Nonpartisan Candidate Guide: 2017 Alabama Special Election Senate Race

This guide outlines the positions of Doug Jones and Roy Moore.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

This guide outlines the positions of Alabama’s 2017 Special Election Senate candidates. For printable PDF and mobile versions, see campuselect.org.

To volunteer, visit dougjonesforsenate.com or roymoore.org

__________

Abortion: Should abortion be highly restricted?

Climate Change: Believe that human activity is the major factor driving climate change? Should government regulate certain aspects of energy industry, such as limiting greenhouse gases?

Jones: Yes. Negative impacts on our planet and health have “not been in dispute for decades.” We “must look to regulation and monitoring to slow changes.”

Moore: No. Declines to state current position. Has previous said there is “little hard evidence that carbon emissions cause changes to the global climate,” and “no constitutional authority for Congress to regulate carbon emissions.” Believes limiting emissions would be a crushing economic blow.

Economy: Support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?

Gay Marriage: Support gay marriage & related LGBTQ issues?

Jones: Yes. Fighting against discrimination in all forms is a top priority.

Gun Control: Support more restrictive gun control legislation?

Jones: No. Prioritize enforcement of current laws and improvements to background check system to prevent criminals and terrorists from getting guns while avoiding errors that keep law-abiding citizens from getting them.

Moore: No. Opposes expanding registration checks, calling them a national gun registration. Opposes bans on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines.

Healthcare: Support or Repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare?

Healthcare: Should Planned Parenthood be eligible to receive public funds for non-abortion health services?

Jones: Yes. They provide essential preventative and reproductive health care services and should be funded.

Moore: No. Funding should be stopped.

Immigration: Support the DREAM Act (DACA), which allows “Dreamers” who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children to achieve legal status if they meet certain conditions?

Jones: Yes. Will support legislative action to ensure its continuation.

Moore: No. Considers DACA an illegal governmental order, and believes the program should be ended.

Immigration: Should America’s 11 million undocumented residents have options for long-term work permits or an earned path to citizenship?

Jones: Yes. Supports both options.

Moore: No. Opposes both options.

International trade agreements: Support Trump’s current renegotiation of the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and his withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement?

Jones: No. Current agreements support 1 in 5 jobs in Alabama and it’s “foolish and foolhardy to attempt to retreat from the world.”

Marijuana: Legalize and/or decriminalize marijuana?

Jones: Yes. Legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize recreational use.

Moore: Let states determine medical use. No statement on recreational use.

Minimum Wage: Raise the federal minimum wage?

Jones: Yes. Strongly supports a federal “living wage” and equal pay for equal work.

Moore: No

Renewable Energy: Support government subsidies for renewable energy

Jones: Yes. Encouraging renewable energy creates jobs, makes us more energy independent; and reverses some negative climate change effects

Moore: Unclear. Foster development of nuclear, solar, wind, and fossil fuels; encourage coal mining and oil drilling; no clear position on subsidies.

Taxes: Support President Trump’s proposed tax cuts?

Jones: No. It is “unconscionable” to offer tax cuts and continued loopholes for the wealthiest at the expense of lower to moderate income families, especially while cutting funding for education, childcare, housing and infrastructure.

Moore: Partially. Supports reduction of taxes at all levels but prefers full reform to a flat tax or a tax on goods and services instead of on income.

Voting Rights: Support stricter voting rules such as voter ID requirements or reduced registration times, even if they prevent some people from voting?

Jones: No. We are “going backwards on access to the ballot box.” Supports proactive registration of 18-year-olds, early voting, absentee voting without cost for some voters, and transparent redistricting.

Moore: Unknown

__________

Created by the Campus Election Engagement Project, a non-partisan effort to help college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders engage their schools in the election. Key sites consulted included Votesmart.org, Ballotpedia.org, OntheIssues.org, FactCheck.org , Politifact.com, and public candidate statements.

Before You Go

LOADINGERROR LOADING

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot