As the presidential election nears, tensions between different political party members continue to rise. This growing political divide is worsened by the algorithms of social media, which mainly present the users with opinions that affirm their own biases. To help share a selection of perspectives, The Marquee collected the sentiments of each major party’s candidate for the House seats in District 26. By sharing what these candidates believe, The Marquee encourages students and community members to seek out multiple perspectives before forming an opinion.
Democratic Candidate: Ernest Lineberger III
*information courtesy of interview with candidate, as well as candidate’s website: www.linebergerforcongress.com
Education: University of Southern California – Aerospace Engineering
Occupation History: Lieutenant Commander in US Navy, Surface Warfare Officer, Semiconductor Factory Industrial Engineer
Views:
- Economy: “We need to increase taxes to a reasonable level on corporations, and also the top 1, 5, 10% of wealthy people in America. You can’t really increase taxes on people who don’t have money. President Biden has always said that if he raised taxes, he would only raise it on the people who made more than $400,00 a year. It’s not a whole lot of people.”
Photo courtesy of candidate’s website. - Immigration: “When someone uses the word ‘asylum’ on American territory, it is our international law that we have to process their claim. If we had more courts, we could process these people quicker. They don’t have full documentation. It’s even difficult for them to find work, and it’s a very hard life at that point. The number one thing that I think is going to ease the situation is putting more money on immigration courts.”
- Women’s Issues: “The rate at which women die from being pregnant in Texas is terrible. It’s outrageous. We need to honor people’s personal rights. We need to get the government out of the doctor’s office and let the women and their doctors manage their own personal choices.”
- 2nd Amendment: “I’m a retired naval officer, and I have fired a lot of weapons, and I have used guns. I believe guns are important in our society. I would like to put the responsibility back in responsible gun ownership. We have a lot of young children that just find a gun lying around. They pick it up, play with it, and they end up hurting someone else or themselves. I would like to have some storage requirement rules and red flag laws.”
- LGBTQ+ Rights: “If people find someone they want to partner with, I think we should let them. People are too quick to judge. My dad was a Navy Chaplain and a Lutheran minister, and I grew up listening to his sermons. It’s pretty simply, ‘Love your neighbor,’ and we’re all neighbors. I’m sure there are Biblical passages that say one thing or another, but we’re here to love and support all people.”
Republican Candidate: Brandon Gill
Endorsed by Senator Ted Cruz and Former President Donald Trump
*information courtesy of candidate’s website: www.brandongillforcongress.com
(The Marquee reached out to candidate’s office with no response)
Education: University of Southern California – Aerospace Engineering
Occupation History: Lieutenant Commander in US Navy, Surface Warfare Officer, Semiconductor Factory Industrial Engineer
Views:
- Economy: “Our current system is crushing American families. The Federal government should seek to maximize economic prosperity, raise wages of the working and middle-class, and reduce the deficit to get inflation under control.”
Photo courtesy of candidate’s website - Immigration: “Biden’s open-borders policy is an abomination. It’s extremely dangerous to our communities, and it’s tearing our homeland apart. Our borders should not be controlled by cartels trafficking drugs and people. This has to stop now, and the solution is simple: seal the border and end this invasion of our homeland.”
- Women’s Issues: “I am unabashedly pro-life. Every child is made in God’s image and deserves the right to life. Future generations will look back on abortion the same way we look back on slavery. Abortion is an abomination that needs to be abolished.”
- 2nd Amendment: “Our Second Amendment exists so that we Americans can protect ourselves against a despotic overreaching government. Our Second Amendment is the one that protects all the others. As a proud gun owner myself, I stand by our Founding documents — Our Second Amendment shall not be infringed. I will not give an inch on gun control.”
- LGBTQ+ Rights: “Our children deserve protection from irreversible decisions pushed by ideological agendas. Subjecting minors to life-altering surgeries for gender transition is outrageous. We adamantly oppose any practice that risks the well-being and future of our youth in the name of ideological conformity.”
