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Nick Hankins' 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.

  • "The federal government should help guide our country to economic prosperity, actual health, and reduce crime. Hopefully medical discoveries and breakthroughs will ensure every desired pregnancy will culminate in the birth of a healthy child and mother. We should invest in research to advance birth control to make it easier, more effective and without side effects in order to prevent any unintended pregnancies. With the best circumstances possible, the need and want for abortions will be mitigated to the smallest level possible. One day, perhaps even entirely. The Constitution does not give the federal government the authority to prohibit abortion. If I am elected to the United States House of Representatives, I will not support any bill restricting abortions where the mother's life is at risk or instances of rape or incest. I believe the issue should be left to the states." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "We'll need a new approach to address these issues and needs. We cannot continue to rely on ever increasing taxes. I believe we can provide a majority of the benefits these programs aim to accomplish with less tax dollars." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • 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.
  • "I support eliminating all indirect campaign contributions from corporation, unions and individuals. I support individuals volunteering. I do not accept any monetary campaign contributions." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I do not support increasing defense spending unless it is a time of war where the United States of America is directly under attack within our borders. I can understand the need to increase the defense budget to account for inflation. That being said, we should probably tie the amount of increase to the CPI inflation numbers, thereby forcing it to be more representative of consumer felt inflation and help reduce the gaming of the CPI inflation." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The real question is "What is the return on these investments?" The American people want a solid ROI for our investments. We need to look for the largest return and cut back when they start to waiver. We need to allow for continuous improvement / experimentation in these efforts and allow the marketplace of ideas to compete and drive better results. It would be better to allow the citizens to decide where the majority of the tax dollars are deployed than someone who pays no cost for being wrong (bureaucrats) I see these actions as tools. A tool can be helpful if it's the right tool for the job. Not all tools work for every job and many that do work can have limits that make them ineffective at a certain point." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • 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.
  • "We must allow student loan debt to be treated like all other debt and allow it to be discharged in bankruptcy court. The student loan debt is an issue that has been narrowed to a lose lose framing. The federal government, employers and universities are responsible for the student debt crisis. The federal government and employers REQUIRED college degrees to qualify for jobs that did not need a degree. The federal government guaranteed student loans without any requirements of the universities (keeping administrative costs down for example). Universities bore no responsibility for student outcomes. The federal government then made it nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy court." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This can be accomplished easily and for comparatively little money. The reality is we have millions of illegal aliens in this country and it is the only real way to ensure they do not vote in our elections." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The federal governments funding should be focused on general research and how to scale manufacturing processes for production. The disbursement of these funds should not be solely dictated by bureaucrats. Any use of public lands for resource extraction should be done so using the highest reasonable standards to ensure little to no pollution, properly bonded to cover any disasters (so tax payers aren't on the hook), lands are reasonably restored after use in a timely fashion, and that the benefits are shared." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Medicare appears to be the most cost affective healthcare program today. I have no issue with expanding this program, but our main focus should be on true health preventing the need for the majority of healthcare interventions. Maternity leave is essential to allow mothers to spend the most crucial time with their newborn children. There is no reason Americans should be paying higher prices for drugs when our research dollars have helped fund the development of these drugs. Other countries who did not contribute to the development of these drugs often times pay cheaper prices, in effect being subsidized by American citizens." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • 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.
  • "I support securing ALL of our borders. We should be willing to improve security (with a constant push to achieve zero illegal crossings) to a degree that is cost effective while still accomplishing the goal of keeping the number of illegal immigrants from every crossing our border to a very low number. We must eliminate ALL benefits to illegal aliens in order to ensure they have NO incentive to attempt to enter our country illegally." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Economic intervention could be an effective tool in resolving international conflicts. There are tradeoffs and we must ensure the actions are worth the cost. We should not provide any U.S. tax dollars or military equipment paid for by U.S. tax dollars to Ukraine." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "I believe in Free Speech and will protect the First Amendment. I do not support social media companies censoring the speech of Americans." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
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-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
Yes Do you support the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade?
The federal government should help guide our country to economic prosperity, actual health, and reduce crime. Hopefully medical discoveries and breakthroughs will ensure every desired pregnancy will culminate in the birth of a healthy child and mother. We should invest in research to advance birth control to make it easier, more effective and without side effects in order to prevent any unintended pregnancies. With the best circumstances possible, the need and want for abortions will be mitigated to the smallest level possible. One day, perhaps even entirely. The Constitution does not give the federal government the authority to prohibit abortion. If I am elected to the United States House of Representatives, I will not support any bill restricting abortions where the mother's life is at risk or instances of rape or incest. I believe the issue should be left to the states.
No Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
Yes 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'll need a new approach to address these issues and needs. We cannot continue to rely on ever increasing taxes. I believe we can provide a majority of the benefits these programs aim to accomplish with less tax dollars.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals?
I support eliminating all indirect campaign contributions from corporation, unions and individuals. I support individuals volunteering. I do not accept any monetary campaign contributions.
No Do you support protecting government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
The law applies to us all.
No Do you support increasing defense spending?
I do not support increasing defense spending unless it is a time of war where the United States of America is directly under attack within our borders. I can understand the need to increase the defense budget to account for inflation. That being said, we should probably tie the amount of increase to the CPI inflation numbers, thereby forcing it to be more representative of consumer felt inflation and help reduce the gaming of the CPI inflation.
Yes 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 real question is "What is the return on these investments?" The American people want a solid ROI for our investments. We need to look for the largest return and cut back when they start to waiver. We need to allow for continuous improvement / experimentation in these efforts and allow the marketplace of ideas to compete and drive better results. It would be better to allow the citizens to decide where the majority of the tax dollars are deployed than someone who pays no cost for being wrong (bureaucrats) I see these actions as tools. A tool can be helpful if it's the right tool for the job. Not all tools work for every job and many that do work can have limits that make them ineffective at a certain point.
No Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt?
We must allow student loan debt to be treated like all other debt and allow it to be discharged in bankruptcy court. The student loan debt is an issue that has been narrowed to a lose lose framing. The federal government, employers and universities are responsible for the student debt crisis. The federal government and employers REQUIRED college degrees to qualify for jobs that did not need a degree. The federal government guaranteed student loans without any requirements of the universities (keeping administrative costs down for example). Universities bore no responsibility for student outcomes. The federal government then made it nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy court.
Yes Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls?
This can be accomplished easily and for comparatively little money. The reality is we have millions of illegal aliens in this country and it is the only real way to ensure they do not vote in our elections.
Yes 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?
The federal governments funding should be focused on general research and how to scale manufacturing processes for production. The disbursement of these funds should not be solely dictated by bureaucrats. Any use of public lands for resource extraction should be done so using the highest reasonable standards to ensure little to no pollution, properly bonded to cover any disasters (so tax payers aren't on the hook), lands are reasonably restored after use in a timely fashion, and that the benefits are shared.
No Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loopholes)?
I will protect the rights of every citizen of the United States of America.
Yes Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All?
Yes Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)?
Yes Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs?
Medicare appears to be the most cost affective healthcare program today. I have no issue with expanding this program, but our main focus should be on true health preventing the need for the majority of healthcare interventions. Maternity leave is essential to allow mothers to spend the most crucial time with their newborn children. There is no reason Americans should be paying higher prices for drugs when our research dollars have helped fund the development of these drugs. Other countries who did not contribute to the development of these drugs often times pay cheaper prices, in effect being subsidized by American citizens.
Yes Do you support increasing security along the southern US border?
Yes Do you support requiring immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, regardless of their immigration status?
I support securing ALL of our borders. We should be willing to improve security (with a constant push to achieve zero illegal crossings) to a degree that is cost effective while still accomplishing the goal of keeping the number of illegal immigrants from every crossing our border to a very low number. We must eliminate ALL benefits to illegal aliens in order to ensure they have NO incentive to attempt to enter our country illegally.
Yes Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts?
No Do you support the US providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine?
Economic intervention could be an effective tool in resolving international conflicts. There are tradeoffs and we must ensure the actions are worth the cost. We should not provide any U.S. tax dollars or military equipment paid for by U.S. tax dollars to Ukraine.
No Do you generally support increased regulations on social media companies (e.g. Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.)?
I believe in Free Speech and will protect the First Amendment. I do not support social media companies censoring the speech of Americans.
America First Close the border! -End illegal immigration, asylum abuse, catch and release. -Deport all illegal aliens Protect all Constitutional Rights of the American people. Starting with -Freedom of Speech. --No censorship by government, contractors, subcontractors, NGOs. Direct or Indirect. -Right to bear arms. --I will vote NO on any bill that attempts to restrict the second amendment rights of law abiding citizens. --I support abolishing the ATF. -Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures --No warrant, no FISA search No foreign wars. No funding for Ukraine.

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