Andrew Brobston's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Andrew Brobston has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Minnesota State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No | i) Do you support increased regulations on abortion providers? | ||
| Yes | j) Do you support requiring a doctor to be present when a woman takes a pill to induce an abortion? | ||
| My approach to saving the unborn is more toward preventing the need for abortions rather than simply criminalizing them. Abortion is sometimes a sad result of crime; my position is to work toward preventing the crime. Poverty and lack of health care can also lead to abortion; my goal is to make it easier for a woman to keep her child by ensuring that the support systems will be there when she and her child need them. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key,indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| I labeled "Welfare" as "Greatly Decrease" because I want to see fewer people needing this type of assistance. I would support programs that take people who are out of work or are in low-paying jobs and train them for better jobs that can support their families. That way, there is less need for welfare programs. Ensuring affordable, complete health care for all Minnesotans will also help reduce the need for welfare programs. | |||
| We need a progressive tax system in which those with higher incomes pay at least as great a percentage of their income as those with lower incomes, taking into account all taxes (not just income tax). I have doubts that a "tax the rich" policy would be sufficient to solve our revenue problems. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | c) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | g) Should citizens be allowed to use deadly force in defense of their homes, dwellings or vehicles? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| I support increased spending on infrastructure projects when we have a need for those projects. Job creation is an important benefit, yes, but we actually need the work to be done. The phrase "for the purpose of job creation" is why I answered "no" to question (e). | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support strengthening Minnesota's anti-bullying statute? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I only support the merit pay system when it is the product of an agreement between the local teachers and the school district. Such a system should not be mandated at the state level. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Minnesota's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I do not support *additional* restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| My goal is complete, affordable health care for every Minnesotan. How we get there still needs to be determined. "Requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance" becomes irrelevant once we have met this goal. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Any two consenting adults should be able to enter into the mutually exclusive civil marriage contract. Religious organizations should be able to marry or not marry whom they choose. | |||
| I will work to end divisive state government and make it work for all of us. We need to stop borrowing from school districts and start repaying them. Finally, we need to put Minnesotans back to work and grow our economy. Funding for schools needs to come from a more progressive tax policy. Economic growth will help with boosting our tax base, making it easier to raise revenue. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.