Today is Iowa Caucus Day. It is the first presidential contest in the nation and since the GOP race is heating up, the news coverage of the contest has focused solely on the contenders vying for that party’s nomination. It should be noted, however, that President Obama is also on the Iowa ballot. Since he has no opposition in the race for the nomination, he’ll instead address the Democratic caucuses around the state via live stream, answering questions from Iowa Democrats.
As Iowans make their way to the caucuses later this evening, we thought it would be helpful for NCLR supporters to know where each of the candidates stand on some of the issues most important to Latinos: immigration, education, and jobs. Below are the candidates’ stated positions on each of these important issues. Enjoy, and if you’re an Iowa voter, happy Caucus Day!
| Immigration (Thinkprogress.org) | Education (HuffingtonPost.com) | Jobs (NationalJournal.com) | |
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Michele Bachmann |
Opposes immigration reform; supports strong border security; supports mass deportations; supports state and local immigration laws such as SB 1070 and HB 56 |
Critical of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), says “created a classroom environment of ‘teaching to the test,’ a one-size-fits-all approach to learning that does not work well for every student.” Co-sponsor of a bill that would let states develop their own curricula; supports abolishing U.S. Dept. of Education |
Says Mr. Obama’s job creation record is “abysmal,” and most egregious is the level of government spending and debt, a weakened dollar, a “threat of new tax increases,” and the “burdens” on small businesses imposed by “Obamacare”; supports elimination of IRS and “counterproductive” federal regulations, and says she would push for lower taxes |
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Newt Gingrich Former Speaker of the House |
Partially supports immigration reform; supports strong border security; partially supports mass deportation, says families that have been here for several decades should not be deported; supports SB 1070–like laws; supports military provision of the “DREAM Act” | Supports reducing role of Dept. of Education down to a “research and reporting agency;” opposes the Common Core State Standards; supports a Pell grant–type system for K–12 education | To create an “atmosphere conducive to job creation,” Gingrich supports an optional 15% flat tax that keeps deductions for charitable giving and homeownership and supports a personal deduction of $12,000; would eliminate capital gains tax and cut the corporate income tax to 12.5%; would push to repeal laws related to financial regulations and to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency in favor of a new agency |
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Jon Huntsman Former Governor of Utah |
Partially supports immigration reform—says change is needed with regards to work visas; supports strong border security; opposes mass deportations; supports SB 1070-type laws; supports the “DREAM Act” | Opposes NCLB, says control needs to be “restored” to the local level; supports vouchers | Supports major tax reform along the lines of Pres. Reagan’s 1986 tax reform package; would simplify the tax code by eliminating all deductions and credits in favor of three rates, and eliminate taxes on capital gains and dividends |
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Ron Paul
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Supports partial immigration reform, says more efficiency is needed at the border; supports strong border security, but stops short of supporting a border-long fence; opposes mass deportation; has not stated an opinion on the “DREAM Act” |
Supports elimination of the Dept. of Education; opposes NCLB; homeschool champion; supports tax credits for parents who home-school; does not support government assistance for higher education |
Strong opponent of monetary policy; supports abolition of the Federal Reserve and a return to the gold standard; calls the 2008 stimulus bill an “excuse to expand government intervention and power on an unprecedented level”; believes government destroys jobs, and says markets are the only bodies that create jobs |
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Rick Perry
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Supports partial immigration reform, but stops short of amnesty; supporter of strong border security; supports mass deportations; supports SB 1070–type laws; partial supporter of the “DREAM Act,” but only for states | Opposes the Common Core State Standards; his state did not enter the Race to the Top competition last year, opposes NCLB; supports more local control | Supports a voluntary 20% flat tax; supports caps on federal spending at 18% of country’s GDP; supports privatization of Social Security; says he would eliminate tax breaks that he believes are stifling job creation |
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Mitt Romney Former Governor of Massachusetts |
Opposes comprehensive immigration reform; supports strong border security; partial supporter of mass deportations, says that those here illegally should return home and settle affairs then be allowed to come back “at the back of the line;” opposes the “DREAM Act” | Supports strong school accountability and school choice | Supports “fundamental redesign” of the tax system, though stops short of supporting flat-tax policies; Supports eliminating taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for low- and middle-income taxpayers; would reduce the corporate tax rate; would also seek to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law |
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Rick Santorum Former Senator from Pennsylvania |
Opposes comprehensive immigration reform; supports strong border security; supports mass deportations; supports SB 1070–type laws; opposes the “DREAM Act” | Supported NCLB, but wants to see a reduced role for Dept. of Education; opposes Common Core State Standards; opposes early childhood education | Supports a reduced corporate tax rate; supported both Bush tax cuts proposals in 2001 and 2003; opposed the Wall Street bailout and stimulus packages |