Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Jeanne Shaheen vs. Scott Brown 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 Jeanne Shaheen and Scott Brown, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper.
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Ambiguous position. Has criticized Shaheen for her vote, but supported earlier debt limit increases while in the Senate.
Budget: Do you support a constitutional Balanced Budget amendment?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Yes
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No--Voted against it
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Yes
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Unknown
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No. Supports phase out of long-term unemployment benefits
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?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Voted for the final legislation; successfully removed $19 billion tax on banks and decreased limits on banking investment activities. (For more information on Brown's position see his speech on Wall Street Reform bill and a Boston.com article about his increasing levels of support from the financial sector over time.)
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Ambiguous. Has voted for stimulus measures, but says the 2009 stimulus did not create any new jobs.
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No because of tax increase involved. (Supports students consolidating loans at market rates, but won't support tax increase. Supported subsidizing student loan rates using revenue from cutting preventive health care programs. Voted against bill that removed subsidies to banks on student loans. View the details of Brown's plan here)
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: In 2014 primaries, said no. More recently called climate change "a combination of manmade and natural" causes (For more information on the evolution of Scott Brown's position on climate change, see his earlier position and his most recent stance.)
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Yes
Foreign Affairs: Should the US return troops to Iraq to counter the insurgency?
Shaheen: Ambiguous. Supports air strikes.
Brown: Would consider troop commitments.
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Shaheen: Supports prohibition on assault weapons
Brown: No
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Yes
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Ambiguous. Said "everyone's to blame" and that Democrats should have accepted delay in Obamacare implementation. (See more on Brown's views regarding the shutdown.)
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?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: 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?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No
Marijuana: Do you support efforts to decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana?
Shaheen: No
Brown: No
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Believes should be legal but supports parental notification laws and restriction on late term abortions
Social Issues: Should for-profit employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Yes. Cosponsored amendment allowing this (For more information, see Brown's position on the Blunt amendment)
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: Yes
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security or Medicare?
Shaheen: No
Brown: Unknown--opposed Ryan budget Medicare privatization
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.)
Shaheen: No
Brown: Yes
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Shaheen: Yes
Brown: No. See Above
Learn more about the candidates:
Shaheen: Jeanne Shaheen Vote Smart pages and Jeanne Shaheen On the Issues pages
Brown: Scott Brown Vote Smart pages and Scott Brown On the Issues pages
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Other senate candidates include Gardner Goldsmith (Libertarian). Due to limited space, we can't include his positions, but invite you to check out his website.