North Carolina State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No

3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- No

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- I am 100 percent pro-choice. I do not believe a member of the legislature should stand between women and their doctors.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into North Carolina's "rainy day" fund
- Yes

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- No

3. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No

4. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- Yes

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

1. Education (higher)
- Greatly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Greatly Increase

4. Health care
- Greatly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Greatly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

7. Welfare
- Greatly Increase

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Alcohol taxes
- Greatly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Increase

4. Small business taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Slightly Increase

6. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Eliminate

9. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Greatly Increase

11. Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
- Yes

12. Other or expanded principles
- According to USA Today, North Carolina ranks fourth among all states where the middle class is dying. Working and middle-class families are working hardertoday than a decade ago. To build an economy that works for all North Carolinians, we need to cut taxes for the middle class and make the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

7. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

1. Other or expanded principles
- I believe that we will never maximize our educational and economic opportunity unless we reform our political system. I will fight and undo the United States Supreme Court?s Citizens United decision that overwhelmingly tilts the political system in favor of billionaires. Our citizens deserve a democracy that works for all people, not just politicians. To restore our democracy, I will push for an open, efficient and accountable government. And, I will push to expand our voting rights because he believes voting is the foundation of our democracy.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes

3. Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- No Answer

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

5. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

6. Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Economic

1. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

4. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

7. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes

9. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- Yes

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- Yes

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- No

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from North Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I believe nothing is more important than ensuring children are able to reach their potential. In the Senate, I will fight every day to restore the funding Republicans cut from public schools, to raise teacher salaries to above the national average, and to reduce the amount of classroom time spent on high-stakes standardized testing.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- Yes

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to North Carolina's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

4. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I will crack down on the big coal companies that pollute our rivers and air - and will work to combat climate change by making clean, renewable energy like wind and solar more accessible and affordable for North Carolina families and businesses.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in gun reform that keeps guns away from those who commit domestic abuse and those on the terrorist watch list.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No Answer

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- No Answer

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No Answer

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I believe we expand Medicaid coverage for more than a half million North Carolinians so they have basic access to health care.

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

4. Based on the religious beliefs of the owners, should businesses be allowed to refuse services to their employees and/or customers?
- No

5. Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificates?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- First, I believe we must invest more in public education from early childhood education to the university level. Specifically, such an investment must include raising teacher pay by five percent each year over the next five years (the "5 x 5" plan). Second, I believe we must reduce our income inequality by (1) cutting the personal income tax rate for middle-class families; (2) restore the earned income tax credit; and (3) restore childcare subsidies. I believe we can pay for both these priorities by ending tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.