VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Gave access to family planning for 35,000 low-income women: Favors topic 1 A decision to abort is between a woman and her doctor: Strongly Favors topic 1 Abortions should be legal, without government restriction: Strongly Favors topic 1 Supports federal abortion funding: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Don't penalize working women for having kids: Strongly Favors topic 2 Maryland is #1 in businesses owned by women: Strongly Favors topic 2 Shift from group preferences to economic empowerment of all: Neutral on topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+5 points on Social scale)	All are created equal, including gay, lesbian & transgender: Strongly Favors topic 3 Respect dignity of individuals & support same-sex marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3 Civil marriage rights for all Marylanders: Strongly Favors topic 3 Opposes Amendment to prevent same sex marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3
No opinion on topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	All-payer system: pay hospitals based on patient wellness: Favors topic 5 All-payer system: state caps medical cost & hospital fees: Strongly Favors topic 5 ObamaCare website has problems, but we're enrolling citizens: Strongly Favors topic 5 Pass the Maryland healthcare act to expand health coverage: Favors topic 5 Health care should be a right--not a privilege: Strongly Favors topic 5 Establish "report cards" on HMO quality of care: Favors topic 5 Supports government-run healthcare: Strongly Favors topic 5 Adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year: Strongly Favors topic 5 3.2% funding increase for National Institutes of Health: Strongly Favors topic 5
Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-3 points on Economic scale)	Make it easier for workers to invest in their own retirement: Favors topic 6 Increase retirement benefits & provide caregiver credits: Opposes topic 6 Without Social Security, 1 in 4 seniors would be poor: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Create Retirement Savings Accounts: Favors topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	Encourage more public charter schools: Favors topic 7 Tax credits for contributions to private & parochial schools: Strongly Favors topic 7 Give students, teachers & parents resources they need: Opposes topic 7 Offer every parent Charter Schools and public school choice: Opposes topic 7 Opposes education vouchers for public or private school: Strongly Opposes topic 7
Strongly Opposes topic 8: EPA regulations are too restrictive (+5 points on Social scale)	Green revolution: 100% clean electric grid by 2050: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Support sustainable green building, architecture and design: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Passed milestone of preserving 1 million acres of open space: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Flush Tax: fund green upgrade to wastewater treatment plants: Strongly Opposes topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+2 points on Social scale)	First state in the south to repeal death penalty: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Policing the police: more transparency on use of force: Opposes topic 9 I was re-elected as Baltimore mayor because I made progress: Favors topic 9 Abolish the death penalty: we're one of the last refuges: Strongly Opposes topic 9 I reduced both violent crime and incarceration rates: Opposes topic 9 Repealed death penalty; reduced prison incarceration: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Root out prison gangs and prison guard corruption: Favors topic 9 Repeal the death penalty: it does not work: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Additional funding to hire correctional and police officers: Favors topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Baltimore was safer with my comprehensive gun safety law: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Time to work together to crack down on gun manufacturers: Strongly Opposes topic 10 The game is rigged in court, against gun victims: Strongly Opposes topic 10 A critic of the National Rifle Association: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Ban assault weapons, limit clip size, & require fingerprints: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Further toughen the enforcement of our gun laws: Opposes topic 10 Prevent unauthorized firearm use with "smart gun" technology: Opposes topic 10 Supports restrictions on the right to bear arms: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-3 points on Economic scale)	Tax capital gains the same as normal income: Strongly Favors topic 11 Wealthiest should pay more but not as much as under Reagan: Strongly Favors topic 11 Change Maryland's anti-business attitude: Opposes topic 11 Repeal personal property tax on small business: Opposes topic 11 Cut $9.1B spending with no fee nor tax increases: Opposes topic 11 Cut taxes on bottom 85% while raising taxes on top 15%: Strongly Favors topic 11 $12B in federal economic stimulus as state block grants: Favors topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	Accept 65,000 Syrians now, and more later if needed: Strongly Favors topic 12 Our symbol is the Statue of Liberty, not a barbed wire fence: Strongly Favors topic 12 Support DACA and DAPA, and comprehensive reform: Strongly Favors topic 12 Democrats don't denigrate women or immigrants or Muslims: Favors topic 12 Help people immigrate to our nation of immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 First state to pass the DREAM Act: Strongly Favors topic 12
No opinion on topic 13: Support & expand free trade (0 points on Economic scale)	Opposing bad trade deals like TPP is just common sense: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Build a rule-based global trading system: Favors topic 13 Reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank: Favors topic 13
Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-3 points on Economic scale)	Constitution doesn't let us say when dictators must go: Opposes topic 14
Favors topic 15: Expand the military (-3 points on Social scale)	Congress' authorization required for use of force on ISIS: Opposes topic 15 Repeal income tax on retired veterans; & later all retirees: Favors topic 15 More equipment and training for first responders: Favors topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Fair Campaign Financing Act for gubernatorial elections: Favors topic 16 Every Marylander should have the right to cast their vote: Strongly Favors topic 16
Opposes topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (-3 points on Social scale)	ISIS is an evil in this world; deal with them as evil: Opposes topic 17 Negotiate with Iran to remove potential nuclear weapon: Favors topic 17 Radical terrorism and nuclear Iran are interconnected: Opposes topic 17 Israeli separation barrier might be called "peace wall": Opposes topic 17 Progressive Internationalism: globalize with US pre-eminence: Favors topic 17
Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-3 points on Economic scale)	End the automatic gas tax increase: Opposes topic 18 Raise gas tax by 2% per year, to rebuild infrastructure: Strongly Favors topic 18 Adopt the Clean Cars Act to fight global warming: Strongly Favors topic 18 Maryland needs a long-term vision to make energy affordable: Opposes topic 18 Supports tradable emissions permits for greenhouse gases: Favors topic 18
Strongly Favors topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (-5 points on Social scale)	Opioid addiction crisis comes from over-prescribing: Favors topic 19 Executive Order to address this heroin epidemic: Favors topic 19 Proportionality in marijuana arrests, but not legalization: Favors topic 19 Let Colorado experiment with legalization, not Maryland: Strongly Favors topic 19 Baltimore recovered from open-air drug markets: Favors topic 19
Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-3 points on Economic scale)	Tax reductions & regulatory reforms to help job creators: Strongly Opposes topic 20 $25M more for road improvements: Favors topic 20 Middle-out economics instead of trickle-down economics: Strongly Favors topic 20 Extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless: Favors topic 20 Anti-poverty programs grow our middle class: Favors topic 20 Recovery & Reinvestment Act creates jobs; spend more locally: Strongly Favors topic 20 Limit budget growth to below inflation: Opposes topic 20