Card image cap

John Duncan, Jr.'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.

John Duncan, Jr. has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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 2016.

  • "A new study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that the United States is one of just seven countries worldwide that permits elective abortion more than halfway through pregnancy (beyond 20 weeks). It is an indescribable shame that America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is leading the world in callous disregard for the most vulnerable among us.” (black.house.gov)
  • "Duncan scored 100% on the FRC’s new scorecard covering the House of Representatives for the 1st session of the 110th Congress. The scorecard rates Members of Congress on their votes on sixteen pro-life and pro-family votes.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "I have always strongly supported tax cuts for the middle class and making education more affordable, but raising the capital gains tax and redistributing income to pay for more government programs could hurt the overall economy.” (votesmart.org)
  • “The United States could move to a simple, flat tax system as other countries have which would raise as much revenue with far lower rates, and without much of the economic and liberty destroying complexity.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Our Nation's debt has now reached an astounding $17.6 trillion, a number no one can really even comprehend. This Nation keeps printing more and more money. That is going to speed up in the years ahead if we don't get much more fiscally conservative at the Federal level.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "The only fair way to actually cut federal spending would be to do across-the-board cuts with the same percentage for everyone.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • “By voting time and again to reduce federal spending, taxes, and debt, Congressman Duncan has led by example in the fight to defend overburdened taxpayers across the country.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "People all over the country, Mr. Speaker, are moving from the high tax states to the low tax states. Tennessee benefits from this. Jobs are being created. Our State economy is one of the strongest in the Nation because we keep our taxes low.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "This law [No Child Left Behind] was a tremendous over-reach by the federal government to address failed school systems in some of our Nation’s biggest cities, and it was definitely not needed in the schools of East Tennessee.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) applauded the U.S. Department of Education Friday for releasing Tennessee from the No Child Left Behind law, saying the move will free East Tennessee teachers from an unnecessary, burdensome, and ineffective federal mandate.” (votesmart.org)
  • "Keystone Pipeline Would Create Thousands of Jobs [. . .] This is a very important bill, and as speaker Boehner said on the floor yesterday, it would create 20,000 direct jobs and about 100,000 indirect jobs.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • Voted in favor of S 1 - A Bill to Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline (votesmart.org)
  • "If we limit this Nation to wind and solar, we might as well just shut the country down economically.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "I am not against solar energy in any way, but it is way past time for this industry to stand on its own. The demand for solar energy will go up much faster if the industry is weaned off of Federal money and if it is forced to put out a better, more efficient and less expensive product. This is called free enterprise. Some people may have heard of it. The taxpayers simply cannot afford to keep funding a very wasteful program just because it is politically correct or fashionable to do so.” (votesmart.org)
  • “Duncan Supports All-of-the-Above Energy Approach [. . .] The bill, the American Energy Act, is an all-encompassing approach that includes increasing American-made energy, improving conservation and efficiency, and promoting renewable and alternative energy technologies.” (votesmart.org)
  • "In short, Madame Administrator, we believe this carbon dioxide regulation – whose implementation is legally questionable at best – would do untold harm to the American people and our economy for decades to come.” (jeffduncan.house.gov)
  • "I voted for the toughest clean air law in the world many years ago and for several other bills since then to help clean our air and water. [. . .] Charles Krauthammer, possibly the smartest analyst on issues today, said if we shut down the entire US, it would make almost no difference on carbon emissions, because China and India are opening up coal-fired plants at a rate of almost one a week between them, and Indonesia is the third largest emitter.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • “Now I realize that almost all environmental radicals come from wealthy or upper income families. Perhaps they just do not realize how harmful all these environmental rules and regulations and red tape are to poor and lower income people.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "As much as some people hate to admit it, guns have prevented many thousands of crimes and saved untold lives. Going after law-abiding gun owners does nothing to prevent the acts of criminals and deranged persons.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "Further restricting the rights of gun owners who have followed the laws will do nothing to prevent the acts of criminals and deranged persons in the future.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement Friday in response to a vote in the House of Representatives to defund Obamacare: 'I voted for the continuing resolution primarily because the people of East Tennessee are overwhelmingly opposed to Obamacare.'” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "The 'Affordable Care Act' was the socialist approach to health care, and all it will do over the long haul is make a bad situation even worse by putting the federal government between people and their doctors; this will only lead to a rationing of care, all sorts of inefficiencies and waste, and a declining quality of medical care for everyone.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "We do not need an increase in immigration. We need to enforce our laws and secure our borders.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • “Some who do not want strong enforcement say sarcastically that you cannot line up buses clear from San Diego to San Francisco and immediately remove 20 million people. Yet no one has ever advocated that. But just because you cannot solve all crime overnight does not mean you stop trying to enforce the criminal laws.” (votesmart.org)
  • "But our entire infrastructure, our schools, our hospitals, our jails, our roads, our sewers simply could not handle the influx of mega millions who would come here in a relatively short time if we simply opened our borders. We have to have a legal, orderly system of immigration, and it must be enforced.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • “Duncan Gets Perfect Score for Support of Family Values [. . .] These Members are to be commended for supporting public policy that values human life, protects our religious liberties, and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "The overwhelming majority of the American people do believe that the only true marriage is that between one adult man and one adult woman. There are other limitations on marriage such as prohibitions against marriages by family members or bigamist marriages, and I think the overwhelming majority of the American people feel that our society, our families, and especially our children would be better off if we defined marriage, the only true marriage, legal marriage, as that of being between one man and one woman.” (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H Amdt 1416 “Prohibits Use of Funds in Contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act” (votesmart.org)
  • "We could spend far less on homeland security and have a far safer nation if we would just adopt a more neutral, non-interventionist foreign policy all over the world, but especially in the Middle East.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "However, there are limits to American power, and there really is not an American military solution to the problems of the Middle East. The main job fighting ISIL is going to have to be done by the countries and people of that region.” (duncan.house.gov)
  • "Anyone who hopes to receive any type of check from the federal government (Social Security or otherwise) a few years from now in dollars that have not been terribly inflated should start demanding that the federal government become much more financially conservative.” (duncan.house.gov)

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

arrow_upward