Mike Crapo (R), 66 Incumbent U.S. Senator

1. Our nation is facing very troublesome times on many fronts. The importance that we follow the Constitution and the right principles of governing has never been greater. I am committed more than ever to the values that first prompted me to run for the Senate: limited government, low taxes, less spending and individual freedom. Americans must speak out strongly today to preserve and defend our Constitution and the system of limited government and freedom.

2. I have an absolute personal commitment to protecting our Constitution as it was written by our founders, honoring the 10th Amendment which reserves to the states and the people the powers not specifically granted to the federal government and preserving and strengthening our individual constitutional rights, such as our Second Amendment right to bear arms.

3. I held a town meeting in every one of Idaho’s 200 incorporated towns to listen and talk about the top concerns of Idahoans. The most common, consistent concern is our nation’s nearly $20 trillion debt, out of control spending, explosive government regulations and our unfair, anti-competitive tax code. Idahoans are actively engaged and want solutions. This combination of fiscal issues is one of the biggest single threats that this nation faces.

4. As one of its members, I voted for the Bowles-Simpson Commission comprehensive fiscal plan to control our national debt and provide stronger job growth in our economy. The proposal would have reduced our projected national debt by $4 trillion over nine years. This plan recommended controlling our explosive federal spending and reforming our broken tax code by making it flatter, greatly reducing its complexity and its compliance costs and greatly reducing income tax rates.

5. My record shows I work to build and achieve consensus based solutions, such as: 1) served on the Bowles-Simpson Commission and worked with a “Gang of Six” senators on a framework to tackle the nearly $20 trillion debt and make our tax code flatter and fairer; 2) resolved land-management issues and enacted the Owhyee Initiative; 3) strengthened and reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act; and 4) enacted Trevor’s Law and the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act.

6. Listening to and working for Idahoans to build solutions in a way that promotes the conservative principles of limited government, a free market economy, a balanced budget, strong protection of individual rights and a strong national defense.

7. (1) Beat back the ever-increasing debt and deficit, stop government’s out-of-control growth and intrusion into our lives and fight to restore the Constitution, individual liberty and responsibility. (2) Maximize economic growth and get people back to work by decreasing taxes, federal spending and regulations that burden our economy. (3) Work for commonsense solutions to protect and properly manage our natural resource heritage.

8. To expand and grow jobs we need to promote a pro-growth economy by decreasing taxes and regulations that burden our economy. We must simplify our overly-complex and anti-competitive tax code and lower rates. In addition, we must scrap overly-burdensome and costly regulations that cost businesses to wade through seemingly endless paperwork without appreciable benefits. Removing the disincentives of high taxes and costly regulation will better enable businesses to create jobs and help grow our economy.

9. I strongly support the Second Amendment and we as Americans must protect and preserve our constitutional right to bear arms. Terrorists should be prevented from purchasing firearms, but we must not allow any legislative or administrative actions aimed at accomplishing this goal to impede law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights. I am rated A+ by the NRA for my voting record and advocacy for protection of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

10. I along with millions of Americans are rightly furious with Congress’ failure to deal with our national debt and the critical issues facing America. My record shows that I have worked to tackle and solve these problems in a way that promotes the principles of limited government and individual freedom. That is why I am endorsed by the American Conservative Union, National Right to Life Committee, National Taxpayers Union, NFIB, NRA, and others.

11. It is time to stop trying to spend ourselves into prosperity with borrowed money—money borrowed from our children and grandchildren. Failure to address our nearly $20 trillion national debt and to enact pro-growth tax reform, threatens not only our economy and fiscal future, but crowds out resources to support our national defense and domestic discretionary programs. I will continue leading the fight to stop out-of-control government spending while prioritizing the needs of Idahoans.

12. Do you support repealing and replacing Obamacare? I opposed President Obama’s ill-conceived health care plan and am fighting for its repeal and replacement. Once again, Idahoans are seeing that Obamacare is not solving the issues or providing the solutions it was supposed to achieve. From reduced plan options, to costly deductibles to a lack of choice in doctors, patients are now being saddled with a premium increase of nearly 25 percent.