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Jake Pretot'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.
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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 2022.

  • "It is not the government's right to make that decision for a woman. We can't go back to the days where pregnant women would use a coat hanger to abort the fetus. I would support some form of legislation that would require pre-procedure counseling. Providing a pro-life prospective/options to a woman before she has an abortion is a good idea. Having an abortion is a major decision that will remain with her for the rest of her life. Providing better sex ed in the schools and increased availability of contraceptives would drastically reduce abortion numbers. Attack the root cause!" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The federal government needs to learn how to balance a budget like the state governments need to do every single year. People who have large credit card debt to pay off don't go out and get another credit card! In FY 2017 we spent 458,542,287,311.80 on debt interest alone, more than $1000 per adult. Our total public debt outstanding as of June 7th is 21,100,104,747,917.42. That's $71k per citizen! Unacceptable! Through sound financial management, temporary tax increase and a business friendly environment that encourages growth, we can keep our country from going bankrupt." (votesmart.org)
  • "I support the Medicare for America bill. It needs some tweaking, but allows individuals and businesses to opt into the plan." (twitter.com)
  • "First, we need healthcare for all." (twitter.com)
  • "How much time and money do government entities spend on managing healthcare subsidy programs for low income families? Wouldn't it be more efficient to just provide everybody with healthcare?" (twitter.com)
  • "What I have a problem with is that one set of rules apply to the entire federal workforce, yet thousands upon thousands of dollars injected into the system at the lawmaker level by lobbyists and it's ok? How can members of Congress and the Senate make decisions that are right for the people if their votes are clouded by who is making large donations to their political campaigns? We must reform the system!" (jakepretot.vote)
  • "Candidates should receive some amount of direct and indirect state funding. In addition, we must limit the amount of indirect campaign contributions from corporations. Large donations from corporations affect decision making as legislators feel compelled to return a favor to those corporations for their donations. Federal employees can't accept gifts from contractors, yet the rule doesn't apply to those making the laws? We must get big money out of Washington so legislators can make decisions for people, not corporations." (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.
  • "It is perfectly acceptable for the federal government to provide stimulus money to promote economic growth. One way the government can accomplish this is spending on infrastructure projects to facilitate product transport and grants for new school construction and education. Money invested should be tied to economic growth. I support lowering of taxes on small businesses, and a fair competitive tax rate for corporations that encourages hiring of American workers." (votesmart.org)
  • "It is perfectly acceptable for the federal government to provide stimulus money to promote economic growth. One way the government can accomplish this is spending on infrastructure projects to facilitate product transport and grants for new school construction and education. Money invested should be tied to economic growth. I support lowering of taxes on small businesses, and a fair competitive tax rate for corporations that encourages hiring of American workers." (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "I will also push initiatives that require more vocational tech programs in our schools. Many children have been left behind and forgotten because they weren't destined for college. Not every child wants to attend college and many skilled trade jobs go unfilled because of the lack of qualified workers. We must align the needs of our country, our employers with what we are teaching in schools to prepare them for good paying jobs when they graduate high school." (jakepretot.vote)
  • "I have heard time and time again from teachers that there is too much emphasis on common core testing. If any federal education standards are adopted, states should be required to provide non-college prep curriculum. We need more skilled trade training programs in our high schools. Not everybody wants to go to college or work in an office. We need more plumbers, electricians, welders, construction project managers, truck drivers and carpenters. We need to align what we are teaching in schools to the workforce demands." (votesmart.org)
  • "We must continue to push industry and states to do better, to be cleaner, to take care of our environment." (jakepretot.vote)
  • "We must get back to national progress on protecting the environment and becoming the world leader in clean energy. It will be painful for those holding on to petroleum and coal ways, but we'll have a better future." (twitter.com)
  • "Switching from fossil fuel energy to renewable industry will be painful for some workers. Government funding for renewable energy will make us a world leader in these technologies, creating jobs in our country and spurring sales to other countries. The government must also provide retraining programs for those who will lose jobs like coal mining, so they can transition to a skilled job in the green industry. We must also protect our innovation and trademarked products from other countries like China who steal our technology and manufacture copycat products." (.votesmart.org)
  • "Switching from fossil fuel energy to renewable industry will be painful for some workers. Government funding for renewable energy will make us a world leader in these technologies, creating jobs in our country and spurring sales to other countries. The government must also provide retraining programs for those who will lose jobs like coal mining, so they can transition to a skilled job in the green industry. We must also protect our innovation and trademarked products from other countries like China who steal our technology and manufacture copycat products." (votesmart.org)
  • "There is also an effort to push much of the environmental oversight at the federal level (EPA) down to the state level. We are moving in the wrong direction!" (jakepretot.vote)
  • "Like the strong majority of Americans, I support universal background checks on all gun purchases. Be a leader on reducing gun violence instead of catering to special interest gun lobbyists!" (twitter.com)
  • "As an Army Veteran, I support common sense gun legislation. We must first close the purchasing loopholes in current legislation. FBI data on gun murders shows 3% are committed with rifles and at least 65% with handguns. Over 85% are committed by males and the majority under the age of 35. For this reason I would raise the purchase age for AR-15s to 35 and handguns to 25. At the same time we must crack down on getting illegal weapons off the streets." (votesmart.org)
  • "Handguns are the biggest problem in our country. We must protect responsible gun owners right to own guns, pass reasonable laws like universal background checks, make it harder for criminals to get guns, and lock up violent criminals." (twitter.com)
  • "How much time and money do government entities spend on managing healthcare subsidy programs for low income families? Wouldn't it be more efficient to just provide everybody with healthcare?" (twitter.com)
  • "ACA must be improved." (twitter.com)
  • "Repealing the ACA does nothing but hurt people and increase insurance company profits. While the ACA is far from perfect, it was a step in the right direction. Without ACA, many current patients would have died. Instead, we need to keep key provisions of the ACA and improve on it while we transition to a single payer healthcare for all system. Those with chronic conditions like diabetes should not have to choose between purchasing insulin to stay alive or putting food on the table. At the same time we must invest more money into medical research." (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Building a continuous wall along the border makes no sense, but we do need to further secure our border. We need to invest more money into border areas that require fortification. Additional pressure should be applied to those countries who are not providing adequate safety and protection for their citizens from gang violence. Those immigrants who have lived in the US for an extended period of time and are employed should be given green cards." (votesmart.org)
  • "Building a continuous wall along the border makes no sense, but we do need to further secure our border. We need to invest more money into border areas that require fortification. Additional pressure should be applied to those countries who are not providing adequate safety and protection for their citizens from gang violence. Those immigrants who have lived in the US for an extended period of time and are employed should be given green cards." (votesmart.org)
  • "We must protect and defend against foreign nations wanting to do us harm. Use of military must be done in a collaborative fashion with the support of our allies. The going it alone approach does not work and breeds hate for the US. While I do not support increased American intervention in the Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support, I do support the use of special forces to train foreign military and conduct missions in a joint effort with the foreign nation to take out terrorist cells." (votesmart.org)
  • "We must protect and defend against foreign nations wanting to do us harm. Use of military must be done in a collaborative fashion with the support of our allies. The going it alone approach does not work and breeds hate for the US. While I do not support increased American intervention in the Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support, I do support the use of special forces to train foreign military and conduct missions in a joint effort with the foreign nation to take out terrorist cells." (votesmart.org)
  • 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-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
It is not the government's right to make that decision for a woman. We can't go back to the days where pregnant women would use a coat hanger to abort the fetus. I would support some form of legislation that would require pre-procedure counseling. Providing a pro-life prospective/options to a woman before she has an abortion is a good idea. Having an abortion is a major decision that will remain with her for the rest of her life. Providing better sex ed in the schools and increased availability of contraceptives would drastically reduce abortion numbers. Attack the root cause!
Yes In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
Yes In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
The federal government needs to learn how to balance a budget like the state governments need to do every single year. People who have large credit card debt to pay off don't go out and get another credit card! In FY 2017 we spent 458,542,287,311.80 on debt interest alone, more than $1000 per adult. Our total public debt outstanding as of June 7th is 21,100,104,747,917.42. That's $71k per citizen! Unacceptable! Through sound financial management, temporary tax increase and a business friendly environment that encourages growth, we can keep our country from going bankrupt.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
Candidates should receive some amount of direct and indirect state funding. In addition, we must limit the amount of indirect campaign contributions from corporations. Large donations from corporations affect decision making as legislators feel compelled to return a favor to those corporations for their donations. Federal employees can't accept gifts from contractors, yet the rule doesn't apply to those making the laws? We must get big money out of Washington so legislators can make decisions for people, not corporations.
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
It is perfectly acceptable for the federal government to provide stimulus money to promote economic growth. One way the government can accomplish this is spending on infrastructure projects to facilitate product transport and grants for new school construction and education. Money invested should be tied to economic growth. I support lowering of taxes on small businesses, and a fair competitive tax rate for corporations that encourages hiring of American workers.
No Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
I have heard time and time again from teachers that there is too much emphasis on common core testing. If any federal education standards are adopted, states should be required to provide non-college prep curriculum. We need more skilled trade training programs in our high schools. Not everybody wants to go to college or work in an office. We need more plumbers, electricians, welders, construction project managers, truck drivers and carpenters. We need to align what we are teaching in schools to the workforce demands.
Yes Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
Yes Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
Switching from fossil fuel energy to renewable industry will be painful for some workers. Government funding for renewable energy will make us a world leader in these technologies, creating jobs in our country and spurring sales to other countries. The government must also provide retraining programs for those who will lose jobs like coal mining, so they can transition to a skilled job in the green industry. We must also protect our innovation and trademarked products from other countries like China who steal our technology and manufacture copycat products.
Yes Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
As an Army Veteran, I support common sense gun legislation. We must first close the purchasing loopholes in current legislation. FBI data on gun murders shows 3% are committed with rifles and at least 65% with handguns. Over 85% are committed by males and the majority under the age of 35. For this reason I would raise the purchase age for AR-15s to 35 and handguns to 25. At the same time we must crack down on getting illegal weapons off the streets.
No Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
Repealing the ACA does nothing but hurt people and increase insurance company profits. While the ACA is far from perfect, it was a step in the right direction. Without ACA, many current patients would have died. Instead, we need to keep key provisions of the ACA and improve on it while we transition to a single payer healthcare for all system. Those with chronic conditions like diabetes should not have to choose between purchasing insulin to stay alive or putting food on the table. At the same time we must invest more money into medical research.
No Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
No Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
Building a continuous wall along the border makes no sense, but we do need to further secure our border. We need to invest more money into border areas that require fortification. Additional pressure should be applied to those countries who are not providing adequate safety and protection for their citizens from gang violence. Those immigrants who have lived in the US for an extended period of time and are employed should be given green cards.
Yes Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
How many times have you heard of a person high on weed getting into a bar fight? I'll bet never! How many times have you heard incidents of domestic abuse by a drunk alcoholic? How many times have you seen an verbally abusive or violent drunk at a Raven's or Oriole's game? I believe alcohol is a far worse drug than marijuana yet the government regulates and taxes alcohol. Legalizing marijuana will also reduce the number of arrests and allow police to focus on more serious problems in our counties and cities like opioids.
Yes Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
No Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
We must protect and defend against foreign nations wanting to do us harm. Use of military must be done in a collaborative fashion with the support of our allies. The going it alone approach does not work and breeds hate for the US. While I do not support increased American intervention in the Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support, I do support the use of special forces to train foreign military and conduct missions in a joint effort with the foreign nation to take out terrorist cells.
Priority one is fixing healthcare by providing healthcare for ALL. We must implement in a way that preserves open access we enjoy now while driving down healthcare, medical device and prescription drug costs. We must return to patient focused care! Education is the next priority. It is a disgrace that our children attend schools with no heating or air conditioning. We must also provide more skilled labor training programs for our students. And lastly, we must get big money out of our politics and decision making. Representatives should be for the people!

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