Mary Geren'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.
Mary Geren has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2018.
- "All women must have access to healthcare, including preventative care, such as mammograms and yearly physicals. In many rural locations, healthcare services can be so far away that women have to take the day off just to drive to the doctor for a checkup. Women should control their own reproductive health. Any decisions should be between a woman and her doctor. Period." (marygeren.com)
- "Endless deregulation and tax cuts for the rich have led to an extremely wealthy 1%, with the other 99% of hard-working Americans struggling to get by. " (marygeren.com)
- "We must close loopholes that allow millionaires and billionaires to pay extremely low tax rates. Cutting a trillion dollars in taxes for the wealthiest Americans is an irresponsible policy that only increases wealth inequality." (marygeren.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "I support overturning Citizens United and implementing tough campaign finance regulations, such as requiring an equal playing field for individual donors and requiring more transparency from all donors." (marygeren.com)
- "80% of Americans agree that we need to invest in rebuilding our infrastructure. This is not a partisan issue, and it will create millions of jobs in every part of the country. Problems with our infrastructure cost us hundreds of billions per year, and sustained federal investment is needed to address the issue." (marygeren.com)
- "We need a tax system where everyone pays a fair share. Slashing tax rates for corporations and the wealthiest one percent does nothing for most hardworking people. " (marygeren.com)
- "We must save funding for programs like Title I, Title IX, and IDEA that ensure equal education for all Americans regardless of their learning abilities, their race, their gender, or their income." (marygeren.com)
- "To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we must commit to reducing fossil fuel dependence and invest heavily in clean and renewable energy like wind and solar." (marygeren.com)
- "The Paris Agreement, while not perfect, did just that. It brought every country (even North Korea and Syria) together to tackle the threat. Withdrawing from this agreement sets back our progress on climate action and hurts our standing as a global leader. I will push for us to rejoin the Paris Agreement." (marygeren.com)
- "I support universal background checks on potential gun owners and a ban on high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. Weapons of war should not be on our streets, and I believe that an assault weapons ban would make our public venues safer." (marygeren.com)
- "I support the Affordable Care Act but would work to make it better, including adding a public option or Medicare for All system. Repealing the ACA would take healthcare from over 25,000 residents of our district." (marygeren.com)
- "A wall will do nothing to stop people from illegally crossing the border, and we already have thousands of miles of fence on the southern border" (marygeren.com)
- "An overwhelming majority of Americans support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and allowing Dreamers to remain in the country. DACA recipients are teachers, doctors, and soldiers. They are our neighbors, and this is the only home they have ever known. We must keep our promise to them and provide a pathway to citizenship." (marygeren.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
| a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |||
| b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | |||
| h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| While I am personally against abortion, as a SC legislator, I will uphold the law, which provides a woman the right to control her own reproductive health. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing South Carolina's budget.2) State Spending: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.3) State Taxes: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.
| a) Tapping into South Carolina's "rainy day" fund | |||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| l) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| We can no longer defund education, and we certainly can't reduce the salaries and/or pensions of our teachers. They need to be treated like the professionals they are. We also must do more to help the least of these: the most vulnerable of South Carolina's citizens, our Veterans, seniors, children, and impoverished. Our elected officials can and MUST do better! | |||
| SC is ranked 35th in the nation for its economy and 39th for adults with a 4+ year degree. This is unacceptable! It is time to invest in our children, beginning in preschool and continuing on through college. Research has shown that a more educated citizenry creates a more robust economy. Also, by slightly increasing the gas tax, we can provide a more permanent solution for our infrastructure problems, rather than robbing the general fund for a temporary fix. We need to find solutions to the problems plaguing our state; the attitude of "NO" has caused our state to stagnate.. | |||
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? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| We must get dark money out of politics and hold our elected officials to a higher ethical standard. | |||
| Yes | 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 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| While I do not support legalizing marijuana for habitual use, I do support legalizing it for medicinal purposes. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Yes | j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | ||
| South Carolina has not increased the minimum wage since 2009. This inaction is unacceptable! South Carolinians need a livable wage, and roughly $15,000 a year before taxes is not enough to raise a family and pay bills without seeking government assistance. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| 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 the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from South Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Over the course of my 13-year career in higher education, I have met several students who were born abroad but had lived in the US for most of their lives. Through no fault of their own, they had not yet obtained full citizenship. Thus, they were required to pay out of state tuition, creating a financial hardship for many of them, and even forcing some of the brightest students to give up on their dreams of earning a college degree. We should encourage the best and brightest students to further their education so they will become productive South Carolinians. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| 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 South Carolina's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I fully support the 2nd Amendment but also common sense gun legislation. For example, citizens should be required to undergo thorough background checks before purchasing guns, and those with a history of mental illness or a criminal background should not be allowed to purchase guns. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in South Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in South Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Based on the religious beliefs of the owners, should businesses be allowed to refuse services to their employees and/or customers? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| If elected, my top priority will be to improve South Carolina's education system. Our teachers deserve pay increases to prevent further teacher shortages, and our children deserve quality education in an effective learning environment . Our college students deserve to earn a degree without accruing overwhelming debt. Furthermore, I will work with both parties to pass common sense initiatives to improve our roads and bridges. A slight increase in the gas tax would provide a more permanent solution to this problem. I would also work to improve healthcare in SC. Combined, all these initiatives would strengthen our economy. |
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