VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+2 points on Social scale)	Personal aversion but recognizes as law of the land: Favors topic 1 Law of the land is Casey v. Planned Parenthood; I'll keep it: Strongly Favors topic 1 Planned Parenthood does a lot of good: Favors topic 1 No funding for abortion; other restrictions ok: Opposes topic 1 Government ill-equipped to address abortion; it's personal: Favors topic 1 No federal funding for stem cell research: Opposes topic 1 Women's right to choose until fetal viability: Favors topic 1 Right to choose up until viability of the fetus: Favors topic 1 Leave the decision up to the woman: Strongly Favors topic 1 Opposes legal protections starting at conception: Favors topic 1
No opinion on topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (0 points on Economic scale)	It's racism to judge others by their birth, like Trump does: Favors topic 2 Each state has right to display Confederate flag: Opposes topic 2 Yes, equal pay for equal work, but hesitate on legislation: Favors topic 2 No affirmative action in college admissions nor state jobs: Strongly Opposes topic 2 Support principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment: Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+5 points on Social scale)	Individual liberty includes supporting gay marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3 States have the right to display the Confederate flag: Strongly Opposes topic 3 Workplace discrimination against gays is like race in 1960s: Strongly Favors topic 3 No, bakers can't deny a wedding cake to same-sex couples: Strongly Favors topic 3 Denying gay couples the right to marry is discrimination: Strongly Favors topic 3 Refused 'Marriage Vow' pledge; it condemns gays & singles: Strongly Favors topic 3 I support gay unions; government out of marriage business: Strongly Favors topic 3 Overturn CA Prop. 8: Let gays marry: Strongly Favors topic 3
Favors topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (-3 points on Social scale)	The God that I speak to doesn't have a particular religion: Opposes topic 4 Vouchers OK for church childcare & church schools: Strongly Favors topic 4 Supports separation of religion and state: Opposes topic 4 Supports religious liberty: Favors topic 4
Strongly Opposes topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (+5 points on Economic scale)	Free-market approach to health coverage instead of ObamaCare: Strongly Opposes topic 5 US needs free market approach to health care, not government: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Run Medicare and Medicaid via states and municipalities: Opposes topic 5 Free market reduces prices with places like "Stitches R Us": Strongly Opposes topic 5 Catastrophic insurance ok; then free-market for the rest: Opposes topic 5 ObamaCare's promise of lower cost simply isn't happening: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Government-managed healthcare is insanity: Strongly Opposes topic 5 ObamaCare is unconstitutional; so is Bush's Medicare Rx plan: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Salud!: managed care for Medicaid recipients: Opposes topic 5 Repeal ObamaCare & failed Medicare prescription drug benefit: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Vetoed mental illness coverage parity with physical illness: Opposes topic 5 More federal funding for rural health services: Favors topic 5 Opposes Congressionally reforming Affordable Care Act: Opposes topic 5 Protect state tobacco settlement funds from federal seizure: Neutral on topic 5
Favors topic 6: Privatize Social Security (+2 points on Economic scale)	Some or all of Social Security should be privatized: Strongly Favors topic 6 Change eligibility rules for Medicare; and age for Soc.Sec.: Favors topic 6 Raise retirement age to 75: Favors topic 6 Create personal investment accounts: Strongly Favors topic 6 A portion of Social Security ought to be privatized: Strongly Favors topic 6 Open to personal accounts for Social Security: Strongly Favors topic 6 Change escalator from wage-based to inflation-based: Opposes topic 6 Maintain federal Social Services Block Grant funding: Favors topic 6 Maintain long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare: Opposes topic 6
Strongly Favors topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (+5 points on Economic scale)	Competition improves choices: Strongly Favors topic 7 Most outspoken governor in the country on school choice: Strongly Favors topic 7 No Common Core; state and local education instead: Favors topic 7 $3,500 voucher for every K-12 student: Strongly Favors topic 7 Vouchers are as constitutional as pre-school and day-care: Strongly Favors topic 7 Competition would make our schools better: Strongly Favors topic 7 Abolish Departments of Education and HUD: Strongly Favors topic 7 Give every student in New Mexico vouchers worth $3,500: Strongly Favors topic 7 Put educational funds in the hands of the people who use it: Strongly Favors topic 7 End the Department of Education: Favors topic 7 Favors charter schools as one priority to improve education: Favors topic 7 Opposes Common Core as a nationwide academic standard: Strongly Favors topic 7
Favors topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (-3 points on Social scale)	EPA has an important role to play: Opposes topic 8 Oversaw construction of 500 miles of new highway: Favors topic 8 Vetoed limits on number of pets people can own: Favors topic 8 More state autonomy on brownfields & Superfund cleanups: Favors topic 8 Create block grants for Agricultural Stewardship: Neutral on topic 8 Focus on prevention and states for Endangered Species: Strongly Opposes topic 8 State primacy over water quantity & quality issues: Favors topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+2 points on Social scale)	Stop & frisk isn't constitutional: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Men of color four times as likely to end up behind bars: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Too many unnecessary laws leads to too many in prison: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Vetoed early release of prisoners due to overcrowding: Favors topic 9 DNA evidence shows many people are mistakenly convicted: Strongly Opposes topic 9 1994: Proponent of death penalty, but willing to debate it: Favors topic 9 Death penalty as a public policy is flawed: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Don't risk putting innocent to death: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Half of crime is drug-related; legalizing drugs cuts crime: Opposes topic 9 Supports flexible federal block grants for crime programs: Neutral on topic 9 Zero tolerance for violence against government employees: Neutral on topic 9
Strongly Favors topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (+5 points on Economic scale)	More gun laws make us less safe: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Banning assault weapons just criminalizes the owners: Strongly Favors topic 10 Keep guns away from mentally ill & potential terrorists: Opposes topic 10 No-fly list is error-prone; don't use it to deny guns: Strongly Favors topic 10 Carrying guns reduces crime and mass shootings: Strongly Favors topic 10 Discuss keeping guns away from mentally ill: Favors topic 10 Against denying guns to people on government no-fly list: Strongly Favors topic 10 Concealed carry leads to less overall gun violence: Strongly Favors topic 10 Laws regarding guns are ineffective: Strongly Favors topic 10 Strongly opposes restrictive gun laws: Strongly Favors topic 10
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (+5 points on Economic scale)	Zero corporate tax would create tens of millions of jobs: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Revenue-neutral FairTax: life without the IRS: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Eliminate double taxation embodied in business income taxes: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Current tax code penalizes productivity & investment: Opposes topic 11 Replace inheritance tax with FairTax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 23% national sales tax while eliminating the IRS: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Replace job-killing tax code with FairTax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Reduce state personal income tax from 8.5% to 8%: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Eliminate corporate income tax as real way to create jobs: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Lower the tax burden; eliminate corporate tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 No national sales tax or VAT: Neutral on topic 11 Federal tax incentives for energy, with state decisions: Neutral on topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	WRONG to deport 11 million undocumented from US: Strongly Favors topic 12 No random deportations; just keep out criminals & terrorists: Strongly Favors topic 12 Mexicans are looking for work, not murder & rape: Favors topic 12 Deporting 11M illegal immigrants is based on misinformation: Strongly Favors topic 12 Make work visas as easy as possible: Strongly Favors topic 12 Would veto Arizona SB 1070 as Latino racial discrimination: Favors topic 12 Bigger border fence will only produce taller ladders: Strongly Favors topic 12 Arizona anti-immigrant law leads to racial profiling: Strongly Favors topic 12 A 10-foot wall just requires an 11-foot ladder: Favors topic 12 2 year grace period for illegals to get work visas: Favors topic 12 1 strike & you're out for legal immigrants who violate terms: Favors topic 12 Let some, but not all, illegal immigrants stay in US: Favors topic 12 We educate the world's best & brightest; why send them back?: Strongly Favors topic 12 Open the border; flood of Mexicans would become taxpayers: Strongly Favors topic 12 Mexican immigrants are pursuing same dreams we all have: Strongly Favors topic 12 Share costs of legal immigration between states & federal: Neutral on topic 12 Federal government should deal with criminal repatriation: Neutral on topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	Tariffs hurt U.S. industries: Strongly Favors topic 13 Free trade means more jobs and lower prices: Strongly Favors topic 13 Free trade, not isolationism; low spending, not taxes: Strongly Favors topic 13 I'm a real skeptic on trade agreements, but I would sign TPP: Strongly Favors topic 13 Free trade unfairly criticized for being crony capitalism: Strongly Favors topic 13 Flights to Cuba ok; trade promotes friendship: Strongly Favors topic 13 No tariffs, no restrictions; but no corporatism: Favors topic 13 Eliminate needless barriers to free trade: Strongly Favors topic 13 NAFTA benefits New Mexico; jobs lost are those we don't want: Strongly Favors topic 13
Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-3 points on Economic scale)	A ban based on religion violates our Constitution: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Knowing all the world facts just means we use military more: Opposes topic 14 Stay in the U.N., but stay out of foreign interventions: Opposes topic 14 Overturn simplistic, chaotic, reactive military policies: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Reactive military policies allow real threats to flourish: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Take our share of Syrian refugees; not too many but not zero: Opposes topic 14 America at peace with the world; avoid foreign entanglements: Opposes topic 14 Drones may create more adversaries than they eliminate: Opposes topic 14 No foreign aid spending unless it protects U.S. interests: Strongly Favors topic 14 Act in US self-interest, but wary of unintended consequences: Strongly Favors topic 14
Strongly Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+5 points on Social scale)	Cut 20% of military bases in US and abroad: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Should we have 100,000 troops on the ground in Europe?: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Cut spending by 43%, but not one penny from veteran benefits: Favors topic 15 Allies want more US military spending, but cut by 43%: Strongly Opposes topic 15 43% reduction in military spending; cut foreign aid too: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Balance budget by cutting entitlements AND Defense: Strongly Opposes topic 15
Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+2 points on Social scale)	Voter ID disproportionately restricts Hispanic voters: Strongly Favors topic 16 Citizens United decision protects First Amendment: Strongly Opposes topic 16 Strong advocate of term limits for governors & Congress: Favors topic 16 New SuperPAC, "Our America PAC", for principled candidates: Strongly Opposes topic 16 Sues to attempt to participate in presidential debate: Strongly Favors topic 16 Won 1994 with $510K of own money & not beholden: Strongly Favors topic 16 Full disclosure, but no limits on campaign donations: Strongly Opposes topic 16 No limits on corporate or PAC campaign donations: Strongly Opposes topic 16 Supports voting without photo id requirement: Strongly Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (+5 points on Social scale)	A "No-Fly zone" means war; no regime change in Syria: Strongly Favors topic 17 Boots on ground, bombs, & drones make things worse: Strongly Favors topic 17 Non-interventionist foreign policies: no regime changes: Strongly Favors topic 17 Exit Afghanistan now; same consequences as exiting later: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Our involvement with ISIS wasn't intentional but it happened: Opposes topic 17 ISIS has grown as a result of U.S. intervention in Mideast: Strongly Favors topic 17 No U.S. military intervention in Syria: Strongly Favors topic 17 American military interventions made terrorist problem worse: Strongly Favors topic 17 North Korea not capable of long-range nuclear missiles: Favors topic 17 Brains not bombs: cut off ISIS funding: Strongly Favors topic 17 We are no safer after years of failed nation-building abroad: Strongly Favors topic 17 Stop replacing bad guys with slightly-less-bad guys: Strongly Favors topic 17 Drone strikes create more terrorists: Favors topic 17 U.S. in Ukraine is like Russia intervening in Puerto Rico: Favors topic 17 Why were we in Benghazi or Libya at all?: Favors topic 17 Afghan nation-building will fail; withdraw immediately: Strongly Favors topic 17 No military threat from Iraq, Afghanistan, nor Libya: Strongly Favors topic 17 Iran is not currently a military threat: Strongly Favors topic 17 We wiped out al Qaeda 10 years ago; leave Afghanistan: Strongly Favors topic 17 Afghan War initially warranted, but not for 10 years: Strongly Favors topic 17 I opposed the Iraq War from the beginning: Strongly Favors topic 17 No Afghan timetable; start tomorrow & finish in a few months: Favors topic 17 Eliminate ineffective interventions in Iraq & Afghanistan: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Include states in anti-terrorism planning: Neutral on topic 17
Opposes topic 18: Prioritize green energy (+2 points on Economic scale)	Humans contribute to climate change, but no government role: Opposes topic 18 Federal regulation makes fracking, coal mining, & nuclear OK: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Support renewables, but not with federal policy: Favors topic 18 Cap-&-trade imposes costs with no environmental improvement: Opposes topic 18 No cap-and-trade; no taxing carbon emissions: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Voluntary partnerships reduce greenhouse gases economically: Neutral on topic 18 Kyoto Treaty must include reductions by all countries: Opposes topic 18 Collaborative, incentive driven, locally-based solutions: Neutral on topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (+5 points on Social scale)	Mass shootings result from War on Drugs "shoot first" notion: Strongly Opposes topic 19 No legalization of heroin, but apply harm reduction: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Marijuana has fewer side-effects than alcohol: no hangover: Strongly Opposes topic 19 States are finally seeing the failure of the War on Drugs: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Why do we tell adults what they can put in their bodies?: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Marijuana is safer than alcohol: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Harm-reduction: health issue rather than criminal issue: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug policy today parallels Prohibition in the 1920's: Strongly Opposes topic 19 War on Drugs is a miserable failure; $6M for treatment: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug use is up despite $30B spending on War on Drugs: Strongly Opposes topic 19 More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War: Favors topic 19 States should make drug policy, not feds: Neutral on topic 19 Supports legalizing and regulating marijuana: Strongly Opposes topic 19
Strongly Opposes topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (+5 points on Economic scale)	Cut government spending by 20%: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Cut taxes and cut spending: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Veto any legislation that will result in deficit spending: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Clinton promises spending programs but doesn't address debt: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Cut taxes; cut spending; level the playing field: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Taxes means government decides rather than people deciding: Opposes topic 20 National debt, approaching $20 trillion, is bankrupting us: Opposes topic 20 National debt of $20 trillion is obscene & unsustainable: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Cut federal budget by 43% to bring it into balance: Opposes topic 20 Replace job-killing tax code with FairTax: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Our debt is greatest threat to our national security: Opposes topic 20 Eliminate corporate income tax as real way to create jobs: Strongly Opposes topic 20 On verge of financial collapse unless we balance budget: Opposes topic 20 Lower the tax burden; eliminate corporate tax: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Balance budget by cutting entitlements AND Defense: Opposes topic 20