VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Encourage states to expand who may perform abortions: Strongly Favors topic 1 Codify Roe v. Wade, repeal Hyde Amendment: Strongly Favors topic 1 Government should support embryonic stem cell research: Favors topic 1 Supported by women's groups for strong defense of abortion: Favors topic 1 Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right: Strongly Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	More African-American home ownership; study reparations: Strongly Favors topic 2 Reinvigorate Civil Rights Division of Justice Department: Strongly Favors topic 2 Set labor rules to end the gender pay gap: Strongly Favors topic 2 Discrimination against blacks means same against Jews: Strongly Favors topic 2 Women's groups cite Bloomberg as model place to be employed: Strongly Favors topic 2 I'd like every company to be 50% male and 50% female: Strongly Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+5 points on Social scale)	I convinced NY Republicans to vote for gay marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3 Guarantee equal treatment and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people: Strongly Favors topic 3 Co-chaired "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry" effort: Strongly Favors topic 3 Backs same-sex marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3
Strongly Opposes topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (+5 points on Social scale)	Keep religion and politics separate: Strongly Opposes topic 4 Creationism boggles the mind, two centuries after Darwin: Strongly Opposes topic 4 Candidates' religious beliefs should be kept private: Strongly Opposes topic 4
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	Change patent laws to get generic drugs on the market faster: Favors topic 5 Protect & expand access to care in rural areas: Strongly Favors topic 5 Ban flavored tobacco products of all kinds: Favors topic 5 Require insurance coverage for mental health care: Strongly Favors topic 5 Get cities to hike taxes on sugary drinks: Favors topic 5 Expand ObamaCare & Medicare: Favors topic 5 Cut teen smoking by 50%; now focus on e-cigarettes: Favors topic 5 We can never afford to replace employer-based health system: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Individual mandate makes insurance affordable for all: Strongly Favors topic 5 Ban trans-fats and replace with fruit & vegetable vendors: Favors topic 5 $2.5B trust fund for NYC future retirees’ health care: Favors topic 5 Pay-for-prevention towards goal of universal coverage: Strongly Favors topic 5 Prioritize city healthcare on HIV, diabetes & hypertension: Favors topic 5
Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-3 points on Economic scale)	New minimum benefit; expand support for senior savings: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Don't kick the can down the road with retirement funding: Opposes topic 6 To reduce the deficit we must cut entitlements: Favors topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	NYC schools did improve; and better for minorities: Opposes topic 7 Make education and training a national priority: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Help public schools with deductibility of local taxes: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Slash bureaucracy; reward principal & teacher excellence: Favors topic 7 No more tinkering at margins: cut bureaucracy; add charters: Favors topic 7 No social promotion; more after-school: Favors topic 7 No computers in early grade school: Opposes topic 7
Strongly Opposes topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (+5 points on Social scale)	Make wildfire resilience a top priority: Opposes topic 8 EPA failing to focus on clean air and clean water: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Congestion pricing: fee for driving into Manhattan: Opposes topic 8 Reducing carbon output increases socio-economic well-being: Opposes topic 8 Investing in infrastructure critical to competitiveness: Opposes topic 8 Make NYC first environmentally-sustainable city: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Creative housing: deck over highways & build brownfields: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Clean up 7,600 acres of brownfields; build more parks: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Environmental justice: clean soot in poor neighborhoods: Strongly Opposes topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+2 points on Social scale)	End cash bail; $2.5 billion for public defenders: Opposes topic 9 I was wrong to rely on stop-and-frisk policing: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Apologizing for police racial errors kept city calm: Opposes topic 9 OpEd: never a conspicuous civil libertarian: Favors topic 9 Educate prisoners: build more classrooms at Rikers Island: Opposes topic 9 Reduced murder rate by focusing on domestic violence: Opposes topic 9 Mandatory minimum sentencing for gun crimes: Favors topic 9 Lock them up and throw away key, but no death penalty: Strongly Favors topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Suicides & family violence reduced with 24-hour gun wait: Opposes topic 10 Close "boyfriend loophole," pass national red flag law: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Ban assault weapons; hold gun industry accountable: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Bloomberg group favors closing background check loopholes: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Gun laws effective but no one law will stop everything: Strongly Opposes topic 10 80% of NRA members support background checks: Strongly Favors topic 10 Background checks do work, and should be highest priority: Strongly Opposes topic 10 2006: Created Mayors Against Illegal Guns; now 600 mayors: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Put the issue of illegal guns back on the national agenda: Opposes topic 10 2nd Amendment doesn’t prevent keeping guns from criminals: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Opposes topic 10 It’s not about gun control, it’s about crime control: Opposes topic 10 Sued New York City gun dealers to control guns: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-3 points on Economic scale)	$5 trillion in new revenue from high earners & corporations: Strongly Favors topic 11 Raise corporate tax rate to 28%, prevent use of tax havens: Strongly Favors topic 11 5% surtax on income above $5 million a year: Strongly Favors topic 11 Wealth tax is counterproductive and unconstitutional: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Progressive tax yes; wealth tax no: Favors topic 11 The wealthy prefer the current rigged system: Strongly Favors topic 11 Wealth tax is unconstitutional & counterproductive: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Business have big cash reserves & need no tax cuts: Strongly Favors topic 11 Reduce 35% corporate tax by eliminating loopholes: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Tax cuts paying for themselves defies reality: Strongly Favors topic 11 GOP tax bill is an economically indefensible blunder: Strongly Favors topic 11 Expand the earned income tax credit to raise real wages: Favors topic 11 Raised property taxes to 18.5%, highest in history: Strongly Favors topic 11 2004: Refunded $250M to residential taxpayers, not business: Favors topic 11 $400 property tax rebate to all homeowners: Opposes topic 11 Raised property taxes 18% to pay off budget deficit: Favors topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	Staple a Green Card on every foreign student college degree: Favors topic 12 Create an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented: Strongly Favors topic 12 Fix the country's broken immigration system: Strongly Favors topic 12 Closing the door to immigration would be national suicide: Strongly Favors topic 12 America's greatness begins with immigrants, not with a wall: Strongly Favors topic 12 Normalize status of otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 Border controls fight natural forces of supply and demand: Favors topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	Trade with China is good for consumers & the US economy: Strongly Favors topic 13 Supports TPP and opposes trade war with China: Strongly Favors topic 13 Vocal defender of global trade and multinational trade deals: Strongly Favors topic 13 Protectionist viewpoint has a heavy price to country: Strongly Favors topic 13 Global economy isn’t zero-sum game: US & China can both gain: Strongly Favors topic 13 Tariffs to protect jobs end up helping foreign competitors: Favors topic 13 Staunchly for free trade and against protectionism: Strongly Favors topic 13 Open borders for trade encourage entrepreneurship: Favors topic 13 American competitive position is strong against China and EU: Favors topic 13
Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-3 points on Economic scale)	China doesn't want a democracy; but don't go to war over it: Opposes topic 14 Repair our frayed relationships with our allies: Strongly Opposes topic 14 System of alliances achieved peace & democratic progress: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Saudi Arabia's modernization is going in the right direction: Opposes topic 14 Supports Israel's military response to Gaza rocket attacks: Favors topic 14
Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+2 points on Social scale)	Argued against increasing military spending: Opposes topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Protect voting rights; require automatic registration: Strongly Favors topic 16 Restore voting rights to felons after they're out: Strongly Favors topic 16 Phase out paperless voting machines: Strongly Favors topic 16 Fund voter registration in FL, WI, OH, MI, and PA: Strongly Favors topic 16 Make getting on the ballot easier, & better people will run: Favors topic 16
Opposes topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (-3 points on Social scale)	Don't recognize Crimea annexation; do extend START treaty: Opposes topic 17 Deep reservations that 2015 Iran nuclear deal wasn't enough: Opposes topic 17 Supported 2003 Iraq War, as response to 9/11: Strongly Opposes topic 17 No attractive military option against North Korean nukes: Favors topic 17 Nobody wants war to continue, but what happens next?: Opposes topic 17
Strongly Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Make climate change a U.S. priority; rejoin Paris Agreement: Strongly Favors topic 18 Make pollution-free homes & vehicles available for all: Strongly Favors topic 18 Founded $500 million group advocating energy reform: Strongly Favors topic 18 $218M effort led to closure of 282 coal-fired power plants: Strongly Favors topic 18 America should be big part of climate solution: Strongly Favors topic 18 If some countries do right thing on climate, we all benefit: Strongly Favors topic 18 US must set real and binding carbon reduction targets: Strongly Favors topic 18 While greenhouse gas pollution is free, it will be abundant: Favors topic 18 PlaNYC: convert 13,000 taxis to hybrids or high-efficiency: Strongly Favors topic 18 Direct charge over cap-and-trade, to raise cost of carbon: Strongly Favors topic 18 Reduce NYC carbon emissions by 30% by 2030: Strongly Favors topic 18 $8 fee to enter NYC by car, to encourage mass transit: Strongly Favors topic 18
Favors topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (-3 points on Social scale)	No legalization; pot lowers IQ by 5 to 10 points: Strongly Favors topic 19 You bet I smoked pot, and I enjoyed it; but.: Favors topic 19 You bet I smoked pot; and I enjoyed it: Strongly Opposes topic 19 NYPD will continue to vigorously enforce drug laws: Favors topic 19
Strongly Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-5 points on Economic scale)	Raise minimum wage; pay Earned Income Tax Credit monthly: Strongly Favors topic 20 Invest in growth hubs to generate breakthroughs & jobs: Strongly Favors topic 20 Create 1 million new black homeowners: Strongly Favors topic 20 Proponent of the free market and balanced budgets: Opposes topic 20 Crumbling infrastructure undermines global competitiveness: Strongly Favors topic 20 Mayors Challenge: grants to cities for improving urban life: Favors topic 20 Raised taxes on high-earners to incent municipal employees: Strongly Favors topic 20 Balanced $6B deficit with higher property taxes: Favors topic 20