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VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Fight to protect a woman's right to choose: Strongly Favors topic 1 Require pharmacies to fulfill contraceptive prescriptions: Favors topic 1 Sponsored banning anti-abortion limitations on abortion services: Strongly Favors topic 1 Access safe, legal abortion without restrictions: Strongly Favors topic 1 Keep federal funding for family planning clinics: Strongly Favors topic 1 Rated Born-Alive Survivors bill tries to illegalize abortion: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: Strongly Favors topic 2 Constitutional Amendment for women's equal rights: Strongly Favors topic 2 More funding & services for victims of domestic violence: Strongly Favors topic 2 Enforce against wage discrimination based on gender: Strongly Favors topic 2 YES on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act: Favors topic 2
Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+2 points on Social scale)	CT statutes do not allow same-sex marriage licenses: Strongly Opposes topic 3 Prohibit sexual-identity discrimination at schools: Strongly Favors topic 3 Enforce against anti-gay discrimination in public schools: Strongly Favors topic 3 Let states recognize same sex marriage: Favors topic 3 Maintain LGBT health info on federal websites: Strongly Favors topic 3
Opposes topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (+2 points on Social scale)	Comprehensive sex ed for sexually-active adolescents: Opposes topic 4
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	End unfair copays charged to veterans for contraception: Strongly Favors topic 5 ObamaCare is a start to national reform: Strongly Favors topic 5 New health law is a start but does not do enough: Strongly Favors topic 5 Merge Alzheimers diagnosis and care benefit: Favors topic 5 NO on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts: Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	Protecting Medicare and Social Security from cutbacks: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Sponsored keeping CPI for benefits instead of lower "Chained CPI": Strongly Opposes topic 6 Rated 100% by ARA, indicating a pro-Trust Fund stance: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Endorsed Endorsed by NCPSSM for protecting Social Security and Medicare: Strongly Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	More resources for teaching as a profession: Opposes topic 7
Strongly Opposes topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (+5 points on Social scale)	Fought unfair utility rates & environmental wrongdoing: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Regulate all dog breeders down to kennels of 50 dogs: Opposes topic 8 Prohibit invasive research on great apes: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Prohibits breeding or possessing Big Cat species: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Sponsored enforcing against illegal ocean fishing: Opposes topic 8 Require labeling genetically engineered food: Opposes topic 8 YES on protecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems: Opposes topic 8
Favors topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (-3 points on Social scale)	Crack down on sexual predators; end domestic violence: Favors topic 9 Rated 73% by the NAPO, indicating a moderate stance on police issues: Neutral on topic 9
Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-3 points on Economic scale)	Sued gun manufacturers to withdraw gun designs: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Ban large-capacity ammunition: Opposes topic 10 Co-sponsored background check for every firearm sale: Strongly Favors topic 10 Sponsored bill for background checks for private transfers: Strongly Favors topic 10 YES on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Strongly Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Nation's wealthiest don't need extension of Bush tax breaks: Strongly Favors topic 11 Don't hold middle-income tax cut hostage to wealthiest 2%: Favors topic 11 Extend Bush tax cuts only for people earning under $250K: Favors topic 11 Minimum tax rate of 30% for those earning over $1 million: Strongly Favors topic 11
Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+2 points on Social scale)	Enact comprehensive solution; piecemeal approach fails: Strongly Favors topic 12 Crack down on employers of illegal immigrants: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Comprehensive reform, to avoid patchwork of state laws: Favors topic 12 Provide lawyers and evidence for children being deported: Favors topic 12 Terminate national emergency at the Southern border: Favors topic 12 Increase both high-skill and family-based visa caps: Favors topic 12 Sponsored bill to disallow religion-based immigration ban: Strongly Favors topic 12
Opposes topic 13: Support & expand free trade (-3 points on Economic scale)	Protect "Made in the USA" and "Made in Connecticut": Strongly Opposes topic 13 Impose tariffs against countries which manipulate currency: Opposes topic 13 Fight Chinese predatory trade practices on car tires: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Rated Voted FOR reauthorizing Ex-Im Bank: Strongly Favors topic 13 $25B more loans from Export-Import Bank: Strongly Favors topic 13 Rated 50% by the USAE, indicating a mixed record on trade: Neutral on topic 13 Ban imports from Xinjiang made by Uyghur forced labor: Opposes topic 13
Favors topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (+2 points on Economic scale)	Disallow Palestine from joining ICC to threaten Israel: Favors topic 14 Welcome 10,000 Syrian refugees now, and more later: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank: Favors topic 14 Sponsored bill to monitor forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang: Strongly Favors topic 14
Strongly Favors topic 15: Expand the military (-5 points on Social scale)	Deeply committed to a strong national defense: Strongly Favors topic 15 Exempt Veterans Affairs from federal hiring freeze: Favors topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Require full disclosure of independent campaign expenditures: Strongly Favors topic 16 No photo IDs to vote; they suppress the vote: Favors topic 16 Matching fund for small donors, with debate requirements: Favors topic 16 Statehood for the District of Columbia: Favors topic 16 Sponsored bill for election holiday & easier voting access: Strongly Favors topic 16 Sponsored bill to expand voter registration and voter access: Strongly Favors topic 16
No opinion on topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (0 points on Social scale)	China is watching what we do in Ukraine: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Cautious support of Iran nuclear deal; needs more oversight: Favors topic 17 Withdraw US combat troops from Iraq: Strongly Favors topic 17 Iranian nuclear weapons: prevention instead of containment: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Iran must accept long-term intrusive nuke inspection: Opposes topic 17 No military force against Iran without Congress approval: Strongly Favors topic 17
Strongly Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Cap-and-trade OK; fuel cells & clean energy better: Strongly Favors topic 18 America must win race for Green Energy: Strongly Favors topic 18 50% clean and carbon free electricity by 2030: Strongly Favors topic 18 Green New Deal: 10-year national mobilization: Favors topic 18 NO on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases: Favors topic 18
No opinion on topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (0 points on Social scale)	Rated C by NORML, indicating a mixed record on drug reform: Neutral on topic 19 Keep ObamaCare's prevention, treatment, & recovery services: Opposes topic 19 Criminalize imports of opioid precursors: Favors topic 19
Strongly Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-5 points on Economic scale)	More job training and more R&D tax credits: Strongly Favors topic 20 Extending Bush tax cuts for wealthiest 2% is wrong: Strongly Favors topic 20 Rated 86% by UFCW, indicating an anti-management/pro-labor record: Favors topic 20 Raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2016: Favors topic 20 $1.9 trillion ARPA bill for COVID relief: Favors topic 20

Richard Blumenthal is a Populist-Leaning Liberal
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