Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Natalie Tennant vs. Shelley Moore-Capito Senate race? One that will give you an unbiased, no-spin comparison of candidate positions on key issues? That's what our Campus Election Engagement Project guide will give you! We are a national nonpartisan initiative working with college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders to increase student participation in America's elections. For the 2014 elections we have created and distributed voter guides to campuses in more than 20 states so they can provide their communities with accurate information for informed voting. Because these guides have been so well received and are useful for all voting citizens who want to be better informed, we are also posting them here.
We developed our guides by analyzing information from trusted resources such as www.votesmart.org, www.ontheissues.org, www.ballotpedia.com, www.politifact.com, www.factcheck.org, www.vote411.org and from candidate websites, public debates and interviews, and statements in major media outlets. We also showed them to groups like campus Young Republicans and Young Democrats at the schools we work with to verify their fairness and lack of bias.
So here are the issue-by-issue stands for Natalie Tennant and Shelley Moore-Capito, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper. (You can also find Iowa's Governor guide here.)
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: Yes
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: Yes
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No, but it should be debated.
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Economy: Do you support the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and sought to increase regulation of Wall Street corporations and other financial institutions?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Tennant: Strongly opposes EPA coal plant regulation. Does support research into carbon sequestration.
Moore-Capito: No
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Tennant: Supports an all-of-the-above approach including coal, gas, and renewables
Moore-Capito: No. Views federal involvement as inappropriate overreach that picks winners and losers, with coal plants being the losers.
Foreign Affairs: Should we use ground troops to respond to ISIS?
Tennant: "aggressive action to dismantle ISIS without committing American combat troops on the ground"
Moore-Capito: Unclear, though supported arming of Syrian opposition forces
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Tennant: Yes. Reflects what she calls a "change of heart" from previous position.
Moore-Capito: No
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: No
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Tennant: No--"will never go back to the days when insurance companies can deny insurance for someone with a pre-existing condition."
Moore-Capito: Yes. Should be repealed and replaced while maintaining popular elements.
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: No
Immigration: Do you support the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Tennant: No. "It might not be the decision I make, but I trust a woman making the health decision for herself." (See WSAZ candidate profile for Tennant.)
Moore-Capito: Supports some additional restrictions, but does not support all traditional elements of conservative position. (Opposes public funding for abortion and partial birth abortion and supports 20-week abortion ban but does not want to overturn Roe v. Wade. Is rated 30% by abortion-rights group NARAL and 55% by pro-life group National Right to Life. See Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, Moderate or Loyalist?)
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: Yes
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Tennant: Yes
Moore-Capito: No
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Tennant: No. Opposes any efforts to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into voucher system. (See Issues pages: Seniors on campaign website for details.)
Moore-Capito: Mixed--Supported Ryan budget with proposal for voucher type Medicare program but opposes privatization of Social Security. (See Moore-Capito's debate comments on this issue and Politifact.com analysis of the nature and potential impacts of a Medicare voucher program.)
Taxes: Have you signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to oppose any tax increases to raise revenue? (The answer to this question is taken from the database of signatories of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by Americans for Tax Reform. Signers to the pledge promise to oppose "any and all tax increases" meant to generate additional revenue.)
Tennant: No
Moore-Capito: Yes
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Tennant: Mainly unknown, but would raise cap on Social Security taxation to include more contributions from high income earners and would eliminate tax incentives for corporations that outsource jobs. (See Jobs, Business and Technology page on campaign website.)
Moore-Capito: Generally no, but would raise cap on Social Security taxation to include more contributions from high income earners.
Learn more about the candidates:
Tennant: Natalie Tennant Vote Smart pages and Natalie Tennant On the Issues pages
Moore-Capito: Shelley Moore-Capito Vote Smart pages and Shelley Moore-Capito On the Issues pages
Summary of debates and stands for both candidates:
Gazette-Mail article and
Herald Dispatch article
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Other senate candidates include Bob Henry Baber (Mountain), John Buckley (Libertarian), and Phil Hudok (Constitution). Due to limited space, we can't include their positions, but invite you to check out their websites.