2020 Virginia Senate Candidate Guide

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ABORTION – Legal or ban?

Daniel Gade – Ban. “I’m 100% pro-life. We need to protect children in the womb.” 

Mark Warner – Legal. Co-sponsored act guaranteeing “equal access to abortion, everywhere.”

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT – Support Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare?

Daniel Gade – No. Would keep parts of ACA, but with “free- market reforms, choice and competition,” no more government control. 

Mark Warner – Yes. Voted for the ACA. Voted against the American Health Care Act of 2017, which would have ended ACA.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE – Require political ads to disclose their largest funders?

Daniel Gade – No position found.

Mark Warner – Yes. Supports constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Introduced bipartisan bill against foreign election interference and for ad transparency.

CLIMATE CHANGE – Consider human-caused climate change a serious threat?

Daniel Gade – No. “The environment is warming,” but it’s not clear how much is due to human activity. It’s part of “a long-term cycle.”

Mark Warner – Yes. “Facts behind climate change are undeniable.” “One of the largest threats to our health, economy, and national security.”

CLIMATE CHANGE – Address as a top priority by taxing or limiting output of greenhouse gases? Support government subsidies for renewable energy?

Daniel Gade – No. “For the time being,” wants “best energy production mix,” with renewables, nuclear, and “natural gas, and oil, and coal.” Concerned about “crippling our own current economic conditions.”

Mark Warner – Yes. For “investing in new technologies that reduce harmful emissions.” Co-sponsored bill for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Wants carbon capture to use coal “more responsibly.”

COURTS – Support Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch nominations?

Daniel Gade – Yes. “We have TWO new conservative Supreme Court Justices.” See CEEP Supreme Court guide.

Mark Warner – No. Voted no on Gorsuch and on Kavanaugh because of “past rulings, writings, and evasive answers.” See CEEP Supreme Court guide.

COVID-19 – Support administration’s response to coronavirus pandemic?

Daniel Gade – Yes. After slow start, president’s response “has been really solid.” Blames China, which “brought our country to its knees.”

Mark Warner – No. “The president has completely failed to contain the virus.” Wants a more aggressive response.

COVID-19 ECONOMIC RESPONSE – Support administration’s economic response to coronavirus pandemic?

Daniel Gade – Yes. “President has been great” getting  “economy back to work.” Against normalizing overspending. Would have voted for CARES Act.

Mark Warner – No. Asked Treasury Dept. to give states more flexibility in distributing relief funds. Asked Trump for more help for working families.

EDUCATION – Use public funding for private and/or for-profit schools?

Daniel Gade – Yes. “Full school choice proponent.” Supreme Court allowing public funding for religious schools a “huge win for religious liberty.”

Mark Warner – No recent position found. Opposed publicly funded vouchers for private school tuition in 2001. 

ENVIRONMENT – Tighten or loosen regulations?

Daniel Gade – Loosen. “A huge fan of deregulation as much as possible.” “Deregulatory drive of the Trump administration has been great.”

Mark Warner – Tighten, mostly. Opposed repeal of Clean Power, emission guidelines. Policy changes must keep all sectors of economy viable.

FINANCIAL REGULATION – Tighten or loosen regulation of banks and credit card companies?

Daniel Gade – Loosen. “Markets that are free of government interference … are engines of economic growth and prosperity for all.”

Mark Warner – Mixed. Voted for Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform. Later introduced bill to loosen regulation on small banks and credit unions.

GAY RIGHTS – Support Equality Act protecting LGBTQ persons from discrimination based on sexual preference?

Daniel Gade – No. “The Equality Act forces churches … to accommodate people who are transgender. … Our religious freedom is under attack.”

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored Equality Act. “Always wrong to fire a person simply for being gay or transgender.”

GUN CONTROL – Enact more restrictive legislation on firearms?

Daniel Gade – No. It’s about individual liberty and “God-given rights to protect ourselves”— not guns. Concerned about “gun confiscation.” Red flag laws unconstitutional.

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored assault weapons ban. Introduced bill to enact gun violence protection measures, including red flag laws and closing background-check loopholes.

IMMIGRATION – Path to citizenship for “DACA” participants brought to the U.S. as children? Expand border walls?

Daniel Gade – No position found on DACA. Supports temporary guest worker program and “recruiting high-skilled workers from other countries.” Would limit humanitarian asylum.

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored bipartisan amendment offering path to citizenship for “DREAMers,” along with $25 billion for border wall funding. Opposed Trump diversion of funds for wall.

IRAN – Oppose military attacks on Iran without congressional approval?

Daniel Gade – Yes. Views specific Iran War Powers Act as an “attempt to embarrass Trump,” but supports idea of requiring congressional approval.

Mark Warner – Yes. Trump should have consulted Congress. Attack turned “anti-Iranian fervor into anti-American fervor.”

LABOR – Support “right-to-work” laws, stopping unions from mandating dues for workers they represent?

Daniel Gade – Yes. “Virginia, after 75 years, is about to destroy the right-to-work legislation and make it a forced unionized state.”

Mark Warner – Unclear. Has said wants to increase worker protections but no specific position found on Virginia attempt to repeal right-to-work. 

MARIJUANA – Decriminalize or legalize?

Daniel Gade – No position found.

Mark Warner – Legal for medical. Co-sponsored bill to allow banks to work with cannabis businesses. “Supports the use of medical marijuana when used appropriately.” Waiting to see experience of other states on recreational.

MINIMUM WAGE – Raise hourly minimum wage in Virginia above current $7.25?

Daniel Gade – Unclear. Raising federal minimum wage in Virginia to $15 would “destroy small businesses.”

Mark Warner – Yes. For raising minimum in Virginia. At $7.25, “You can’t feed a family on that rate.” Raise can be done “responsibly.”

PLANNED PARENTHOOD – Can Planned Parenthood get public funding for non-abortion-related care?

Daniel Gade – No. “Planned Parenthood should not be government funded.”

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored Women’s Health Protection Act and voted against rescinding Planned Parenthood funding. 

POLICE RESTRICTIONS – Restrict police use of force and increase public oversight?

Daniel Gade – Yes on oversight. Says he cares about criminal justice reform “passionately,” with many “in jail who don’t need to be.” Says police unions may protect “bad apples.”

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored Justice in Policing Act “to hold law enforcement accountable …, improve transparency …, and reform police training and policies.”

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT – Supported or opposed Trump impeachment and Senate’s calling witnesses?

Daniel Gade – Opposed impeachment. “About personal vendettas.”

Mark Warner – Supported. Voted to call witnesses and to convict Trump on both articles of impeachment.

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID – Support payment subsidies or forgiveness on student loans?

Daniel Gade – No. Forgiveness is an “immoral transfer of risk from poor people to already privileged people.” No position found on payments.

Mark Warner – Yes. Co-sponsored bill to limit payments based on income and forgive debts after 20 or 30 years of payments.

Campus Election Engagement Project is a nonpartisan effort to help colleges engage students in elections. Sources include Votesmart.org, FactCheck.org, Politifact.com and candidate statements. Vote411.org and Ballotready.org offer guides to local races.