NONPARTISAN CANDIDATE GUIDE: 2018 WISCONSIN’S SENATOR RACE
Created by the Campus Election Engagement Project, a nonpartisan effort to help college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders engage their schools in the election. Key sites consulted included Votesmart.org, OntheIssues.org, FactCheck.org, Politifact.com, and public candidate statements. For guides to local races, see Vote411.org from the League of Women Voters and Ballotready.org. For more detailed information visit their votesmart.org pages.
Visit tammybaldwin.com and leahvukmir.com to volunteer. To download a printable pdf version of this guide, click here.
Abortion: Mostly ban or mostly legal?
Baldwin – Legal. Consistent support for making it the woman’s choice.
Vukmir – Ban “in all cases,” with no exceptions, including rape, incest, or mother’s life.
Campaign Finance: Require political ads to disclose their largest funders & prohibit foreign corporations from spending money in US elections?
Baldwin – Yes. Cosponsored 2017 DISCLOSE Act. Says overturn Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which helped flood US elections with unlimited secret money.
Vukmir – No. Helped pass WI bills easing campaign spending rules, limiting disclosure of contributions & tightening boundaries on corruption investigations, which their opponents called “political witch hunts.”
Climate Change: Consider climate change a serious threat? Limit or tax production of greenhouse gases?
Baldwin – Yes. “Global climate change poses a growing threat to our planet, our country, our Great Lakes & Wisconsin.” Reaffirmed support for Paris Accord after Trump’s withdrawal.
Vukmir – No. To Baldwin: “I’m amazed that you support government intervention to end global warming or climate change or whatever Al Gore’s buzzword is these days,” but not to protect “human life in the womb.”
Contraception: Let employers withhold coverage if disagree with it morally?
Baldwin – No. Considers critical to women’s health.
Vukmir – Yes. Prohibit mandatory contraceptive coverage.
Economy: Support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Baldwin – Yes. Invest in core infrastructure, paid by closing tax loopholes.
Vukmir – No. “Congress is addicted to spending our money.”
Economy: Support President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?
Baldwin – Qualified yes. Send message “to bad actors like China,” but support those hurt by retaliatory tariffs.
Vukmir – Qualified yes. Free trade advocate but “willing to give the president the time to negotiate fairer deals.”
Education: Provide vouchers to parents to send their children to private schools with public money?
Baldwin – No. Opposes “giving taxpayer dollars to private schools.”
Vukmir – Yes. “I want schools competing for enrollment.”
Elections: Support nonpartisan redistricting to address charges of partisan gerrymandering?
Baldwin – Yes. “Partisan gerrymandering is an attack on our democracy.”
Vukmir – Helped draw districts that court reversed as “unconstitutional political gerrymander.”
Environment: Support cutbacks of Environmental Protection Administration?
Baldwin – No. Will continue to try to restore full EPA funding & oppose new cuts.
Vukmir – Likely yes. Board member of ALEC, which considers many EPA actions overregulation.
Financial Regulation: Support cutbacks of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
Baldwin – No. Strong historical supporter.
Vukmir – Unknown.
Gay Marriage: Support gay marriage?
Baldwin – Yes. Supreme Court decision was “a victory for freedom, fairness & equality.”
Vukmir – No. Defended WI law only recognizing marriages between 1 man & 1 woman.
Gun Control: Support more restrictive gun control legislation?
Baldwin – Yes. For more background checks & high-capacity magazine & bump stock bans.
Vukmir – No. “100% pro-gun.” Would approach any 2nd Amendment law skeptically.
Healthcare: Support or Repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare?
Baldwin – Support. “Take repeal off the table & work to improve.” Ultimately prefers Medicare for All.
Vukmir – Repeal. “Leah supports full repeal of Obamacare. Period.”
Healthcare: Give Planned Parenthood public funds for non-abortion care?
Baldwin – Yes. Planned Parenthood provides “essential care & preventive services.“
Vukmir – No public funding for Planned Parenthood.
Immigration: Support path to citizenship for America’s 11 million illegal immigrants, including “DACA” recipients or “Dreamers,” who grew up in the US after being brought here illegally as children?
Vukmir – First build a wall. “Then we can talk about a process for those DACA residents.” Other illegal immigrants must first return to country of origin before applying for citizenship.
Iran: Quit treaty limiting Iran nuclear ability while lifting economic sanctions?
Baldwin – No. “Breaking [the agreement] will not make us safer.”
Vukmir – Yes. “It was a foolish & dangerous deal… now in the wastebasket of history.”
Marijuana: Legalize or decriminalize marijuana?
Baldwin – Yes. Early supporter of medical. Sponsored bill to remove federal penalties & let states decide.
Vukmir – No. Opposes recreational use & believes that “as a Schedule 1 drug… it has very little medical use.”
Minimum Wage: Raise the federal minimum wage?
Baldwin – Yes. Raise from current $7.25 to $15/hr. People who work hard should be able to provide for their families.
Vukmir – No. Voted to block cities from raising their local minimum wages. Led efforts to repeal Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law.
Net Neutrality: Make internet providers provide equal access to all users?
Baldwin – Yes. Internet must not “become a two-tiered system.”
Vukmir – Unknown.
President Trump: Response to President Trump’s actions & policies?
Baldwin – Voted with him 24% of time. Challenged him for not acting on “Buy American.”
Vukmir – Strong current supporter.
Privatization: Support full or partial privatization of Social Security?
Baldwin – Long opposed.
Vukmir – Backed Personal Retirement Accounts for portion of Social Security payroll taxes.
Renewable Energy: Support government subsidies for renewable energy?
Baldwin – Strong supporter.
Vukmir – No. Opposes.
Student debt: Refinance student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on high earners?
Baldwin – Yes. Voted for 2017 bill to do this. Also expand Pell grants.
Vukmir – No. “We have to get the federal government out of the business of loans.”
Taxes: Support President Trump’s tax cuts?
Baldwin – No. Overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy & major corporations.
Vukmir – “Tired of garbage talking points that these tax cuts will only benefit the wealthy.”
Voting Rights: Support stricter voting rules such as photo-ID requirements?
Baldwin – No. New Wisconsin voting requirements harm participation.
Vukmir – Yes. Pleased Supreme Court refused the challenge to WI photo-ID law.
