Aaron Sewell'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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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Aaron Sewell has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.
Iowa State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| If we determine life ending with the loss of a heartbeat then we must recognize life beginning with a heartbeat as well. At the same time, we need to find ways to support women and allow them the opportunities they seek to be mothers without any fear or concern. To get an education without worry. To pursue be given equal opportunity to pursue a career. That includes affordable access to childcare, unbiased workplace policies for job applications, and workplace policies. We need to support women from when they begin life until their final breath. | |||
| Yes | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Iowans deserve to take home more of what they earn. When people have more of their own money they will be more likely to invest in their communities. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a limit on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| If you are a United States citizen who is of age and has a government-issued identification I see no issue with you being automatically registered to vote. we need more participation in government. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | 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 in Iowa? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support establishing independent task forces to conduct the investigation, prosecution, and enforcement of state and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Iowa? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| No | h) Do you support work requirements for participants in the state Medicaid program? | ||
| No | i) Should cities and counties be allowed to prohibit housing voucher discrimination? | ||
| j) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Iowa? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Iowa? | ||
| No | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Iowa high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Iowa's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Iowa state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that prohibits sexual orientation conversion therapy for individuals under the age of 18? | ||
| Religious liberty should be protected from discrimination lawsuits. The government needs to stay out of private sector matters as much as possible. | |||
| Long term quality of education for Iowa students is a priority for me. All our kids deserve better opportunities to have success. Our educators need to feel supported in their work as well. | |||
| Returning local control to community governing bodies across the state. There is a time and a place for state government to help guide or foster an environment of growth but as much as possible we need to leave decisions to local community leaders. Every community has different needs and challenges. One size fit all rarely fits all. Education, economy, liberty. |
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