Card image cap

Lamar Alexander'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.

Lamar Alexander has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2014 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests.

What is the Political Courage Test?

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 2014.

  • Rated 0% in 2013 by NARAL Pro-Choice America (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% in 2014 by National Right to Life Committee (votesmart.org)
  • "I will...oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses" (votesmart.org)
  • "we need to put a straightjacket on federal spending, and one way to do that is to force the government to reduce its spending down to the historical average" (votesmart.org)
  • "The Obama administration has used the combination of No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and waivers from No Child Left Behind to, in effect, convert itself into a national school board, making far too many decisions for Tennessee and other states that states and local communities ought to make for themselves" (votesmart.org)
  • "U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today cosponsored legislation by Sen. John Hoeven (R-S.D.) that would eliminate the need for President Obama's approval of a permit to begin the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline."After five years of delays, there is simply no reason whatsoever for the president not to let the Keystone XL pipeline move forward," Alexander said. "This legislation would remove the requirement for presidential approval of the pipeline, advancing a project that would make us more secure in our energy supply and create thousands of jobs for American workers."" (votesmart.org)
  • "This new carbon regulation on existing power plants will drive electricity prices up and drive down job growth in many parts of the country. This is just one more example of the federal government expanding the big, wet blanket of burdensome regulations on our economy that put people out of work and make it harder to find a job." (votesmart.org)
  • "U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on his vote against amendments to the gun legislation that would have enacted a so-called "assault weapons" ban and expanded the gun background check system and his support of a proposal offered by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas)."I'm examinang every amendment to gun legislation to see whether it infringes upon or strengthens Second Amendment constitutional rights," Alexander said. "I voted against the so-called "assault weapons' ban because it clearly infringes on Second Amendment rights, and I voted against the Toomey-Manchin amendment because it could easily evolve into a national gun registry." (votesmart.org)
  • Signed Pledge: "I pledge, if elected, to vote for all bills which seek to REPEAL the health care bill, HR 3590, signed into law on March 23, 2010." (votesmart.org)
  • "Adults must wait at least 10 years and go to the back of the line behind all applicants who came here through normal legal processes...Not one senator offered an amendment to round up all 11 million illegal immigrants and send them home. So either you treat them as others who break the law -- as the bill does -- or you ignore the problem, perpetuating amnesty." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% in 2014 by Human Rights Campaign - Positions on Marriage (votesmart.org)
  • "But this ISIS threat is a different kind of threat to civilization, and very well could be a threat to the United States. It requires a response." (votesmart.org)
  • "We write today to encourage you to take immediate action to prevent U.S. and western country passport holders fighting alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Jabat al-Nusra or other terrorist organizations from traveling to the U.S. to commit acts of terrorism against the homeland." (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe we need to strengthen social security for future generations. I support voluntary personal accounts to give younger workers options to manage more of their own retirement savings." (www.alexander.senate.gov)

Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

arrow_upward