2017 Governor's Race

1. How closely do the Democratic candidates compare to each other between states? (Background, issues, etc.)

1.1. Phil Murphy and Ralph Northam are both running for governor this year. Both candidates support gun control, providing health for all, and they both want to raise taxes to help balance the budget. Before they held a government position they had successful careers outside of politics. Murphy was an executive at Goldman Sachs bank, and Northam was a doctor.

1.2. Terry McAuliffe is entirely in sink with the views of his party. He holds the ideals of the democratic party close to his heart. He thinks that guns, like Ralph Northam, must be harder to get. He also thinks that we should raise taxes on the rich.

2. Examine one of the issues in the race. How do the stances between candidates compare?

2.1. Ed Gillespie is very in favor of the 2nd amendment. Wanting to repel the ban of guns in government buildings, and having an A rating from the NRA on gun laws.

2.2. Phil Murphy is for gun regulations. He wants to sign all the gun laws that Chris Christie vetoed. He thinks that there should be a background check for criminal records, and to see if the person has a mental illness.

2.3. Ralph Northam is for gun regulations. He believes that you shouldn't be able to own an assault weapon. He also thinks that people should own guns that have safety measures that only let the gun fire if the fingerprint identifies you as the owner.

2.4. On guns Christie said that each state has the right to determine firearms laws without federal interference. When announcing his candidacy in 2009 he said he supported enforcement of the state's current gun laws. Christie has also said that he believes every law-abiding citizen should have access to a firearm if they want.

2.5. Phil Murphy truly believes in increasing gun control in New Jersey, saying he wants to sign all of the policies that Chris Christie vetoed. However, Kim Guadagno believes that taking guns away from law-abiding citizens is not the answer.

2.6. Terry McAuliffe wanted to expand Virginia's international imports and exports in an effort to strengthen our economy. Ken Cuccinelli however wanted to focus on small business and independent companies here in Virginia to try to strengthen the economy.

3. Phil Murphy wants to defend DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and make New Jersey a sanctuary state if necessary, while Kim Guadagno wants to find a better solution and press Congress to solve the issue.

4. How closely do the Republican candidates compare to each other between states? (Background, issues, etc.)

4.1. Kim Guadagno and Ed Gillespie are both running for governor on the Republican ticket. They both grew up in a middle class , and moved their way up the social scale to run for office. They both have similar stances on reduced taxation, providing jobs for veterans, and improving the government budget.

4.2. Chris Christie agrees with most of the government platform expect for republican healthcare.

5. What have the candidate's been saying about one another? Do any of their criticisms hold merit?

5.1. Both Kim Guadagno and Phil Murphy have said nasty things about each other, attempting to make themselves look better than the other. However, this is to be expected because they are very passionate about the race and desperately want to win. Despite that, it does not mean that all of the things that they see about each other are necessarily true. In this case, most of the statements hold true.

5.2. Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli threw insults at each other and called each other liers. Terry McAuliffe accused Cuccinelli of being a homophobe. Ken Cuccinelli often times called Terry McAuliffe arrogant and misinformed.

5.3. Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie both are running ads against each other. They both want to make themselves look like the best candidate by putting down the other one. Most of the criticisms are partly true but spun in a way to make one candidate look better.

5.4. Chris Christie isn't up for reelection however he is know for his trash talking most notably a speech he gave against Hillary Clinton while he was running for the republican nomination.

6. Examine a second issue in the race. How do the stances between candidates compare?

6.1. Phil Murphy thinks that health care should be available for all.

6.2. On taxes, Christie signed legislation to change the state's business tax incentive programs. The legislation lowers the number of tax incentive programs from five to two, raises the caps on tax credits, and allows smaller companies to qualify for these programs. It is meant to increases the credits available for businesses in South Jersey.

6.3. Ed Gillespie is trying to heavily reduce the income tax that Virginians face in modern times, but has his tax cuts based off of revenue projections, which are just a guess of what the economy will be like in a couple of years.