Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Michelle Nunn vs. David Perdue Senate race? One that will give you an unbiased, no-spin comparison of candidate positions on key issues? That's what our Campus Election Engagement Project guide will give you! We are a national nonpartisan initiative working with college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders to increase student participation in America's elections. For the 2014 elections we have created and distributed voter guides to campuses in more than 20 states so they can provide their communities with accurate information for informed voting. Because these guides have been so well received and are useful for all voting citizens who want to be better informed, we are also posting them here.
We developed our guides by analyzing information from trusted resources such as www.votesmart.org, www.ontheissues.org, www.ballotpedia.com, www.politifact.com, www.factcheck.org, www.vote411.org and from candidate websites, public debates and interviews, and statements in major media outlets. We also showed them to groups like campus Young Republicans and Young Democrats at the schools we work with to verify their fairness and lack of bias.
So here are the issue-by-issue stands for Michelle Nunn and David Perdue, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper. (You can also find Georgia's Governor guide here.)
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: Yes
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: Yes
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: Unknown
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Unknown
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: No
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: Unknown
Economy: Do you support the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and sought to increase regulation of Wall Street corporations and other financial institutions?
Nunn: Unknown
Perdue: No
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: No
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Nunn: Unknown. Supports strong federal subsidies for student loans
Perdue: Unknown
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: No--has said "in science there's an active debate going on." (See Slate article on GA primary debate and Perdue press release criticizing Nunn's support for climate action.)
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Nunn: Yes (Whether Nunn supports EPA regulation depends on how much Georgia is credited for existing progress.)
Perdue: No
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: Unknown
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Nunn: Personally supports, but states should decide legality
Perdue: No
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Nunn: Supports gun show background checks to prevent sales to criminals or mentally ill. Otherwise no.
Perdue: No
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Yes
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Yes
Immigration: Do you support the D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they've graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military?
Nunn: Yes
Perdue: No
Immigration: Do you support the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security?
Nunn: Supports general principles.
Perdue: No. Would secure border first.
Iraq: Should the US recommit troops to Iraq to combat the rise in insurgency?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Unknown
Marijuana: Do you support efforts to decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana?
Nunn: Unknown
Perdue: Supports medical marijuana
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Yes
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Nunn: No
Perdue: Yes
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Nunn: No but believes escalating costs must be addressed
Perdue: Yes
Taxes: Have you signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to oppose any tax increases to raise revenue? (The answer to this question is taken from the database of signatories of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by Americans for Tax Reform. Signers to the pledge promise to oppose "any and all tax increases" meant to generate additional revenue.)
Nunn: No
Perdue: Yes
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Nunn: No. Would lower corporate taxes while ending some tax breaks. (Nunn would tax overseas earnings of US companies, curtail use of overseas tax shelters, and eliminate tax breaks for companies moving plants overseas.)
Perdue: No. Would replace income tax with national sales tax. (Perdue supports taxing internet sales and would replace existing income tax with national 23% tax on purchases of goods and services.)
Learn more about the candidates:
Nunn: Michelle Nunn Vote Smart pages and Michelle Nunn On the Issues pages
Perdue: David Perdue Vote Smart pages and David Perdue On the Issues pages
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Note: Other gubernatorial candidates include Libertarian Amanda Swafford. Due to limited space, we can't include her position, but invite you to check out her website.