NEW MEXICO CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS 2014 INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS- FINAL SLATE PRIMARY CONCLUDED
New Mexico: 2014 Candidates for Congress – Where They Stand
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/new-mexico-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand?f=must_reads
To see the actual voting records of all incumbents on other issues such as Foreign Policy, Second Amendment Issues, Homeland Security, and other issues as well as their rankings by special interest groups please use the links followed by two stars (**).
U.S. Senate
Martin Heinrich (D) Next Election in 2018.
Tom Udall (D) Incumbent
http://www.tomudall.com/ http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/tom_udall.htm**
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
IMMIGRATION – Enacting a Fair Immigration Policy – People from around the world come to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They bring with them a hope for the future, a desire for success, and cultural vibrancy that makes America great. One of our greatest traditions as a nation, I believe, is our history of welcoming legal immigrants to our land to contribute. Comprehensive immigration reform is necessary to fix our broken borders and I believe that solutions to this problem need to also take into account the interests of families who have put down roots in our country.
I am encouraged by the Senate’s bipartisan proposal to secure our borders, bring undocumented individuals from the shadows and enhance our visa and employment verification systems. We have an extraordinary opportunity to pass a long-term, comprehensive solution to fix our immigration system. The law on the books today does not work and a piecemeal approach to reform will not result in the overhaul we need. There is much work ahead, but now is the time to work together to take meaningful action. America loses if we do nothing.
Securing our Borders – I serve as the head of the New Mexico Border Security Task Force. The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol work hard to protect our national security, often with too few staff and limited supplies. I am fighting to see that Customs and Border Protection personnel receive the necessary surveillance equipment and resources to effectively monitor our nation’s borders. I helped pass bipartisan legislation to toughen penalties for smugglers using ultralight aircraft to bring drugs across the border. I also worked to pass an amendment to make it easier to fund the construction and maintenance of patrol roads along the border.
As Chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee in charge of fighting the narcotics trade, and a member of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I will continue to press for international cooperation to stem the flow of drugs in the United States.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Afghanistan & Pakistan Our troops have served with distinction and honor in Afghanistan. The killing of Osama bin Laden marked the completion of a major goal since 9/11 and today Al Qaeda and their allies are both disrupted and damaged. I believe the progress we have made has paved the way for an accelerated transition of security in the country to Afghan forces.
We can’t deploy large forces of combat troops in Afghanistan forever. It’s simply unsustainable. An accelerated transition of our troops will give Afghans the incentive to take control of their country, while also showing the world that the U.S. is not an occupying power. It will also allow us to refocus our efforts on counterterrorism and other regional issues vital to our national security.
Middle East As a member of the House of Representatives, I voted against the war in Iraq. I believe it shifted our focus from the more important mission of targeting and disrupting the terrorists who attacked us from a Taliban-sponsored haven in Afghanistan. In 2009 we began a successful redeployment of combat troops out of Iraq and concluded combat operations in 2010. Across the Middle East, change is happening. Peaceful calls for democracy gave rise to new governments in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, but have also led to violent reprisals in countries such as Syria. I believe we must continue to engage with countries, and supporters of democracy, in the region and work to ensure that the new democracies have the support they need to transition. We must also continue our work with all stakeholders in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process while supporting Israel’s ability to defend itself.
ENERGY Voted against construction of the Keystone Pipeline without limiting amendments.
Doing it all will allow us to take control of our energy security and spur job growth through a clean energy economy. A sustainable American energy future requires a diverse portfolio, including more renewable sources like wind and solar, efficiency and conservation, along with traditional energy sources like natural gas, domestic oil, and nuclear power. It also means facing the threat of global warming. As a member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Tom supported creating a system of clean energy incentives and limits on pollution – policies that can reduce foreign oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating nearly two million jobs and billions of dollars in energy savings.
HEALTHCARE To provide every American with quality health care, control skyrocketing costs, and ensure that patients have choices, we need to improve our health care system. As the new health reform law, the Affordable Care Act, is being implemented, I continue to look for opportunities to assure access to affordable, quality health care, including health promotion and disease prevention opportunities, and building the health care workforce. Voted for and supports the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Opposed voting for malpractice reform.
Allen Weh (R) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
NATIONAL DEFENSE In George Washington’s first annual address to Congress on 8 January 1790, he said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” This fundamental truth is as appropriate today as it was more than 200 years ago. Moreover, the consequences of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of our nation’s enemies, who will not hesitate to use them, makes our vigilance and readiness more important than ever before.
Oftentimes, our national defense budget is the first place we look to cut to make room for non-defense spending. The Obama Administration cut the military and defense budgets to that of pre-WWII levels. According to the Heritage Foundation,” these cuts represent the largest and swiftest cuts to the American military and defense efforts that the world has seen in 75 years.” Fifty-percent of all budgetary cuts from the Budget Control Act of 2011 come from the Armed Forces, so our military is “suffering dramatically seeing as how only 17% of the overall budget is defense spending.”
The Heritage Foundation states that the Armed Forces will see $1.2 trillion in cuts to their budget over the next ten years under the Obama Administration. No other arm of the government has seen cuts this dramatic. In fact, every other arm of the government has grown exponentially under the Obama Administration.
The cuts to the military will hurt the United States’ ability to respond to a national crisis, terrorist attack, or global conflict. Our military leaders have warned that the budget cuts are preventing the Armed Forces from providing basic national security and defense. These warnings are not to be ignored. As soon as other countries see vulnerabilities in our national security, we become subject to conflict.
I believe the traditional role of military is what has served us best, so that our citizens and our allies are protected, and the United States Armed Forces preserves the reputation of being the strongest military in the world. Maintaining a strong national defense to protect peace and security is the best deterrence for a global conflict or threat to the United States and our allies.
HEALTHCARE Fixing the healthcare train wreck we’ve got now
GOVERNMENT AND REGULATIONS Ronald Reagan once said, “Government is not a solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Excessive government spending, high taxes and irrational regulations kill jobs and make us less competitive. If we want a healthy business climate, we need to stand up for small businesses and everyday Americans by letting them keep more of the money they earn. And in New Mexico, we want to encourage them to reinvest that money here at home.
I’ll work to get as many irrational and burdensome regulations as possible removed or rescinded, to get government off the backs of our businesses so they can do what they do best – provide services and goods, grow their companies, and create jobs.
U.S. CONGRESS
District 1
Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) Incumbent
http://www.michellelujangrisham.com/ https://lujangrisham.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Michelle_Lujan-Grisham.htm **
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE Benefits of the Affordable Care Act
- You can’t be denied coverage for pre-existing health conditions.
- Your child can stay on your health plan until age 26.
- Your health insurance company can’t cancel your health insurance just because you get sick.
- You may be eligible to receive financial assistance to help you pay for your coverage.
- You have a choice between different types of health plans with easy to use comparison tools.
- You are guaranteed the right to appeal your health insurance company’s payment denials.
- Women cannot be charged more than men for the same health coverage.
- Most health plans must offer a set of preventative care services at no cost to you.
- Health insurance companies must spend 80% of their premiums on beneficiaries; no more than 20% may go toward administration and profits.
- New Mexico has the some of the lowest health insurance rates.
- Much more!
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Voted against the Keystone Pipeline without limiting amendments.
New Mexico prides itself in its pristine land, natural beauty and world-class energy resources. As a twelfth generation New Mexican, my deep-rooted values in our state have taught me to appreciate our natural resources and protect our clean air, water and land. New Mexico is in the middle of a climate crisis. Our drought conditions remain the worst in the nation, and we’ve experienced some of the most costly and destructive wildfires in history. We have an obligation to act on behalf of future generations of New Mexicans and Americans to reduce our carbon footprint and lay the foundation for a cleaner energy future. Congress should invest in projects that are good for the environment and good for the economy, such as clean energy, green manufacturing and mass transit. As the home to Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico is unique in that our state has the potential to become the nationwide leader in developing clean energy technologies. I am determined to champion the development of clean energy technologies to protect our citizens and preserve the planet for generations to come.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS Michelle is more than just an ally or a reliable vote against the Republican War on Women. She brings a lifetime of experience and hands-on activism that prepared her to stand up to Republicans in Congress who are giving corporations more personal power and more personal freedoms than they’re giving women. Michelle will carry the torch for the future of our daughters.
Right to Choose – The right to choose has been a fundamental right enjoyed by women for more than two generations. But today that right is more tenuous than it has ever been in the last four decades because of repeated attempts by this Congress to turn back the clock on women and families. Michelle is life-long supporter of women’s reproductive rights. She will stand strong against attacks on the right to choose, women’s health care, and Planned Parenthood.
Mike Frese (R) Challenger
I’m running to free the American economy from job-killing regulation from Washington, DC. Only if we make our own economic decisions can we hope to leave our children, their children, and their children’s children the opportunity to prosper the way we hope they will. If we vote to allow our economic decisions to be made in Washington, we will watch this nation spiral down from economic vitality into economic stagnation, and, as regulation tightens from seemingly benevolent to increasingly oppressive, finally into tyranny.
A good friend once said to me that economics was too hard for him, and he wished that he could just turn the economy over to five wise men. Lots of people feel that way. However, the economy of a nation is too complex an enterprise to prosper when managed by anything less than the entire population. To achieve prosperity for all, we must each be free to choose what to do, what to make, and what to sell at prices freely agreed to between seller and buyer. In that way, we will all do better for ourselves than distant “wise men” could ever do for us. I believe with all my heart that you are wise enough to make your own economic decisions.
I believe that you would be better off if fewer decisions were made for you by the wise guys in Washington. And I believe that when you are better off, we are all better off.
District 2
Steve Pearce (R) Incumbent
http://www.peopleforpearce.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Steve_Pearce.htm**
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Supports construction of the Keystone Pipeline without limiting amendments.
New Mexico is an energy-rich state, and we must allow Americans the freedom to capitalize on these unique resources. Burdensome regulations are killing jobs and driving up energy prices at a time when we can afford neither. I am working to encourage a broad approach that creates jobs and lowers the cost of energy for families and business. We should increase the supply of domestic gas and oil, while also developing greener sources of energy like wind, solar and nuclear power. We can protect our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil only if only we start harnessing all our sources of energy.
HEALTHCARE I am working to reverse the government takeover of healthcare and support careful, specific legislation that will help you get affordable access to the healthcare you need.
Finding affordable health care is a major concern for families in Southern New Mexico. But a massive government-run health care system is not the solution. Repealing the current government takeover of medicine is only one step-more work is still needed. I want to see careful, specific legislation that will fix individual problems with health care. We need to allow you to keep your insurance if you lose or change jobs. We need lawsuit abuse reform, and a ban on discriminating against pre-existing conditions. In Congress, I am fighting for Health Savings Accounts and have helped pass the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit program that lowered costs and saved money for millions of seniors. I voted to repeal the current Washington takeover of health care, and am working for the commonsense solutions that benefit New Mexicans.
BORDER SECURITY The people of southern New Mexico have dealt with the challenges of border security for decades. The violence, drug and weapons smuggling, and human trafficking that plagues our border must be put to a stop. I am working to advocate human solutions that reflect the sensitivity of border security issues. This is a complex issue, and all related groups must be engaged in the process of developing a strong policy for border security. Washington has ignored the needs of the border states for too long, and it is time that the federal government gives New Mexico the resources and solutions we need for a strong, secure border.
Rocky Lara (D) Challenger
District 3
Ben Ray Luján (D) Incumbent
http://www.benrlujan.com/ http://lujan.house.gov/#dialog
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Ben_Ray_Lujan.htm**
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE Rep. Ben Ray Luján voted in favor of health insurance reform that will lower costs, reduce the deficit, provide more insurance choice for families and small businesses, and stop insurance companies from denying and dropping sick patients. The Congressional Budget Office found that health insurance reform will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion in the first ten years and $1.3 trillion in the second ten years, and expand coverage for 32 million Americans, helping to ensure that 95 percent of Americans are covered. The legislation is the largest deficit reduction measure in 17 years, and it is fully paid for. The legislation was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
ENERGY Voted against the Keystone Pipeline without limiting amendments.
As a leading proponent of renewable energy on the PRC, Luján worked to increase renewable energy production by New Mexico utilities to 20 percent of their total production by 2020. He also pushed to diversify the renewable portfolio to include solar energy. With his colleagues in California, Oregon and Washington, Luján signed on to the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change on behalf of the state of New Mexico, bringing states together to fight global warming and change the way they generated energy. Rep. Luján is committed to a clean energy future that will eliminate America’s dependence on foreign oil and produce affordable, sustainable energy. Rep. Luján believes that we are headed toward a clean energy economy, an economy where homes and buildings are designed to meet new energy efficiency standards and our vehicles run on clean transportation fuels. Rep. Luján also believes that investment in energy development from renewable sources like solar and wind will contribute to the growing green economy and bring jobs home to New Mexico. Rep. Luján is a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and the Natural Gas Caucus.
Rep. Luján is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Task for on Task Force on Green Economy and Renewable Energy. Rep. Luján voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which will create clean energy jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and save billions of dollars long term. The Act included language that Rep. Luján worked on to provide funding for clean energy job training and include Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges as Innovation Hubs for clean energy research. Rep. Luján also cosponsored the Solar Technology Roadmap Act, which will encourage job creation and innovation in the clean energy industry by requiring the Secretary of Energy to develop a comprehensive process for creating a roadmap for solar research and development activities.
Jeff Byrd (R) Challenger
http://www.jeffbyrdforcongress.com/
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
REAL IMMIGRATION REFORM Our nation was built on immigrants coming from around the world seeking a better life for their families. I support legal immigration and will work to streamline our legal immigration system so that people from around the world can know and love the freedoms and greatness of America. New Mexico is a border state and we face the immediate threats that illegal immigration cause, such as drug running and other criminal activities. In order to begin dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants in this country, we must first secure the border. We can secure the border with the necessary technologies and ground support provided by our border security agents and National Guard troops. When the border is sufficiently secure we can begin to address the other issues including penalties for employers who actively hire illegal immigrants.
HEALTHCARE I believe Americans should be able to buy their own healthcare coverage at an affordable rate, but I am opposed to the Affordable Healthcare Act passed by Congress. Despite the name of the bill, it actually does not make healthcare more affordable. This bill actually raises taxes on lower income families and cuts Medicare by $500 billion.
I would like to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act and address each issue separately. I believe health insurance providers should be allowed to compete in order to reduce prices, much like car insurance companies do now. I believe insurance should cover those who have pre-existing conditions. I believe we need to address tort reform in order to reduce frivolous lawsuits. I believe that states should be allowed to implement their own healthcare reforms, because New Mexico is much different than states like California or New York.
KEEP AMERICA SAFE A “peace through strength” approach has served America well for many generations. Keeping America safe is one of the fundamental responsibilities of our federal government. A strong American military is not only crucial for security here at home, but for our allies around the world. We must support initiatives to combat global terrorism and address threats in the Middle East and elsewhere.
We must stand up for our allies such as Israel who are at constant threat from these same organizations. We must take the necessary steps to prevent countries like Iran from creating nuclear weapons and prevent Afghanistan from being a safe-haven for terrorists. We must stand strongly behind our military and give our men and women in uniform every tool and capability they need to successfully protect our nation. The armed forces of our country have my upmost respect and gratitude and I will work hard every day to insure they are properly equipped to face the dangers presented to our country around the world.
The positions expressed in this roundup of the views of political candidates should not, in any way, be construed as the views of FamilySecurityMatters.org, or of the Family Security Foundation, Inc., in endorsing or rejecting any candidate or bill or law. The views espoused by the candidates in this series published in FamilySecurityMatters.org are those of the candidates, and no one else, and have been quoted from their campaign or web sites. These views therefore should not be construed as an attempt on the part of Family Security Matters, or the Family Security Foundation, Inc., to help or prevent the success of any political campaign for any public office.
Comments are closed.
