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U.S. Senate
By Karolina Rivas & Lucia Starbuck
Jacky Rosen
Age: 61
U.S. Representative
Climate Change: Rosen considers climate change a critical threat, “Climate change isn’t just a threat to our environment, it’s a threat to our national security,” she said in a Facebook post. Rosen is an advocate for clean energy jobs, wants to protect and grow Nevada’s solar industry and is opposed President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Economy: Supports fiscally responsible tax cuts for middle-income families
Education: Believes that more public money should go towards funding public schools. With Nevada’s state education system ranked among the worst in the country, Rosen supports efforts to rebuild outdated public schools that serve low-income families, prioritize STEM courses. She also wants to lower interest rates on student college debt.
Gun Control: Rosen supports restrictive gun control legislation. The representative has co-sponsored legislation aiming at barring military-style assault weapons and is against arming teachers but in favor of, “training students and staff to be better prepared to prevent school violence,” according to an article in the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Supreme Court: Rosen says if she was in the Senate she would vote “no” to proceed with a final vote to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Health Care: Favors legislation that would create a public health insurance option and help people buy into existing Medicaid coverage. Rosen also introduced a resolution to defend the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act coverage for those with preexisting conditions.
Immigration: Co-sponsored the DREAM Act and backs an earned path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants.
Minimum Wage: Wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Net Neutrality: Against the repeal.
Trump: Supported 42% of key votes supporting Trump’s positions, according to the FiveThirtyEight website.
Veterans: In 2014, there were over 226,000 veterans in Nevada. Rosen has introduced a bill to expand college assistance to veterans and to create a tax credit to incentivize businesses to hire student veterans.
Women’s Rights: Rosen believes abortion is up to a woman and her doctor. She co-sponsored a bill to prevent employers withholding contraceptive coverage if they disagree morally. Rosen voted against efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
Dean Heller
Age: 58
Incumbent
Climate Change: Heller does not consider climate change a critical threat. “There always has been [climate change], there always will be,” he was quoted as saying in a Politico article in 2015, but the impact from humans is “up for debate,” he said. The senator has supported President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change. He has said he wishes to expand domestic production and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Economy: Heller wants to keep taxes low and limit government spending and regulations.
Education: Supported the confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Gun Control: Voted against banning high-capacity magazines and background checks. Heller says it is up to the state to arm teachers and whether or not to raise the legal age to purchase a firearm.
Supreme Court: Voted “Yes” to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court.
Health Care: In 2018, nearly 91,000 Nevadans are enrolled in health care coverage. When it comes to the Affordable Care Act, Heller was in favor of repealing the program in 2015, however, Heller said he was against the GOP’s wish to roll back the ACA in 2017. But in a speech in 2018, he also promised to repeal and replace ACA.
Immigration: Supports stronger border security and construction of a fence to secure the border. Backed an immigration reform bill in 2013 that supported those brought here illegally be given a pathway to citizenship. Recently, Heller has opposed the same bill. In 2012, Heller called the DREAM ACT a “backdoor amnesty” program and voted against it. He has since supported a recent extension. Nearly 13,000 DACA recipients reside in Nevada and while in the Senate, Heller has voted to provide Dreamers with a more permanent decision.
Minimum Wage: In 2014, Heller voted against increasing the minimum wage to $8.25.
Net Neutrality: In favor of the repeal.
Trump: Supported 92% of key votes supporting Trump’s positions in the Senate, according to the FiveThirtyEight website.
Veterans: Supports federal funds for Nevada’s housing authorities to help homeless veterans.
Women’s Rights: Heller wants to ban abortions after 20 weeks and believes employers can withhold contraceptive coverage if they disagree morally. Heller said he would protect the non-profit women’s health organization Planned Parenthood. However, he has voted twice to pull funding from the organization.
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