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Jon Kenworthy's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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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.
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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2024.

  • "My faith and my belief in our founding principles: protecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, guide my opinion on this issue. I am pro-life and I will support legislation that protects the unborn and supports the women struggling with their pregnancy. Having grown up in a family where my father, brother, and sister were adopted, I understand the positive impact that adoption has on our society and will support pro-adoption legislation. Finally, I will ensure oversight to prevent any possibility of taxpayer dollars being illegally used for the procedure." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "My faith and my belief in our founding principles: protecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, guide my opinion on this issue. I am pro-life and I will support legislation that protects the unborn and supports the women struggling with their pregnancy. Having grown up in a family where my father, brother, and sister were adopted, I understand the positive impact that adoption has on our society and will support pro-adoption legislation. Finally, I will ensure oversight to prevent any possibility of taxpayer dollars being illegally used for the procedure." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Our law enforcement deserves support and respect. They go to work everyday serving our communities, not knowing if their next traffic stop or domestic violence call will be their last. Unlike our military, they are not just on a temporary deployment. Our police officers face these threats everyday for their entire career. Due to the left's continued attacks on police, not only are there concerns for safety, but also the possibility of having their career and livelihood ruined. That being said, there are bad people in every occupation and those people need to be held to account. Departments must improve sharing employment information with other departments when officers are removed for cause. However, that does not mean that we should eliminate funding and long standing protections that allow our police to do their jobs." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "I fought for this country as a Cavalry Scout in the U.S. Army in Iraq. I served two deployments there, one in 2004 for Iraq's first free election post Saddam, and one in 2007 during the troop surge. My unit lost over 30 men during the deployments and more to invisible wounds of war after the deployment. Our service-members deserve the best possible equipment, they should never have to walk into just a "fair" fight. They also deserve to be taken care of correctly in housing without black mold, contaminates in their water, and with pay appropriate to their duty and location. The military has sacrificed readiness during the Biden administration by not ensuring that the people come in a very close second right behind the mission." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "We need to ensure that we are ready to face a near peer threat like China or Russia. The recent war in Ukraine and internal struggles in China may give solace to some commentators. The reality is that these nations, along with North Korea and Iran, are built on the idea of force. If they feel backed into a corner, it could very well lead to conflict with the United States and we must be ready. We need to care for our troops and ensure they have the best equipment. We must accelerate transition to joint command and control structures. We must continue to innovate and modernize our cyber programs and nuclear triad." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "The National Debt currently sits at over $31 Trillion. Maintaining such high debt, especially in proportion to our GDP, is not sustainable and puts the burden of repayment on our children and grandchildren. Many states including Indiana maintain a balanced budget, families and businesses also must stay in the black to survive. Much of our debt is also currently held by adversarial foreign interests, not just our friends and allies, this causes a tremendous threat to national security. We must curtail our spending. Some emergencies or vital needs must be paid regardless, that does not mean that we should be celebrating by spending ever more on earmarks, pet projects, and divisive policy. Just like for a family or business, debt should be the last resort and it should be payed off as soon as possible. Over the course of the last few years with the Biden administration, the United States has seen that we cannot count on low interest cheap money in perpetuity and we need to put our nation on a path towards a balanced budget." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Don't be fooled by the new student loan plan from POTUS. The Dems think this version will stand up to scrutiny unlike the last one. It's time to pull back emergency powers from the executive. Congress has incrementally given up the power of the purse, it's time to take it back." (x.com)
  • "Today the SCOTUS saved the taxpayers $400 billion by blocking Biden's student loan bailout. Americans work hard and the goverment shouldn't take from them to pick winners and losers. This is true whether we are talking about student loans, wall street, banks, etc..." (x.com)
  • "Voter ID laws are not voter suppression! I will always stand up for election integrity." (x.com)
  • "It is time for the federal government to stop picking winners and losers and go back to free market principles. Crony capitalism has become so common people just expect it. Tax payers should not be on the hook for individual companies' or business sectors' poor decisions. I will coordinate with both small and large businesses to ensure we are working towards a free market with the minimum amount of regulation." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "I am a gun owner and I am proud to exercise my 2nd amendment right to bear arms. I will fight against the Dems' overt gun grabbing legislation and work to curtail the ATF's overreach. I will also stand strong against red flag laws that make those suffering choose between their rights and their well being, without giving them due process." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "Healthcare costs continue to drastically increase every year, to the point that some Americans are paying as much for their premiums as their mortgage. This is unsustainable. We must fight anti-competitive behavior by large health networks, insurance companies, and big pharma. We also need to look at the regulatory burden we are putting on healthcare providers. When they are spending more time doing administrative work then treating patients, it is a problem." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Healthcare costs continue to drastically increase every year, to the point that some Americans are paying as much for their premiums as their mortgage. This is unsustainable. We must fight anti-competitive behavior by large health networks, insurance companies, and big pharma. We also need to look at the regulatory burden we are putting on healthcare providers. When they are spending more time doing administrative work then treating patients, it is a problem." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "My wife immigrated to this country legally from Germany over 15 years ago. I know first hand how difficult and financially burdensome the process can be. Immigrants that do the right thing and follow the laws are more likely to assimilate, and be a net positive for our country. We should be encouraging those who want to come here, the right way, to do so. However, changes to the process cannot come if the American people do not trust that we are enforcing our current laws. I will not vote for any immigration law that does not first secure our boarders and strengthen our ability to track down those that overstay their visas." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • "My wife immigrated to this country legally from Germany over 15 years ago. I know first hand how difficult and financially burdensome the process can be. Immigrants that do the right thing and follow the laws are more likely to assimilate, and be a net positive for our country. We should be encouraging those who want to come here, the right way, to do so. However, changes to the process cannot come if the American people do not trust that we are enforcing our current laws. I will not vote for any immigration law that does not first secure our boarders and strengthen our ability to track down those that overstay their visas." (www.kenworthyforcongress.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
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.
Pro-life Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
Yes Do you support the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I am 100% pro-life and believe that it should be legislated not just at the state but also federal level.
No Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
No Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to balance the budget?
No Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs?
We must balance our budget, but it shouldn't be solely on the backs of taxpayers, it needs to come from reducing spending on federal programs.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals?
There is too much money in our politics and it has lead to many of the problems we see today. Corporations aren't people.
Yes Do you support protecting government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
My brother in law and many of my friends are police officers and they should not have to worry about loosing their livelihood for doing their jobs.
No Do you support increasing defense spending?
Our military budget is out of control and filled with waste, fraud, and abuse. I am the only candidate in this race that has affirmed they will tackle this problem. I am also the only one that can do so safely by using a scalpel with the military budget instead of a hatchet. This is because not only did I deploy twice to Iraq with as a Cavalry Scout with the U.S. Army, but I also have spent the last 4 years as a U.S. Senate Staffer advising on all branches of our military and the defense industry.
No Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)?
No Do you support the federal government increasing funding for affordable housing programs?
Yes Do you support the federal government taking action, beyond those of the Federal Reserve, to alleviate inflation?
The government must cut spending, the fed may be printing the dollars but those are dollars authorized by Congress.
No Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt?
I spent two years in hell to earn my GI bill that payed for my college and many choose not to go to college and that's just fine too. We should not have to pay for someone else's decisions.
Yes Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls?
No Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
Yes Do you support the federal government allowing permits for drilling on public lands?
No Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loopholes)?
Our founders did not see it necessary to limit what kind of guns a person can have and would be rolling over in their graves seeing red flag laws that violate both the second and fourth amendment. I will fight not just to protect our 2A rights, but also claw back the ones we have lost by defunding the ATF and repealing the NFA and GCA.
No Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All?
No Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)?
No Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs?
I have healthcare through the VA, and have seen first hand how dysfunctional a single-payer system is. The government is not the answer, the free market is. However, this also means cracking down on crony capitalism and collusion between insurance, big pharma, and healthcare networks.
Yes Do you support increasing security along the southern US border?
No Do you support requiring immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, regardless of their immigration status?
If an immigrant comes here legally through a port of entry and has had a background check then it is appropriate for them to be paroled until their paperwork is finished. However, all illegal aliens that broke the law to come here and skip the line should not be given any parole. This issue is very important to me as my wife is a legal immigrant to this country, I sponsored her green card to come in the right way over a decade ago. We should be welcoming those that want to come here the right way as they are a great value to our society. However, we have to close the floodgate first. We must secure the border, defund sanctuary cities, tackle visa overstays, and make the laws for coming here illegally more harsh.
Yes Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts?
Yes Do you support the US providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine?
I would support aid like President Trump said, structured as a loan or like Speaker Johnson put forward in the package for Israel with an offset. Russia is not our friend, they interfered with our election, they have supported and harbored groups that continue to hack our hospitals and hold them ransom and hack our pipelines. These are attacks that impact Americans right here in the U.S. It might not be a bomb but it is just as meaningful. Therefore, the opportunity to degrade their capabilities without spilling a single drop of American blood is a good deal if we can find a way to pay for it.
Yes Do you generally support increased regulations on social media companies (e.g. Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.)?
These companies get special privilege's and have abused them either take away their special status or they need to treat everyone fairly and truly embrace free speech.
Securing the border and tackling the immigration crisis, cutting spending and getting to a balanced budget, rebuilding our military and supporting our veterans. Additional funding should come from offsets. We cannot continue to print money, we need to cut the wasteful parts of our government from agencies covering things that frankly they have no authority or business being involved in.

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