IDAHO ELECTIONS 2014 UPDATED POST PRIMARY
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/idaho-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand
Idaho: 2014 Candidates for Congress – Where They Stand
by RUTH KING, 2014 CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESS
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
Mike Crapo (R) Next Election in 2016.
Jim Risch (R) Incumbent
http://www.senatorrisch.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/jim_risch.htm **
•Vigorous support for State of Israel against Hamas in Gaza. (Nov 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE I have been an outspoken critic of what is essentially a nationalization and Government takeover of the most personal and important aspects of our lives. I have fought against Obamacare from the start. Voting no at every opportunity and cosponsoring legislation to repeal it. – See more at: http://www.senatorrisch.com/issues/#sthash.xycfYXGX.dpuf
ECONOMY AND JOBS Jobs are created by the private sector and not by the government. In recent years the government has pursued policies that have frustrated the private sector hiring and job growth. Government regulations, higher taxes and Obamacare have cut the growth of economy and the expansion of small business. As Idaho’s 31st Governor I made my top priority to create quality jobs for hardworking Idaho families and as the ranking member on the Senate Small Business Committee I have fought successfully to change those policies. – See more at: http://www.senatorrisch.com/issues/#sthash.xycfYXGX.dpuf
ENERGY Risch Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators to Introduce Legislation to Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today joined with Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in introducing bipartisan legislation to approve the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline following nearly five years of study and a fourth favorable State Department environmental review indicating “no significant impact to the environment.
The senators’ bill would approve the 1,700-mile, high-tech project under Congress’s authority enumerated in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8. Hoeven last year secured an opinion from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) confirming Congress’s constitutional authority to approve the project.
The Administration has delayed the project for more than four-and-a-half years, but now that Nebraska, the only state along the route with a concern has approved the path through their state, Hoeven and Baucus have been working cooperatively and with their respective party members to press the Administration to get both a timeline and favorable decision. Joining them as cosponsors on the bill are Senators Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) Mary Landrieu (D-La.), David Vitter (R-La.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
Nels Mitchell (D) Challenger
http://www.nelsmitchellforidaho.com/
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
EDUCATION
We need to give our kids every opportunity to succeed – and that means starting at a young age and continuing our commitment from K-12 through college. We need to invest more in research and development at our colleges and universities and enable students to go to college, or receive technical training, and not get bogged down with loans they won’t be able to pay off.
WOMEN
I support fairness and equality in the workplace, and I support a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. I also support the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Jim Risch voted against reauthorization of VAWA. I would have voted for it.
JOBS
Preserving and creating good jobs in Idaho will be my top priority. I will work to promote a stable financial sector, encourage investment in our transportation infrastructure, and ensure that Idaho businesses – including small businesses – can recruit top talent from a well-educated and well-trained work force here at home.
US CONGRESS
District 1
Raul Labrador (R) Incumbent
•Rated -2 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
http://www.labrador4idaho.com/ http://labrador.house.gov/#dialog
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Raul_Labrador.htm **
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE I strongly oppose the “Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act,” better known as “Obamacare,” and I’ve voted to repeal it. We should replace “Obamacare” with common-sense, market-based solutions, such as allowing people to purchase health insurance across state lines. By passing legislation rooted in the principles of choice and competition, we can lower health care costs, expand access, and improve the quality of care.
ENERGY I support policies to increase energy production in Idaho and make greater use of our natural resources. Right now, the federal government is blocking development of Idaho’s resources, depriving us one of the best ways to bolster our economy and create jobs. We need to empower Idaho’s communities and get government out of the way. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am fighting hard to pass legislation to do exactly that.
When it comes to energy, Idaho is well-positioned to be a leader in supplying America’s energy needs. We are best known for our vast network of emission-free hydroelectric plants, but we also have extensive geothermal resources, abundant carbon-neutral biomass, and growing wind and solar industries. We also have one of the leading research facilities for another form of clean energy – nuclear power – with the Idaho National Laboratory. These energy sources make Idaho a clean energy leader, and we should strengthen that leadership by spurring more research and production in the private sector.
I will continue to fight for legislation that removes federal roadblocks into energy development, in Idaho and across America. Affordable energy is critical to our economy, and making it more available should be one of our top priorities.
Supports construction of Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.
IMMIGRATION Our top priority for immigration reform should be securing our nation’s borders and enforcing the immigration laws that are already on the books. To do that, we must give our federal immigration enforcement officials the resources they need to enforce the laws we already have. We must also allow local law enforcement to work together with our federal immigration officers in order to provide the interior enforcement needs of our nation.
Beyond additional enforcement, reform must include modernizing our guest worker programs. Guest workers are vital to keep industries in America, and particularly in Idaho, competitive internationally. By providing a legal avenue for foreign workers to enter the United States, a guest worker program is critical to secure the border and eliminate illegal immigration.
The Senate comprehensive bill repeats the mistakes of the 1986 amnesty. I will oppose any legislation – such as the Senate bill – that is based on the philosophy of “legalization first, border security later.”
Shirley Ringo (D)Challenger
http://www.shirleyringo.com/
District 2
Mike Simpson (R) Incumbent
Rated -4 by AAI, indicating an anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
http://www.simpsonforcongress.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/mike_simpson.htm **
http://simpson.house.gov/
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE I voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) during the 111th Congress, legislation that represents the first step to a government takeover of the healthcare system. I am an original cosponsor of legislation to repeal the law. I have supported repeated efforts to repeal the law, and will continue working with my colleagues to repeal it and replace it with real market based reforms that will improve care and bring down cost.
ENERGY I strongly believe that our efforts to address this growing problem should be comprehensive in nature and that we should explore every opportunity to develop viable alternative energy sources. I strongly support a responsible, revitalized domestic nuclear energy program, and I am proud of the work done in Idaho to expanding the use of nuclear power to meet our nation’s growing energy needs. I also believe we must increase energy efficiency in the United States and encourage the development of renewable energy sources, while continuing to find domestic sources of traditional forms of energy, like oil and natural gas. Technology, incentives, and innovation can move our economy to a sustainable, independent energy source that will be a real solution to the challenges facing our nation. I believe that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an important role to play in protecting public health, but like many Idahoans, I am deeply concerned that, under the Obama Administration, the EPA has drastically expanded its regulatory authority. The EPA is pumping out new regulations every week, without Congress’s consent, that impact nearly every facet of Americans’ lives-from whom you can hire to remodel your house to what kind of car you can drive. I am concerned that this Administration is using the EPA to force on the American people an extreme environmental agenda that will hurt our economy and push an unwelcomed government further into the lives of citizens.
As Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the EPA, I am working to bring some common sense to our nation’s environmental policies. I intend to do oversight that shines some light on how the EPA has been spending the dramatic increases in funding that it has received in recent years and look at whether the regulations and actions coming out of the agencies are appropriate, given the regulatory authority provided by Congress. I strongly believe that government should be responsive to the people, not force on them policies that they don’t support.
Instead of creating a host of government mandates, I support using technology, incentives, and innovation to move our economy to a sustainable, independent energy source. I believe that to do so we must look at all the options, including renewable energy, nuclear energy, and domestic oil production.
Supports constructions of the KeystoneXLPipeline without limiting amendments.
IMMIGRATION As Congress considers comprehensive reform of our nation’s immigration system, I am deeply concerned over proposals that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants in the United States. Giving amnesty to those who have broken our nation’s immigration laws would undermine the policies that were established to regulate our borders and provide an orderly process of evaluating applications for citizenship. Such action would send a terrible message to all those who have complied with immigration laws and are still waiting approval. In addition, by rewarding those who violate United States law, we jeopardize the security and safety of our nation and greatly diminish our ability to protect our own borders.
I will continue working to find the best ways to enforce our borders and set new guidelines for immigration procedures. I have cosponsored legislation to give law enforcement officers power to detain criminals who are also illegal immigrants, prohibit states from issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, expedite and fund the construction of a fence along our southern border, and prohibit access to Social Security by illegal immigrants.
Richard Stallings (D) Challenger
http://democracy.com/Richard-Stallings
Democrat Richard Stallings Mounts Congressional Bid: March 15, BOISE • Former U.S. Rep. Richard Stallings will once again seek Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District seat. Stallings held the post for four terms as a Democrat from 1984 to 1992. Following that, he ran for U.S. Senate but lost against Republican Dirk Kempthorne, a two-term mayor from Boise.
Stallings is the only Democrat to file for the second congressional race. He will face either GOP incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson or first-time runner Bryan Smith in the November general election, depending on the outcome of May’s GOP primary. Stallings said his experience working on both sides of the aisle will be appeal to moderates tired of Congress’ failure to move things forward.
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