US Senate – Clint Tannehill

Legislative Questionnaire

Candidate Information

  • Candidate Name: Clint Tannehill
  • Position Sought: US Senate (Non-incumbent)
  • Home Legislative District: WA
  • Democrat: Yes

Campaign Information

Part I – Candidate Background

1. Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, prior political activity, and other relevant experience.

My qualifications draw from my political philosophy that is built on certain standards and practices. First, I make decisions with my values, ideology, and constituents in mind – not just party lines. At the end of the day I look to serve the people as best possible. Second, I take a long-term approach on decisions whenever possible, as we must understand how today’s decisions will affect us and other global citizens that rely on us in the future. The political system is of great importance to us here in the U.S. and for that reason we must tend to it with great care. Furthermore, my tenure in the private sector gives more than a decade of experience high level management and decision making positions.

2. What prompted you to run for this office? What are your campaign’s most important themes, issues, or priorities (three to five)?

Running for this office is something that I have planned on for many years. My reason for wanting to do so it ultimately to bring positive change to the country. How will that be done? One of the major issues we face is ourselves. There is a divide growing in this country and it needs to be addressed. I will strive for legislation that is beneficial to the people at large and continually look for new solutions that will positively impact as many people as possible. My priorities are education and growing the economy through small and medium sized businesses.

3. What steps are you taking to run a successful campaign?

Our goal is to reach as many people as possible, and to be extremely efficient doing so. Further information on campaign strategy is proprietary at this point. I would be willing to discuss in future conversations.

Part II – Local and State Issues

1. Do you support Initiative Measure No. 940 (“De-escalate Washington,” requiring, among other things, that law enforcement officers be required to obtain violence de-escalation and mental health training, so that officers will have greater skills to resolve conflicts without the use of physical or deadly force)?

Yes

2. Do you support the right of public workers, excluding military, to bargain and strike?

Yes

3. Would you support a statewide “Ban the Box” law, prohibiting employers from asking about job applicants’ criminal history until after an initial screening or interview?

Yes

4. Do you support legislation that reimburses the cost of reproductive health care services, such as SB 6105, the Reproductive Health Access for All Act?

Yes

5. Would you support an automatic voter registration act such as HB 2595 (Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2018), streamlining procedures in order to automatically register citizens to vote?

Yes

6. Would you support a bill that would enable the state of WA to create a single health financing entity to provide health care financing for all Washington residents, independent from employment, such as the WA Apple Care Trust?

Yes

Part III – Free Response

1. Why are you running as a Democrat? What aspects of the Democratic platform most resonate with you?

The Democratic platform is one that I believe in for the purpose of helping the common person to have a happy and healthy life. What resonates with me most within the Democratic Party is the willingness to fund education and healthcare for all citizens.

2. In the past, many Democrat-sponsored bills have died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Please list three failed bills from the past legislative session that you will champion when elected.

I will push to find a permanent DACA solution, fund higher education and create long-term sustainable healthcare programs that work.

3. What important state and local issues have you worked on (or taken an interest in) that you feel aren’t getting enough attention from elected leaders and the media?

The homelessness epidemic is an issue with no easy solution. In such a rich nation that takes pride in helping its neighbor we are failing these people, and at this point it is becoming more than just a moral issue; it’s a public health concern. It’s no longer just the pain these people are going through from being homeless, but also the disease and infection that is currently spreading as a result. With this current trend there will be many new illnesses in our greater Washington community that will come from this era. This is also not a problem isolated to Washington, but something we see and need to address nationwide. The people we have in power must get away from just giving aid and learn to create solutions. It’s not just money that fixes the problem – “how much money will fix this?” – that’s not what this problem needs. It needs a strategic, sustainable, and widely implementable solution.

4. Do you think Washington public schools are adequately funded? If not, what minimum requirements should be met in an adequately funded public school system? What specific forms of taxation would you support to attain that funding?

No, I do not think they are adequately funded. I think we need to create a climate where becoming a teacher is somewhat competitive to draw more talent into the system. We need clean, well-kempt schools that are good working environments for both the teachers and the students. They need to be constructed sustainably so that they last the test of time, so that money that would normally go into school renovations can instead go into teachers. An adequately funded public school system should provide all school lunches for free. If we want to ask parents for money for the school, it should be outside the lunchroom. I think Washington should become the model for the nation on what school lunches should look like and develop them with kids’ nutrition at the forefront of our minds, as opposed to availability, lobbyists, or any other conflicts of interest. If we can teach good eating habits from early on, it will drastically reduce healthcare expenses in the years to come. Funding for this would best be funded by an income tax, which is against our state Constitution, but I believe that could and should change for the benefit of our students.

5. What are some obstacles inherent in proposed legislative solutions to climate change? How would you approach those obstacles in order to best overcome or minimize any negative effects?

The main obstacle to legislative solutions to climate change lies in the fact that 85% of climate change lobbyists in Washington DC are anti-climate change. This is no surprise because so much of our economy is propped up on the fossil fuel economy (as is much of the rest of the world). Through social awareness and people demanding products that do not produce greenhouse gases even if they are stemming from across the world, consumers can change the demand trajectory for businesses even without legislative policies coming to fruition. I believe however that this can be directed into policy by leaders who do not succumb to anti-climate change lobbying power.

6. What are some obstacles inherent in proposed approaches to tax reform in Washington State? How would you approach those obstacles in order to best overcome or minimize any negative effects?

The obstacles are that we currently have a regressive tax code. The B&O tax for example is collected from all the money a business makes, even money they put back into their business in order to make it grow. This tax limits our state’s business economy from growing; if everyone were paying in the amount that we try to receive from the B&O tax, we would have a surplus. The hurdles to reforming this regressive tax code include our State’s Constitution, which as I mentioned previously can and should be adjusted. I would make sure every bill has an understandable solution that is beneficial to most people. We should have the ability to clearly outline to the public what our taxes go toward and know what the long-term result will be. We should be able to show this to people so that they are comfortable with any changes; they should know that the solutions will work for the State as a whole.

7. Do you support the voter-approved call for a Constitutional Amendment to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision (I-735), and if so, how do you propose to work toward that goal?

Yes. I propose to work toward that goal by putting the interests of the people first, not lobbyists or private interest groups that are trying to work against the good of the people. I will champion the will of Washington state voters to preserve constitutional rights for people and not corporations.

By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.

Printed Name: Clint Tannehill

Date: 04/21/2018

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