Todd Young vs. Thomas McDermott Jr. vs. James Sceniak
The Tribune is partnering with the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and the American Democracy Project of Indiana University South Bend to publish candidates’ answers to questions on the issues. The League and IUSB’s ADP operates Vote411.org, a website with information about the candidates and their positions on key issues. The site also includes other tools to help navigate the voting process.
The Tribune has agreed to run candidate answers unedited, meaning any spelling, typographical or grammatical errors are the candidates’ own. The Tribune is publishing only some of the questions from a selection of significant races. Additional questions and answers are available at Vote411.org.
Thomas M. McDermott, Jr.
Democrat
Mayor of Hammond, Indiana
219-370-0571
Todd Young
Republican
U.S. Senator
James Sceniak
Libertarian
Registered Behavior Therapist
317-280-3544
Do you agree or disagree that climate change is a threat to the financial and economic stability of the country? Explain your response.
McDermott, Jr.: I agree that climate change is a significant threat to our economy. Reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and natural gas by utilizing clean domestic energy resources is critical. I support the continued development of domestic energy resources and the good jobs and careers that go along with that development. As mayor near one of the largest refineries in the United States, I understand the balance between utilizing our current resources and yet looking to the future to expand renewable and sustainable domestic energy.
I want to help develop the next generation of energy-sustainable jobs. America needs to invest in alternative energy sources like wind, solar power, hydro-power, and nuclear energy.
Young: Climate change is real, the earth is warming, and humans contribute to it, but we can’t make progress on this issue without the cooperation and commitment of the biggest polluters on earth, like China, to do the same.
One small step we could take is a bipartisan bill I introduced – the Conservation and Innovation Climate Partnership Act. This bill would harness our land grant universities to support farmers seeking to adopt climate-friendly strategies like planting cover crops and using no-till practices.
Bottom line, we can always do better, but we also need to hold other nations – like China – accountable to protect our economy and the climate.
Sceniak: Climate change presents a danger and opportunity, especially concerning our economy. We must take care of our planet so that future generations have clean air, clean energy, and an environment where they can thrive and be free. Challenges with climate change are forest fires in California, receding coastlines, and weather that creates devastation. The opportunity for our economy is similar to what we see in the Netherlands. With innovation, they overcame similar obstacles concerning the receding coastlines. Americans are some of the greatest innovators in the world, we to can not only protect our environment through sound policy but also innovate, protecting and sustaining our environment.
Would you support changes in the current regulations related to the possession of firearms? Explain your response.
McDermott, Jr.: Like many Hoosiers, I am a gun owner. I also served in the U.S. Navy. In the military, I was taught to use my weapon responsibly and protect the lives of my fellow servicemen and women.
However, we don’t need military-style assault rifles like AR-15’s in our communities. I believe they are dangerous to society and made for war, not for hunting or protecting your family.
As Mayor of Hammond, I have seen firsthand the consequences of dangerous assault weapons entering our community, especially when grieving families lost a loved one from senseless shootings.
In the Senate, I will push Congress to act and pass common-sense gun laws that lessen the chance of future violence and senseless loss of life.
Young: I support the Second Amendment. When it comes to violent gun crime, lawful gun owners are not the problem, criminals are. We don’t have to choose between protecting Second Amendment rights and making our communities safer. We can and should do both. To deal with the root causes of violence, I have long supported increased federal funding for better access to mental health services and to train more mental health providers, particularly in school settings. To that end, I supported the Safer Communities Act because it is the most substantial investment in community-based mental health services in our nation’s history.
Sceniak: Civil rights are important for a civil society. I am a staunch supporter of protecting all rights including firearms. The second amendment was written not only to protect other unalienable rights but also to protect families from intruders and those who want to do harm. I believe the restrictions we see from Washington are whittling those rights away. As Senator, I will uphold my oath to protect the constitution and your civil rights. We must address mental health issues in America so that all violence decreases, not just those committed with a gun. Healthy, happy people with a future to look forward to, do not commit violent crimes.
Do you support national legislation to guarantee bodily autonomy for all including reproductive choices and the right to obtain an abortion? Explain your response.
McDermott, Jr.: I am 100% for restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade on the national level. Women in Indiana are now being treated like second-class citizens, with their reproductive rights and the right to choose having been taken away from them by the United States Supreme Court and the Indiana legislature. My opponent confirmed 3 of the 5 justices that voted to ignore a 50-year precedent and overturn Roe v. Wade.
Restoring women’s reproductive rights and codifying Roe v. Wade on the federal level will be one of my main goals as your next U.S. Senator. Politics should not be at play with a woman in her doctor’s office. I want Hoosier women to have control over their bodies and the decisions that go in with that control.
Young: It was the right decision for the Supreme Court to restore authority over abortion back to the states, and now each state can make its own laws regarding abortion. I am proud to be pro-life and proud to have cosponsored numerous pro-life bills, but I also understand this issue divides our country and divides Washington. In the Senate, there is not 60 votes to legalize or ban abortions, and this is an issue that should and will be decided by each individual state.
Sceniak: I certainly consider myself personally pro-life, but banning and criminalizing simply does not work. Abortions will still be performed and often with even greater risk, thus losing more lives. Our end goal should always be to preserve life. This can only be done by increasing society’s support for life. My plan for reducing abortions involves supporting adoption through substantial tax breaks and continuing to subsidize the cost of adoption, supporting foster care, ensuring every individual has the opportunity and freedom to pursue happiness by ensuring we fight inflation and waste, and to ensure we educate young men and women in safe sex practices.
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