Kent Jarnig'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.
Kent Jarnig has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Colorado State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No one should ever tell a woman what she can or can't do with her own body. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Colorado's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Amendment 73 helps education, but there are many other areas that need to be addressed. TABOR formula needs to be fixed. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| We need to limit candidate unlimited contributions to their own campaign, otherwise, only the rich can run. Also, currently, county elections can raise unlimited amounts of money from anyone - obvbiously a conflict of interest, or an easy way for someone or a company to "buy" the candidate. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| As to capital punishment, do to unlimited appeals, it is actually cheaper to put someone in jail for life than to try to kill them - and, sometimes the courts are wrong. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Colorado? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing state funding for improving Colorado's roads and bridges? | ||
| I don't mean to sound negative on economic growth, but the Colorado economy is already #1. Lowering state taxes is pointless - we are already very low, so a 2 or 3% incentive is virtually meaningless. Increasing the minimum wage to $15.00 has been tried in cities and states around the country, with no ill effect - and it takes people off of welfare and food stamps. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Colorado? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Colorado high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| Clean water in Colorado is a key issue here. Infrastructure to bring water down from the mountains (where it is) is the only way to resolve this issue. As to fracking, the amendment on the ballot is a good one. The energy industry is against this only because it costs more to drill diagonally or horizontally. There will be no jobs lost. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| I would like to prohibit AR-15s and bump stocks. There is a federal law from the 1930's that prohibits a civilian from owning a machine gun. AR-15s with a bump stock is a machine gun. This makes no sense. No one is trying to take away 2nd amendment rights - just the senseless killing that is avoidable. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Colorado's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Simply put, the US spends twice per capita on healthcare than any other developed nation in the world, but the mortality rate is 37th. Twice the money and you die sooner. Statistically, if you move to COSTA RICA, you will live longer. Single payer systems are cheaper and offer better results. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Colorado state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Healthcare is number 1. If we move to a single payer system and tax companies, governments and individuals the same amount that they are already paying insurers, then we actually end up insuring everyone - and for less money. Education is next. Our teacher pay is 47th out of 50 states, but our economy is #1. Just plain dumb. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.