Michael Potter'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.
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Michael Potter has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2022 Political Courage Test.
Tennessee State Legislative Election 2022 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Abortion should be considered a last resort, and only allowed after both prospective parents are fully informed of the decision they are making and its consequences. State legislation should not make any moral judgment of the practice, however. | |||
| Yes | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) DO you support raising taxes on any income or on any entity, to promote economic growth? | ||
| Higher taxes do not promote growth, and Tennessee can balance its budget without resorting to more taxes. Pensions that were already agreed upon should be considered "untouchable" except in extreme circumstances, and our state is not experiencing those. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| No | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| The state should not enforce federal laws and mandates that go against the will of its people. This includes drug laws, immigration laws, mask mandates, and anything else that is not explicitly mentioned as an enumerated power in Article I of the Constitution. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Tennessee? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| The state of Tennessee must do what it can to protect Tennesseans from the ongoing recession, but we must also be careful not to increase reliance on handouts, bailouts, or entitlements. State funds are to be given only as a way to repair the damage done at the federal level. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Tennessee? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Tennessee? | ||
| No | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Tennessee high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Tennessee must join Florida and other states in creating a curriculum that is pro-America, pro-progress, and pro-human. In addition, we must increase school choice, remove the roadblocks standing in the way of parents who wish to homeschool, and provide a way to remove teachers who harm our children. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Tennessee is fortunate in having the numerous nuclear and hydro plants built by TVA, so we know that there is a much better alternative to "green" energy. We should continue to promote these technologies that truly can make our state and our country energy independent. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the regulation of campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| A more important question, not asked here, is: Do you support a ban on electronic voting machines in Tennessee? To me, this is a more pertinent issue in 2022 than the photo ID requirement our state already has. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| The Second Amendment is perfectly clear. The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Gun control is infringement. Gun licenses are infringement. Gun confiscation is infringement. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a government-run (single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for All? | ||
| Yes | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | d) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave opportunities? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support lowering the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| Yes | g) DO you support the legalization of medical marijuana in Tennessee? | ||
| Our state should not be in the business of providing healthcare, as government is notoriously bad at that job, but it should work to expand insurance coverage for the poor and provide aid to those facing ruinous medical expenses. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support greater efforts by Tennessee's state government in closing gender, racial and other wage gaps? | ||
| Yes | d) DO you support amending the Tennessee state constitution to make it illegal for workplaces to require mandatory labor union membership as a condition for employment? | ||
| Compared to other states, Tennessee is doing remarkably well on social issues. Our biggest challenge is remaining vigilant against federal overreach in this area. | |||
| A number of troubling restrictions on free speech and association went into effect in 2022, such as a ban on public contracts for business owners who hold certain opinions on geopolitical matters. I want to see these repealed as soon as possible, because we in Tennessee are better than that. | |||
| My top priority would be to implement an open system of school choice that provides parents with the opportunity and information necessary to place their children in the school that is right for them. This would include vouchers to cover a portion of the tuition to a private school or teaching materials for homeschooling, and funding for this would come from the state's education budget based on the number of parents who choose these options. |
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