Daniel Friend'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.
Daniel Friend did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
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.
Utah State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| 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? | ||
| c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| Adoption is the best solution to unintended pregnancies, but it is often too expensive. I will work to bring down the costs of adoption. The best choice is to avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place, which is why I support comprehensive sex education. In cases where abortions might be permissible (rape, incest, and fetal nonviability, or when the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy), abortions need to be performed in a safe, clean setting by competent medical professionals. I stand with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in opposition to abortions of convenience. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Utah'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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| No | e) Do you support using primary conventions as the sole method of selecting political party nominees? | ||
| Gerrymandering is electoral cheating, and it must be stopped. The fact that the Better Boundaries Initiative has gained so much traction shows that something is seriously wrong with our state legislature. The will of the people is not being accurately represented. The best way to fix this problem is to throw out the Utah Republican Party that made it. Representative districts, whether on the State or Federal level, should follow three key principles: Compactness, Competitiveness, and Consistency with municipal boundaries. If photo ID is required at the polls, such IDs must be available to citizens at no cost. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Capital punishment should be used less than it currently is. To be used, a case must meet the highest burden of proof. Trying minors as adults should be decided on a case-by-case basis. The Federal government has the responsibility to enforce federal laws, not the state. | |||
| Yes | 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 Utah? | ||
| I will fight against such competition-killing policies as noncompete clauses and forced arbitration so that the true innovators in the marketplace can rise to the top, reducing prices for everyone. Requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test will cost more money than it will save. A parent who works full time should be able to support a family. Cost of living varies, so minimum wage should vary accordingly. It should not be tied to a specific dollar amount but to local costs of living, and it should be updated yearly to account for inflation and other economic pressures. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Utah? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increasing the state gasoline tax to fund the education budget? | ||
| Charter schools have a place in our state, but state funding for them must be given judiciously. I do think there are better ways to fund education than increasing the gasoline tax. An income tax adjustment would be more fair to everyone involved. | |||
| 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 increasing state funding to improve air quality? | ||
| In Utah County, roughly half of our air pollution comes from vehicles. The state should provide incentives to help families transition to hybrid and fully electric automobiles, and we should offer tax breaks to companies willing to install electric car infrastructure. We should also make our cities friendlier to bicycles. | |||
| 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? | ||
| c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | |||
| d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | |||
| The problem with gun violence is that it isn?t a single issue, but many. Suicides, mass shootings, and single homicides all have different causes and should be dealt with separately. There are compromises to be had on these issues if we are willing to talk with each other instead of past each other. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Utah's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Healthcare is not a market commodity, and we will not solve this problem until we stop trying to treat it like one. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Utah state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.