Meet the Candidates for U.S. Senate

United State Senate
Lindsey Graham (R) 
 
What is the primary need in health care reform and what action would you take to accomplish it?
 
The best way to make health insurance and health care more affordable and effective is to move power out of Washington and give it back to local communities. I authored legislation to send Obamacare dollars back to the states in block grants. In my bill, South Carolina would receive a nearly $1 billion increase in health care funding because three states currently get a disproportionate share of federal money.  
 
How can the federal government be a catalyst for reforms in racial injustice?
 
The American people responded in a positive way to the idea that police reform is overdue. They also understand and acknowledge that law enforcement’s interaction with minorities needs to change for the better. We can accomplish those goals without supporting radical proposals like Defund the Police. I will never, ever support Defund the Police.
 
Before the coronavirus, President Trump had created the strongest economy in decades, and the unemployment rate for African Americans was the lowest in history. We must continue to push for more forward-thinking policies like Sen. Tim Scott’s Opportunity Zone legislation. These zones encourage economic development and job creation by the private sector. But additional economic opportunities are just one piece of the puzzle. Some African Americans are stuck in a cycle where a poor educational choice is the only option available to their children. We ought to provide them better access to school choice opportunities.
 
In your view, how does “opening safely” amid COVID-19 look to you and how can the federal government assist in that transition?
 
We need to provide funding to hospitals as they are seeing an increased workload. The best way to ensure personal safety and economic recovery is to have a health care system people can rely on. We need increased funding for schools to keep teachers and students safe. We also need an unemployment system that helps the unemployed but does not pay them to make more on unemployment than by working. We must pass liability protections ensuring businesses are not sued for reopening when they follow the rules.  
 
What federal tax reforms would you propose to combat the growing deficit?
 
The sooner we engage in bipartisan dialogue to reform entitlements and reshape federal spending, the better. I have long advocated for bipartisan budget reform. The best way to deal with this problem is to put together a Simpson-Bowles-like commission to make recommendations on ways to reform entitlements and save Social Security and Medicare from collapse. I would gladly pay more into Medicare and take less from Social Security to save the system because I have the means to do so. I would never ask those without the means to make those kinds of sacrifices. Younger workers who are decades from retirement would have plenty of time to adjust to working a little longer.
 
 
What else do you think is an issue impacting your constituents and how do you propose to make improvements?
 
Now more than ever before, South Carolina needs a senator with experience and a proven track record of conservative successes. We must continue the progress we have made. As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have helped Pres. Trump confirm over 200 conservative judges, including two Supreme Court justices.
 
 
Jaime Harrison (D) 
 
 
What is the primary need in health care reform and what action would you take to accomplish it?
 
We need to end the assault on the Affordable Care Act. There is a Supreme Court case right now attempting to repeal the law, which could pull coverage away from nearly 250,000 South Carolinians and remove protections for the more than 900,000 people here with pre-existing conditions. 
 
We must expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. This move would provide nearly 200,000 people with insurance and help keep our rural hospitals open, four of which have recently closed. We’re one of just 12 states still refusing these funds. 
 
How can the federal government be a catalyst for reforms in racial injustice?
 
For the first time in a long time, people across the racial and political spectrums are calling for reforms that can help reduce police brutality and address the inequalities in how police use force. 
 
For example, we need a national use of force standard, and we have to end cash bail. Qualified immunity should be a thing of the past, along with chokeholds. Laws should be put in place so a cop fired for violent misconduct in North Carolina can’t become an officer in South Carolina.
 
In your view, how does “opening safely” amid COVID-19 look to you and how can the federal government assist in that transition?
 
We can’t have a healthy economy with an unhealthy population. We need practical rules in place that will limit COVID’s spread and give our economy the certainty it needs to open up safely. 
 
I have called on Gov. McMaster to follow in the footsteps of both Republican and Democratic governors throughout the country in requiring that masks be worn in all public areas. The science is clear: Wearing masks is one of the easiest, most effective ways to keep people safe and safely reopen businesses. 
 
What federal tax reforms would you propose to combat the growing deficit?
 
Our nation’s debt is not sustainable.
 
I will start by righting the wrongs in the 2017 tax bill, like closing corporate loopholes and making sure we have a fairer tax code that allows us to expand the middle class.
 
The 2017 tax law will cost us more than $2 trillion in its first decade, making it harder to make investments in healthcare, broadband, and education that grow the economy for everyone. Over 80 percent of its savings will go to the top one percent. 
 
Large companies now use loopholes to avoid federal taxes – the same corporations that drive on our roads, use our waterways, and employ workers trained in our schools. Every American, and every corporation, should pay their fair share to build the American Dream.
 
What else do you think is an issue impacting your constituents and how do you propose to make improvements?
 
The offshore drilling moratorium recently announced is a good step, but it can be rescinded as quickly as it was signed. 
 
I won’t waver on this: Congress should ban offshore drilling. A spill near our shores would harm the coastal ecosystems that make Daniel Island such a beautiful place to grow up. Such an accident would destroy a tourism industry that supports one in ten South Carolina jobs. It’s not worth the risk. 
 
 
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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