Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Mike Enzi vs. Charlie Hardy Wyoming 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 Mike Enzi and Charlie Hardy, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper.
Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Unknown
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: Unknown
Budget: In order to reduce the deficit do you support reducing defense spending?
Enzi: Has supported some cuts in the past. Offered preliminary support for so-called Gang of Six plan to cut $1.4 trillion from discretionary appropriations, including military spending. Unlikely to support additional defense cuts.
Hardy: Yes. Believes defense spending is out of control
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes. Campaign finance reform is prime issue
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Enzi: Yes. Strongly opposes limits on special interest donations and voted against constitutional amendment to overrule Citizens United.
Hardy: No. Does not accept money from corporations or PACS; took "Pledge to Amend" in which candidates for public office sign on for a Constitutional amendment stating that money is not speech and artificial entities like corporations don't have the same constitutional rights that human beings do. Challenged Enzi to do the same. (See Challenger Rages Against the Money Machine)
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Enzi: No--Believes it would harm small business. ("One cannot credibly claim to be helping workers while at the same time hurting the businesses that employ them, especially under the guise of helping working families." Quote taken from Enzi's floor speech on Minimum Wage Fairness Act.)
Hardy: Yes--Raise to help people, reduce need for public assistance, and boost economy.
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Enzi: Dependent upon being able to pay for it without increasing national debt.
Hardy: Unknown
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?
Enzi: No-- Announced intention to sponsor bill repealing Act.
Hardy: Yes
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes-- Would go further to support near-zero student loan rates and free tuition for people who've served in the military, Peace Corps, or Americorps.
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Enzi: No. Voted to bar EPA from regulating.
Hardy: Yes
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Enzi: No. Strongly opposes prioritizing green energy. Supports continues oil subsidies and opposes decreasing them.
Hardy: Supports development of renewable energy. Implied support for subsidies of renewables, but no clear position found
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Enzi: No--Wants to repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Hardy: No--But wants to prevent felons from having access and opposes arming teachers.
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: No
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: No
Immigration: Do you support the D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they've graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
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?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Marijuana : Do you support efforts to decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Iraq: Should the US recommit troops to Iraq to combat the rise in insurgency?
Enzi: Believes Congress should vote on response to ISIS
Hardy: Unknown
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Enzi: Yes--Exceptions only for rape, incest and to save life of mother
Hardy: No
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: Unknown
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Enzi: No
Hardy: Yes
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: No
Taxes: Have you signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose "any and all" tax increases to raise revenue?
Enzi: Yes
Hardy: No
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Enzi: No--Has pledged to oppose any tax increase that would raise revenue
Hardy: Unknown
Learn more about the candidates:
Enzi: Mike Enzi Vote Smart pages and Mike Enzi On the Issues pages
Hardy: Charlie Hardy Vote Smart pages and Hardy On the Issues pages
Both candidates: League of Women Voters summary.