic in 2010, I found part of a paper that was talking about masks, and it was the same debate that's going on now. And so, yes, I support wearing a mask. No, I don't support a mandatory mask order.
Source: National Public Radio on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Jul 9, 2020

On Health Care: We need tort reform, allow market forces to work

We need tort reform in health care. Frivolous lawsuits add a tremendous amount of money to our health care system, and that will help bring down the costs, if we have tort reform. I think the thing we ought to keep in place is allowing people, children to stay on their health insurance until the age of 26. I think that's a good thing. But it's very important to get the cost of health care down, that we allow more market forces to work here, including transparency.
Source: National Public Radio on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Jul 9, 2020

On Principles & Values: Against vandalism, but take down Confederate statues

I think it's important that we look at what's going on with respect to monuments and statues and identify the various vandalism that has been going on. I think with respect to monuments to Confederate generals and honoring the Confederacy, yes, those statues need to come down. I believe that some of those statues should be in museums with full disclosure of what those folks did and what the Confederacy stood for.
Source: National Public Radio on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Jul 9, 2020

On Crime: Arrested for DUI in 1995, pled guilty to lesser charge

According to Colorado court documents, Messner was arrested on Oct. 28, 1995, on driving under the influence and reckless driving charges as well as a failure to drive within marked lanes violation in Boulder, CO. Messner later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on June 18, 1996, received a 12-month suspended sentence and fines. Messner, in a statement, said the incident was a mistake but one he learned from.
Source: The Concord Patch on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race Jun 19, 2020

On Budget & Economy: Support a Balanced Budget Amendment

Support saving measures like the "Penny Plan" and a Balanced Budget Amendment. The United States currently has $24.9 trillion national debt with no cash reserves to respond to a crisis.
Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Education: No restrictions on education dollars including homeschooling

Send Federal education dollars to states without restrictions for online learning, high school-earned college credits, homeschooling, charter schools and/or innovations in special education.
Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Free Trade: Incentives to move labor from rogue countries like China

Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Government Reform: Eliminate unnecessary rules and regulations

Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Gun Control: Against erosion of First & Second Amendment Rights

Stand-up to the attack and erosion of our liberties provided to us under the Constitution, especially attempts to weaken our First and Second Amendment Rights.
Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Health Care: Reduce regulations, provide waivers for Medicare, Medicaid

Continue to reduce regulations and provide waivers in Medicare and Medicaid, to help our seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Homeland Security: Invest in a strong national defense, latest technology

Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Tax Reform: Reduce taxes on small business; accelerated depreciation

Source: 2020 New Hampshire Senate website CorkyForSenate.com Jun 3, 2020

On Principles & Values: Millennials aren't supporters of government socialism

The media would have you believe that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the leader of the millennial demographic. She is not. Ocasio-Cortez argues that millennials need an all-powerful, constantly regulating big government to build and sustain their lives. While she panders to millennials for political gain, true next generation leaders will show their friends and colleagues a way of life that is much better than one spent relying on government and socialism.
Source: Fox News on 2020 New Hampshire Senate race May 11, 2020

The above quotations are from 2020 New Hampshire Senatorial race: debates and news coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2020 New Hampshire Senatorial race: debates and news coverage.
Click here for other excerpts by Corky Messner.
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Corky Messner on other issues:
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Jobs
Principles
Social Security
Tax Reform
Technology
War/Peace
Welfare
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Page last updated: Feb 07, 2021