Charles Hernick'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.
Charles Hernick submitted the 2016 Political Courage Test after the official deadline.
Virginia Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| We need to manage our debt and entitlement obligations so that essential government functions are never jeopardized. We need to empower Federal employees to save taxpayer money by flagging unnecessary spending -- and establish systems that reward innovation and top performance. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| We need to reform the criminal justice system so that the punishment is proportionate to the crime and to create systems to break the cycle of repeat offenders. I support the legalization of marijuana so that it can be regulated like alcohol -- with tax revenues at the Federal level going to tax cuts for small businesses. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| We can grow the economy by improving conditions for small business--they are the engines/innovation centers of the economy. We must lower regulatory hurdles for small businesses and simplify taxes so that they can hire and grow. | |||
| Unknown Position | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
|
|||
| We need to encourage innovation, options, and competition in the education system to ensure that students can get a job after high school, pursue a trade or technical degree, or pursue higher education without needing to take remedial classes and pay high-tuition costs at a University. I support charter schools. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| We need a free-market, all of the above approach to energy. We need to keep all options open for affordable, reliable energy -- including renewable energy and nuclear power. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I am proposing a trade system without the cap in the form of emissions market standardization. Linking greenhouse gas (GHG) markets and Renewable Energy Credit (REC) markets would keep all options on the table and harness the power of markets and innovative small business to address climate change. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No level of gun violence is acceptable. We need to keep guns out of the hands of the bad people through background checks, the full enforcement of existing laws, and better treatment for mental health. I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. The right to bear arms cannot be infringed without due process of law. We can keep guns away from bad people through the full enforcement of existing laws & better mental health treatment. I?m strong on 2A: the right to bear arms cannot be infringed without due process of law. | |||
| Unknown Position | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
|
|||
| We need to make the ACA affordable! To bring premiums down we need to create flexibility for insurance companies to offer a broader range of insurance options -- especially for young, healthy people. To reduce the burden on businesses and eliminate the disincentive to hire we need to drop the corporate mandate and leave the insurance mandate on the individual. | |||
| Unknown Position | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
|
|||
| I don?t support building a wall when we could use a technology-based approach to secure the border with greater efficiency at a lower cost. I support a pathway to citizenship for law abiding immigrants. I support the immediate deportation of non-citizen criminals. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| I support marriage equality under law as affirmed by the Supreme Court. Government should stay out of the bedroom. I am proud to be endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of LGBT Republicans and allies who support equality under the law for all, free markets, individual liberty, limited government, and a strong national defense. | |||
| Yes | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Peace is best preserved through a willingness to engage in diplomacy and strong national defense. We must work with our allies around the world-- especially in Muslim countries--to combat common threats to our national security. With regard to terrorism, I will ask for a vote on an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) again radical Islamic terror specifically targeting ISIS on day one. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Entitlement commitments must be honored for those approaching retirement, but timely, measured reform is necessary for these programs to be solvent. We need to be honest with the generation entering the workforce, so they can plan ahead. | |||
SpendingIndicate what federal spending levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Maintain Status | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
| My priorities are to: (1) Improve conditions for small businesses through lower taxes and fair regulations (2) Improve national security by taking care of our troops and Veterans and focusing more on cyber-security and radical Islamic terror (3) Make government more efficient and responsive to it's employees and taxpayers through better IT and systems to reward innovation and top performance |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.