Dierdre Paul's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Dierdre Paul has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2023 Political Courage Test.
New Jersey State Legislative Election 2023 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rapes? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to balance the budget in your state? | ||
| No | c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the legalization and regulation of wagering on collegiate sporting events involving NJ based teams? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support a reduction in State and Local Tax Deductions, otherwise known as SALT? | ||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for violent crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New Jersey? | ||
| No | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in New Jersey? | ||
| The present affordable housing system is broken in NJ. Municipalities that were in front of the curve on addressing the issue aren't able to get credit for that forward thinking under the present law. I want to change the law. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in New Jersey? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in New Jersey? | ||
| No | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| Congress is the only body that can enact federal law. Common Core was never a law that was enacted by Congress. Instead, it was a grant incentive scheme. It was also violative of the Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution. Therefore, I don't support federal education standards. I respect federal education law. Regarding teachers' salaries and benefits packages, teachers are entitled to COLA just like every other employee. There's also an incredible teacher shortage throughout the nation and state. The Governor and legislature are too busy changing pronouns and fighting parents over THEIR children to address it. So, the bottom line is that now isn't the time to start messing with either salary or benefits packages. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state governments allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support the regulation of campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent or bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in New Jersey? | ||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loophole)? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in New Jersey? | ||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| No | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die (e.g. those with a terminal illness) through euthanasia? | ||
| No | d) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state legislature expanding the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act to include outdoor public spaces such as Atlantic City casinos that have traditionally allowed it? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jersey anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by the New Jersey state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
| I'm in support of closing wage gaps for anyone if it's proven they exist. | |||
| While focusing on pronouns and directing his AG to file lawsuits against Boards of Education over their transgender policies, the Governor and many in the Democratic Party have taken their eye off the ball. New Jersey 4th graders are in a full-blown educational crisis. Every Garden State resident who cares about children and education should be in total panic-mode. New Jersey received federal CARES Act funding for the purpose of helping New Jersey?s students recover from Covid-inspired learning loss that was plausibly exacerbated because some schools remained shut far longer than they should have or that was professionally sound. Receiving an accounting of that grant spending for each LD37 school district is a top priority for me. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.