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Erica Smith'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.

  • "When I was pregnant with my youngest son, doctors told me that I may not survive giving birth. I made the deeply personal choice to risk my own life to give birth to my child. No man, court, or legislature could make that choice for me. 𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲. 𝐌𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞." (twitter.com)
  • "With the rise of back door attempts at overturning Roe v. Wade across several state legislatures--I believe that it is imperative for Congress to enact federal protection of women's rights to reproductive healthcare and access to abortion." (twitter.com)
  • "Bill Gates joins Warren Buffett and other billionaires calling for higher taxes on the extremely wealthy. They're right. The concentration of wealth in a few hands is at historic highs, threatening economic stability and social justice." (twitter.com)
  • "Marching in Asheville today in support of Medicare For All, the only solution to our broken health care system. It’s time to stop asking how we can afford it, and start asking how we can afford the status quo." (twitter.com)
  • "Platform #4: Equitable Healthcare. North Carolina and Congress has a duty to our citizens to provide access to health care, whether long term care and assisted living for senior citizens through Medicare or by expanding Medicaid for those who struggle and cannot afford access." (twitter.com)
  • "#NRA #Dark$$ Make elections about the people- end post CitizensUnited - Thanks Beto for answering question on what to do about gun violence - end special interests $$ backed ownership of politicians! #E4US" (twitter.com)
  • "Big $ in politics creates legislative kickbacks for lawmakers. We have to govern for the people, regardless of how much they gave or didn't to our campaigns." (twitter.com)
  • "We need DC statehood & to give Puerto Rico the right to self determination. We need to end gerrymandering. We need to end citizens united. We need public funding for our elections. We need automatic voter registration. We need the John Lewis Voting Rights Act." (twitter.com)
  • "I’m Erica, and I stand with the friends, family, loved ones, neighbors of and marchers for George Floyd in #Minneapolis. Black Lives Matter - OUR Lives Matter. I’m fighting with you as we protest police brutality & systemic racism in this country. #NCPol #NCSen" (twitter.com)
  • "Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act." (twitter.com)
  • "The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is the first step towards transforming our criminal injustice system to a criminal justice system." (twitter.com)
  • "Many of the Senator's complaining about the price tag on the latests proposed relief package were awfully quiet when it came to the size of the bloated defense budget. Funding endless wars but not housing the homeless or feeding the hungry is a CHOICE that our government makes." (twitter.com)
  • "As a State Senator, I delivered for my constituents, securing infrastructure projects like the railroad expansion here in Martin County. As a U.S. Senator, I’ll do the same, delivering for my constituents and ensuring the infrastructure revolution that we need." (twitter.com)
  • "Invest in Broadband, Small business, Infrastructure = correct budgeting for all areas w/n our borders #ncpol" (twitter.com)
  • "We must rebuild our rural areas to compete with urban industry. I support strategic investments in water and sewer infrastructure, broadband, agriculture innovation, biofuels, clean energy, and our highway system to revitalize these areas." (twitter.com)
  • "Duke Energy paid $0 in federal taxes. ZERO. Working people across North Carolina paid more in taxes than Duke Energy did. The tax code is rigged to benefit corporations' bottom lines at our own expense." (twitter.com)
  • "The same corporations that refuse to pay us living wages are polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the communities we live in. End corporate welfare. Ensure living wages. Protect our communities. #EarthDay" (twitter.com)
  • Voted against SB 578 "Reduces the Corporate Tax Rate and Establishes the Film and Entertainment Grant Fund." (votesmart.org)
  • "Our government cannot continue to perpetually kick the can down the road. The next relief bill needs to provide the relief that WE THE PEOPLE need & deserve from OUR government. #ForThePeople #StimulusChecks #RentReliefNow" (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HB 1105 "Appropriates COVID Relief Checks to Parents." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of SB 704 "Establishes the COVID-19 Response Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "While in the NCGA I introduced a bill to study the disparity in contracts granted to minority owned businesses. From the federal governments PPP loans to state agency contracts here in NC, there is so much more we can do to support minority businesses." (twitter.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Honored to be endorsed by FOE! 2018 Senator of the Year by the @nclcv and 2019 Senator of Year by NC Sustainable Energy Association. We have a solid record of job creation in wind and solar- promoting 100% renewable energy and carbon reduction by 2030! #NCSen #ncpol" (twitter.com)
  • "My record of environmental stewardship is something I take very seriously. America is missing opportunities for sustainable energy jobs and economic expansion in this industry. Let's subsidize renewable industry and not fossil fuel. #e4us #ncpol #ncga" (twitter.com)
  • "My record of environmental stewardship is something I take very seriously. America is missing opportunities for sustainable energy jobs and economic expansion in this industry. Let's subsidize renewable industry and not fossil fuel." (twitter.com)
  • Rated 86% by North Carolina League of Conservation Voters. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "It is time to choose our planet over Big Oil. It's time to choose our children over Big Oil. It's time to choose our economy over Big Oil. It's time to choose our energy infrastructure over Big Oil. It's time to choose our workers over Big Oil. It's time for the #GreenNewDeal!" (twitter.com)
  • "The same corporations that refuse to pay us living wages are polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the communities we live in. End corporate welfare. Ensure living wages. Protect our communities. #EarthDay" (twitter.com)
  • "This is GREAT! The Clean Power Plan stands & the path is cleared for the Biden/Harris administration to move forward with aggressive regulatory plans to protect our planet as well as people of color and working people who bare the brunt of the burden from corporate pollution." (twitter.com)
  • "We need a Green New Deal that creates a sustainable future. Carbon pollution isn’t the only thing that’s not sustainable about the present. A rigged economy is not sustainable. Crumbling infrastructure is not sustainable. Underfunding our schools is not sustainable." (twitter.com)
  • "#EnoughIsEnough - Sincerest condolences and my commitment to advance policy that protects the innocent, closes loopholes and ends senseless loss of lives to gun violence." (twitter.com)
  • "I saw my @NRSC sign today. When did listening to constituents & promoting common sense policies like mandatory background checks for gun sales & ensuring all Americans have access to affordable healthcare become a liability? My positions come from my principles. #e4us" (twitter.com)
  • "Thrilled to be on board and in the fight for common sense gun reform together!" (twitter.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Happy Labor Day. We’re at our strongest, when unions are at their strongest. Every American deserves to live in a nation where there is a 15$ minimum wage, paid sick leave, a workers bill of rights, access to a union and affordable healthcare. Together, we’re going to get there." (twitter.com)
  • ".@ThomTillis was NOT one of the 11 - Shame on you Senator Tillis for failing to place our military servicemen/women, veterans and military installations as a priority over an ornamental border wall!" (twitter.com)
  • "Tillis and Trump steal $80 million from NC military families AND THEN steal privately owned land to build an ineffective vanity wall. This is ludicrous!" (twitter.com)
  • "Trump's misguided border policy claims yet more victims: Camp Lejeune service members forced to endure "substandard" healthcare facilities for at least another year, to fund Trump's ornamental wall. Sen. Tillis has failed us yet again #ncpol #ncsen" (twitter.com)
  • ".At last nights panel, @DamjanDenoble reminded us that the immigration issue isn’t just at border. Thousands of people in detention centers all over NC and USA. Many don’t seek med care or send kids to school bc of fear. We have to have comprehensive immigration reform now!!" (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HB 100 "Rescinds Certain Funds from Sanctuary Cities." (votesmart.org)
  • "We need a people-first approach to immigration. We are a nation composed of immigrants and built by immigrants who all too often were discriminated against and persecuted because they came from foreign shores." (twitter.com)
  • "@politico reporting @realDonaldTrump deploying 1,000 more troops to Iran. That makes 2500 in the last month. Let’s try dialogue and diplomacy before we start ramping up another military operation. Where is @SenThomTillis on this? #infrastructurenotwar " (twitter.com)
  • "Ending the war in Afghanistan was and is the right decision. Now, given the humanitarian crisis that we had an undeniable role in creating, the right decision is to help the Afghan citizens who are fleeing for their lives and open our doors to refugees." (twitter.com)
  • "We’ve spent the past 20 years waging wars in the Middle East. I’m running for US Senate because I want us to wage war on poverty, the climate crisis, homelessness, racial injustice, and the monopolies that are hollowing out our communities instead." (twitter.com)
  • "The farm laborers who have been taken advantage of for far too long, their wages are on the ballot in this race. The incomes of farms that have been decimated by bad trade deals and even worse trade wars, their profits will be impacted by this election." (twitter.com)
  • "This is a tumultuous time for agricultural economies. Farmers have been hit recently by a loss of foreign markets & falling commodity prices. The shutdown means they aren’t getting federal payments to offset @POTUS’s trade wars & retaliatory tariffs. No hurricane relief either." (twitter.com)
  • "Rural & urban America are not at war. We’re both hurt by monopolies, agribusiness, & "free market" trade deals that ship good jobs overseas. Our true enemies are corporations that only see us as workers & consumers. Trust me, they’re happy when we feud over cultural differences." (twitter.com)
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?
As a US Senator, my vote in judicial confirmations will always take into account a nominee's position on Roe v. Wade as settled law. It is time for federal codification of Women's Access to Reproductive Healthcare. I support Senator Warren's proposal for advancing federal law to protect access. This federal law should prohibit states from implementing unnecessary authorizations for women to access treatment, defunding Planned Parenthood and Community Health Centers who provide access to care, revisiting the Hyde Amendment that restricts federal funding; and establishing an Office of Reproductive Freedom (Booker).
Yes In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
Yes Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
Yes, to help balance the federal budget, I support repealing the 2018 Tax Cut and Jobs Act because it was a giveaway to wealthy individuals and corporations via tax decreases while the middle class and poor saw either effective tax increases or no benefit at all. It was a reverse Robin Hood bill that must be repealed. Most Americans have little to no retirement savings or income to depend on at the sunset of their careers. It is imperative that Congress takes immediate steps to invest and protect the Social Security and Medicare of these hard-working Americans.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
Absolutely. There is no place for SuperPAC, Corporate PAC, or Corporate Funded PAC contributions in our campaigns. These PACs and their dark money, nebulous donors are attempting to use their vast amounts of money to buy an election for corporate or institutional self-interests that almost always are contrary to the interests and will of the people. Our elections should be focused on the rights and interests of the voters. In addition, I will sponsor legislation or other measures to eradicate the Citizens United decision handed down by the Supreme Court that allowed this campaign finance travesty on America.
No Do you support increasing defense spending?
Military defense currently accounts for almost 20% of our budget, while other needs equally critical to our security (such as climate remediation and carbon reduction) go begging. I believe we can achieve substantial savings in defense expenditures by modernizing the way we solicit, manage, and pay for defense contracts, which will free up revenues for such additional critical needs while still retaining (or perhaps I should say re-gaining) our stature as the world's most powerful and reliable defender of peace and security.
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
No Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
No. The TCJA of 2018 lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. I would not support a further reduction of the corporate tax rate. Instead, I will push legislation to eliminate the TCJA and restore the corporate tax rates to higher levels. We must raise the corporate tax rates to an equitable level, repeal tax code provisions that allow the corporations lucrative tax shelters and deductions. Additionally, for so long as our courts insist that corporations are people, then corporations should pay the same tax rates that people do.
Yes Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
Yes, the federal government should have a major role in fostering educational excellence and equal access for all public school students. As such, the federal government should also provide adequate funding for public education that is optimized in targeting resources and student centered funding. In driving educational excellence, the Department of Education should play a major role in providing policy around nurturing and safe schools, curriculum, mental and behavioral health, compensation, protecting civil rights, food and nutrition, textbooks, technology, capital outlay, student portfolio assessments, support models for staffing, leveled benefits, articulation and alignment of standards, performance and assessments.
Yes Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
Yes Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes. We must invest in 100% renewable energy by 2030. We need an immediate ban on new fracking permits to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, a phase-out of existing permits as rapidly as local economies can absorb without disruption, and programs to retrain displaced workers and attract new and greener jobs. Fracking is the earth's own opioid crisis: a deadly addiction to cheap and plentiful poison. Like any other addiction however, the cure isn't merely to shut down the poison supply. Only a comprehensive community-focused approach can solve the underlying problem of which the addiction is merely a symptom.
Yes Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
I support Red flag laws, like those I have sponsored in the state senate, to temporarily restrict gun access for those judged to be dangers to themselves or others. Universal no-exceptions background checks for gun purchasers or recipients with 10 day waiting periods. Bans on firearm features that have no place in civil society, such as automatic fire modifications, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. Enhanced funding for mental health care. Enhanced funding for anti-bullying initiatives in schools and for better training of school resource officers.
No Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
I do not support repealing the ACA. While imperfect, it has brought peace of mind to over half a million North Carolinians this year alone, who have coverage despite pre- existing conditions and reliable and affordable insurance. A recent reduction in premiums and continuous enrollment has promoted efficacy of the ACA. I support transitioning from the ACA to Medicare for All, single payer system that extends healthcare for all Americans that includes prescription drug price controls,dental, vision, long and short term care, mental health, no limitations on pre-existing conditions, and reinvestment of profits to consumers through tax deductibles.
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?
I will support and defend DACA, as well as comprehensive immigration reform providing a pathway to citizenship. And because we have always been a nation of immigrants, always will be, and are enriched by the energy that immigrants bring with them to our country, I will fight to reverse the current administration's hostile immigration policies, while recognizing that secure borders and orderly immigration procedures are necessary for any country. Comprehensive congressional investigation is called for to thoroughly document the disaster of our government's recent and current family separation activities.
Yes Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
Yes Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
The United States needs to stop attempting to us the US military as the police officers of the world and stop inserting ourselves into useless wars while also stripping foreign countries of their natural resources for our own benefit. These wars are destabilizing and, without a well-thought out and comprehensive exit strategy, the US has created even more instability than existed prior to the US intervention. Instead, we should focus U.S. efforts on diplomatic solutions, regulatory deterrents and targets, and economic sanctions to encourage all parties of the region to mutually resolve their issues with US military intervention.
Yes Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
Tariffs and other international trade barriers are a two-edged sword. On the one hand, tariffs remain an important tool to protect vital national interests from unfair foreign competition and to protect national security. On the other hand, a robust and not overly encumbered system of international trade provides our farmers, manufacturers, and service providers with access to enormous markets, and thus creates good jobs here at home. The question of tariffs is not black-or-white. Rather, it calls for the sort of smart good government that was a defining characteristic of our recent history until three years ago.
Equality (Issue - too many inequities in society). Equal justice under the law. Equal rights and opportunity for people of every color, faith, gender, identify, sexual orientation, stratum and ability. Humanity (Issue - prioritizing profit over people). Healthcare is a human right; equal pay for equal work is simple fairness; that access to a good and affordable education. Prosperity (Issue - a plague of poverty perpetuated by corporate greed and governmental abdication) We all need the opportunity for meaningful work, a livable wage, and to realistically dream of a better future for ourselves and our children.

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