Background:

• Worked at Procter & Gamble and Boston Scientific Corporation
• Started and is now CEO of Generational Group, a business based in Richardson, TX
• Founded and is lead pastor of Create Church (also in Richardson, TX)

Stance on certain issues:

• Drugs: Binkley is of the opinion that a large portion of the nation’s drug-related issues stem from the southern border. He believes that securing the border and giving a special designation to drug-related organizations, such as cartels, which would facilitate greater penalties to immigration and drug-related offenses, would severely mitigate the nation’s drug problems.
• Gun violence: Binkley believes that an assault weapons ban would not significantly reduce gun violence or dissuade crime. He also believes that creating gun free zones inhibits safety.
• Inflation/economy: Binkley believes that one of the greatest economic challenges the nation faces is the budget deficit. He promises to remedy this issue by implementing a tax code that facilitates growth, reconciling the federal budget with the money available to the government, and otherwise reform the federal budget, among other solutions.

Background:

• Former representative to the South Carolina House of Representatives
• Former Governor of South Carolina
  • Elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014
• Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN 
  • Appointed by former President Donald Trump
  • Served on the National Security Council and the President’s Cabinet

Stance on certain issues: 

• Drugs: Haley opposes the decriminalization of drugs, such as marijuana. Furthermore, Haley believes that in order to curb the spread of drugs, the federal government must take a strong stance against China and Mexico, countries she believes to be the root causes of drug production and proliferation.
• Gun violence: Haley strongly supports gun rights. She believes that the best protection against school shootings lies in employing armed SROs and is in favor of expanding concealed carry permits. Haley also believes that red flag laws do a great disservice to Americans and that problems revolving around gun violence should instead be tackled by bolstering mental health facilities and seizing illegal firearms.
• Inflation/economy: Haley believes that inflation can be mitigated to a great extent by reigning in federal spending and ensuring that Congress passes budgets on time. Furthermore, Haley promises to substantially reduce federal debt and points to how South Carolina’s economy flourished during her time as governor. 

Background:

• Worked for and later owned Trump Organization
• Wrote many books, including The Art of the Deal (1987)
• Former President of the United States (2016-2020)

Stance on Important Issues:

• Drugs: Trump believes that the southern border is one of the key ports of entry for drugs. He is of the opinion that securing this border would significantly reduce the drug issues plaguing the nation.
• Gun violence: Trump is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment. He believes that gun-free zones promote gun violence and advocates for not having such zones in schools and instead arming teachers and staff.
• Inflation/economy: One of Trump’s key economic platforms regards minimizing foreign goods, especially those from China. He promises to place tariffs and taxes on imports and significantly reduce the amount of goods imported from China in an effort to facilitate greater job growth, boost the economy, and grow domestic manufacturing.

Background: 

• Former congressman from Delaware to the U.S Senate
• Former Vice President under President Obama’s presidency
  • Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
• Incumbent President of the United States

Stance on certain issues:

• Drugs: Biden believes that individuals should not be incarcerated for the nonviolent use of drugs, and should instead be sent to mandatory rehab. He supports the decriminalization of marijuana and believes that mental health issues fuel drug consumption and addiction. 
• Gun violence: Biden firmly believes in gun control and supports an assault weapon ban. He believes that such a ban and other measures taken to mitigate gun violence, such as stricter federal gun background checks, would not violate the Second Amendment, as he is of the opinion that the Second Amendment is not absolute in the rights it protects.
• Inflation/economy: During his time in office, Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which, as the name suggests, was intended to reduce skyrocketing levels of inflation. The bill, in Biden’s words, “has less to do with [directly] reducing inflation than it does to do with…providing for alternatives that generate economic growth,” which serve to indirectly reduce inflation.

Background: 

• Former CEO of Phillips Distilling, co-owns and is chairman of Talenti Gelato, and started Penny’s Coffee
• Representative from Minnesota to the US House of Representatives
• Awarded the Jefferson-Hamilton Award by the US Chamber of Commerce twice
• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s “Fiscal Hero”

Stance on certain issues:

• Drugs: Phillips supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. He believes that criminalizing marijuana goes against the very freedom-loving foundations of the country and supported the Minnesota House of Representatives Bill HF 600, which aimed to remediate drug-related issues in the state.
• Gun Violence: Phillips is a strong proponent of universal background checks for individuals looking to purchase firearms and also supports assault-weapon bans. He also advocates for passing legislation that closes gun show-related loopholes.

Inflation/Economy: Phillips believes in distributing financial aids to certain individuals struggling with student loan debt, but ultimately wants to focus on the core problem of the unaffordability of higher education. He voted for the Inflation Reduction Act.

Background:

• Founded a non-profit Project Angel Food in 1989
• Helped found The Peace Alliance in 2004
• Wrote 15 books
  • Four #1 New York Times bestsellers
• Former presidential candidate (2020)

Stance on Important Issues:

• Drugs: Williamson strongly supports the decriminalization of certain drugs, including cannabis. She promises to build a stronger system to aid in treating recovering addicts.
• Gun violence: Williamson supports an assault-weapons ban as well as a ban on other firearm related items, such as bump stocks. She also promises to close gun show-related loopholes and increase the prevalence of background checks.
• Inflation/economy: Williamson supports raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. She also supports increasing investment in public transportation, infrastructure, and renewable energy, among many other solutions.

Background: 

• Worked as an attorney for RiverKeeper, a non-profit organization that focuses on environmental issues
• Helped found and served as president of WaterKeeper Alliance, a non-profit organization that focuses on clean water
• Started a non-profit: Children’s Health Defense
• Author of 12 books
• Awarded the Sartisky Peace Award and named “Hero of the Planet” by TIME Magazine

Stance on certain issues:

• Drugs: Kennedy strongly believes in the legalization of marijuana, among other substances, but doesn’t fully support complete access to the drug. He also supports the decriminalization of marijuana and the creation of programs to aid in recovery for addicts.
• Gun violence: Kennedy supports a federal assault weapons ban, but doesn’t believe in absolute gun control. He is also of the opinion that an increase in gun availability doesn’t directly correlate with an increase in gun violence.
• Inflation/economy: Kennedy is of the opinion that a large portion of the nation’s economic problems stem from corruption. He believes that significantly reducing defense spending and investing in domestic projects can remarkably improve the economy.

Background:

• Former professor at Princeton University and Harvard University
• Currently is a professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary
• Created 20 books and 3 music albums
• Has a MasterClass course on Philosophy

Stance on Important Issues:

• Drugs: [No evidence available]
• Gun violence: West supports capping sales of guns at gun shows. He also believes in establishing a registry for gun owners and passing legislation that facilitates gun confiscation from potentially dangerous individuals.
• Inflation/economy: West supports a wealth tax and raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $27 an hour. He also promises to close tax loopholes which allow the wealthy to unjustly accrue excess wealth, among other solutions.

Background:

• Helped organize the campaign Global Climate Convergence for People, Planet, and Peace over Profit
• Aided in the voter referendum passage of the Clean Election Law
• Helped found a non-profit, Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
• Recipient of many environmental and health related awards
  • Citizen Award – Toxic Action Center
  • “Children’s Health Hero” Award and “Not in Anyone’s Backyard” Award – Clean Water Action
• Member of Physicians for Social Responsibility Board of Directors
• Authored two reports
  •  In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development (2000)

Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging (2009)