Chris Smith'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.
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Chris Smith has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
West Virginia State Legislative Election 2024 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to promote economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state? | ||
| No one wants taxes, but I believe that smart taxation, such as taxes on certain extraction industries, is necessary to help support state government programs. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for violent crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | 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 nonviolent drug offenders? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector (e.g. for business or the environment)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage in West Virginia? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in West Virginia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support adjusting unemployment benefits for inflation? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in West Virginia? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in West Virginia? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from West Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state governments allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | a)Do you support limiting campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent or bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in West Virginia? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole)? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in West Virginia? | ||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| Yes | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die (e.g. those with a terminal illness) through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support mandating vaccinations (e.g. for school or employment)? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| No | g) Do you support government-sponsored healthcare excluding treatment for gender dysphoria, including hormone therapy and surgery? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by West Virginia's state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
| My top priorities are (1) expanding the availability of childcare in West Virginia, (2) protecting public education in West Virginia, and (3) expanding the West Virginia Human Rights Act to add protections for the LGBTQIA+ community. Regarding expanding the availability of childcare in West Virginia, I understand that the Legislature recently passed some laws to start attacking the issue, but more needs to be done on the supply-side of the equation. Our state needs to explore additional subsidies and grants for childcare providers. To fund this issue, we should explore additional extraction industry taxes, and the creation of a fund to help sustainability pay for this issue. Regarding protecting public education, the HOPE Scholarship must be carved back. Private schools should not be funded by public dollars, and the HOPE Scholarship improperly sucks funding from our public schools. Regarding expanding the Human Rights Act, it is past time to protect our LGBTQIA+ neighbors. No one should be discriminated against based on who they love or who they are. At this point, that should be fairly uncontroversial--even the Chamber of Commerce supports this expansion. |
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