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Public affairs strategist Vanessa Crdenas is set to take over the helm of Americas Voice, a leading immigration advocacy organization, replacing the organizations founder, Frank Sharry.

Crdenas, who has served as acting deputy director of the organization since Sharry announced his retirement in September, will take over as executive director of both Americas Voice (AV) and Americas Voice Educational Fund (AVEF).

Frank Sharrys contributions to this movement cannot be overstated and Vanessa Crdenas is the ideal candidate to shape the next chapter of Americas Voice in our growing and diversifying field, said Henry Fernandez, chair of the AV and the AVEF boards of directors.

Under her leadership, AV and AVEF are well positioned to remain formidable advocates for immigrants and to help the broader pro-immigrant movement use communications and advocacy to build the power necessary for change.

Founded by Sharry in 2008, AV has become one of the key voices on the left for the immigration movement, often bringing together activists, technical experts and advocates to make the case for immigration liberalization.

Crdenas will take over the group amid a changing landscape on immigration, with the issue at the center of political discourse and anti-immigrant rhetoric firmly in the political mainstream.

Call me an optimist, but I do believe that we have a chance to hopefully, finally, after some years do something affirmative on immigration and I really want to be part of that, Crdenas told The Hill.

Crdenas, who was born in Brooklyn to an undocumented Bolivian mother, mostly grew up in Bolivia before returning to the United States as a citizen, albeit one who lived immigrant experiences.

When I was about to go to college my senior year, when I wanted to go to college, I asked my counselor about it, and she looked at me, shes like, Vanessa, you cannot go because you dont have papers. I was like, no, no, no, I was actually born here, Crdenas told The Hill.

That was a key moment for me, because it crystallized what a difference having those papers meant for my life. Because that opened up those opportunities that 80 percent of my peers didnt have, she added.

As a U.S. citizen, Crdenas did go to college and was quickly hired by Sharry upon graduation.

I had the honor of hiring Vanessa right out of college at the National Immigration Forum, and since then have watched her rise with awe, said Sharry.

After the National Immigration Forum, Crdenas worked for a series of progressive outfits, including the Center for American Progress, the World Wildlife Fund, Emilys List and President Bidens presidential campaign.

When AV and AVEF needed help with a new administration and Congress in 2021, we reached out to her and hired her as a consultant to serve as acting deputy director. She has done a terrific job. I know she will be an excellent executive director, and that AV 2.0 will have a bright future under her leadership, said Sharry.

The panorama faced by AV 2.0 is very different from what Sharry has faced since 2008, with a majority of Republicans on the offensive openly proposing reduced immigration, and Democrats mostly pivoting away from the issue.

I think that 100 percent Democrats need to lean in. They need to get this issue off the table with an affirmative agenda that shows that theyre in control and not just reacting, said Crdenas.

We also have to do work about reminding them that America can handle migration. You know, one of the most frustrating things for me is just this narrative that somehow this is a problem that isnt solvable and that its so difficult, said Crdenas, pointing to countries like Colombia or Poland, who have absorbed millions of refugees from Venezuela and Ukraine.

Immigration is a reality of our time. Its a global phenomenon that is going to continue, unfortunately, because of many other things, including climate change and pandemics and so on, but in the United States we have the smarts, we have the tools, the know-how, the resources to tackle this issue, said Crdenas.

Still, immigrant advocates face direct opposition from restrictionist groups whove taken hold of the GOP mainstream immigration agenda with ideas that were once considered fringe.

I think thats why the role of AV is so important at this moment. Because we really are in a moment where we have to remind Americans who we are as a nation, and remind them that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and that immigrants are essential to our nations well-being particularly when it comes to the economy, but also to our culture, to our way of life and that immigrants are here to add, not to subtract, said Crdenas.

Crdenas will take over that messaging job from Sharry, a seasoned communicator who also helped craft some of the comprehensive immigration reform deals that nearly made it to the congressional finish line during his tenure as head of AV.

Frank Sharry, through his vision, hard work and the organizations he founded, strengthened our movement and challenged us to communicate more, more strategically and with more clarity, said Ben Monterroso, an AV and AVEF board member who runs voter engagement at Poder Latinx.

AV and AVEF are his legacy, but a new generation of immigrant leaders is stepping up to take the movement even farther and Vanessa is the perfect example. She is the right leader for the right moment at the right organization to help us all succeed in our mission to improve the country and improve the welcome for immigrants, added Monterroso.

AV and AVEF board member Charles Kamasaki added that Crdenas will both add to the organizations traditions and help it shift directions.

Crdenas told The Hill her reasons for wanting the job are twofold.

One, I would say that because immigration is a really important issue for me, because it affected me personally, it affected my family, my community, and it is something where I feel I can make a contribution. The second reason is because of the lack of Latino leadership that we see in the progressive movement.

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New leader takes over at top progressive immigration advocacy organization - The Hill

Estela Juarez clearly remembers the night an immigration officer knocked on her familys Florida front door and revealed her mothers secret.

After a 2013 traffic stop exposed her undocumented status, Alejandra Juarez, 43, was confronted by the officer, and eventually deported to Mexico in August 2018 in the wake of the Trump administrations strict immigration policies.

Despite my mom being a military wife and having no criminal record she was deported, Estela, 13, told The 74. I think its very important for people to understand how our immigration laws not only hurt undocumented immigrants, but also the whole family.

Transforming her childhood love of journal writing, Estela is now sharing her story as the daughter of an undocumented immigrant in Until Someone Listens, a childrens book co-written with Lissette Norman.

With illustrations by Teresa Martnez, Estela recalls her mothers journey to permanently reside in the United States.

After living apart from her family for over three years, the Biden administration granted Alejandra a one-year humanitarian parole, which was recently extended until May 2023.

In the interim, Alejandra has joined Estelas book tour to not only advocate for her own U.S. residency but also comprehensive immigration reform.

The feedback we got from a lot of hardcore Republicans and former Donald Trump supporters is that when they hear our story from the perspective of a child, it makes them change their mind, Alejandra told The 74. And thats my hope by Estela telling her story, immigration rules can change.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The 74: For Estela, tell me more about Until Someone Listens and why writing a book was the best way to capture your story.

Estela: I know that there are many kids out there with a similar situation as me. I wanted to create a book in a way where it could inspire other children and let them know theres somebody out there thats going through the same situation as you.

What is the key takeaway you would want someone reading Until Someone Listens to understand about your story?

Estela: I would like them to know that my story is one of many. And by reading the book, I hope they understand how our immigration laws really, really hurt families.

You write in your book Some see people like my mom as ugly weeds that need to be plucked out of the dirt. But theyre not weeds. Theyre wildflowers, all with pretty shapes and colors, each one a different kind of beauty. What were your thoughts as you wrote this?

Estela: I know many people think my mom doesnt deserve to live in this country and be with her family over here. She contributes so much to this country yet most people see her as a criminal but shes not a criminal and shes not causing any harm.

After his election in 2016, former President Donald Trump adopted a zero-tolerance policy on undocumented immigrants which placed Alejandra on a high priority deportation list. For Alejandra, tell me more about what was going through your mind when this happened.

Alejandra: The best way to explain to you is that I couldnt believe it. Even when I got deported, I thought that they were going to bring me back. I thought that they were going to say we made a mistake. It took me a year and a half to realize that it really happened. I just couldnt believe it. The cruelty of the Trump administration to do that to a stay-at-home mom with no criminal record and, on top of that, a military wife. I couldnt comprehend it. So much evilness and cruelty.

Your story has been shared through not just a book tour, but also a Netflix documentary and even the Democratic National Convention. With that in mind, whats something about your story either no one asks or no one realizes its important to ask?

Estela: Most people should know that my dad is a military veteran. Despite my mom being a military wife and having no criminal record she was deported. And I think its very important for people to understand how our immigration laws not only hurt undocumented immigrants, but also the whole family.

Alejandra: What nobody asks is how many more people like us are out there. People want to believe that there are only a few of us. There are more than a million undocumented people with an American child. So like Estela mentioned before, our story is the same story of too many.

On the topic of your dad Estela and husband Alejandra, I understand that he is a naturalized U.S. citizen, served in the Marines and voted for Trump in 2016 because he thought he would protect military families. What is your hope for the Biden administration in regards to U.S. immigration policies?

Estela: I know this administration has a good heart and I know that they care about military families. I hope that by hearing my story, they can change those broken immigration laws because thats the only way my mother will be able to stay here permanently. Its not just important for us but many other families to be reunited again.

Alejandra: I have hope for this administration. I believe that they have the heart and the intention to change their broken immigration laws. I know that Congress needs to act. We did Estelas first book tour at two schools and we just came back. The feedback we got from a lot of hardcore Republicans and former Donald Trump supporters is that when they hear our story from the perspective of a child, it makes them change their mind. And thats my hope by Estela telling her story, immigration rules can change.

You speak about your experiences with so much courage and conviction. Where does your strength come from?

Estela: For me, I started to really use my voice and spread the message about my moms story when she was getting deported. I saw how, even after she came back, the trauma she had. It always stays in my mind and really burns my fire to want to continue sharing my story.

Alejandra: I am a very spiritual person and my strength comes from God. Theres no way to fix this unless immigration laws change. I was told by 32 lawyers that there was no way I was going to be able to come back. So the fact that I am back and that I am here thanks to Estelas video that was featured in the Democratic Convention makes me think that things can change. I mean, if I was able to come back even temporarily then maybe theres a way we can fix immigration laws permanently. So that gives me the strength and the courage to know that it can be done.

What advice would you give someone in a similar circumstance thats too scared to share their story?

Estela: If youre too scared to fight, just know that I am over here fighting for you and I wont stop until I see more families reunited. Even if by some miracle my mom is allowed to stay here permanently, I will never stop fighting until immigration laws are changed.

Alejandra: The first thing Id tell them is nothing comes out of being silent. So you have to keep talking. You have to keep writing. One of the things that I have talked to a few kids about when we did school visits is to Google who your local legislator is and send them a letter. By sending them letters we put pressure on legislators to change the laws. The only way you can make sure the laws are going to change is if we put enough pressure and get people to talk.

What do next steps look like as you continue pushing for comprehensive immigration reform?

Estela: Im currently writing another book for the adult and teenage audience that goes into even more detail about my experience being the daughter of an undocumented immigrant. I also hope to see more child authors sharing their story and to see other people get inspired by my story.

Alejandra: I want Hispanic kids to write and read. Thats the main thing. We need to get more educated. I want first and second generation Hispanic kids to be like if she could do it, I can do it too. The fact that we went to a book fair with 50 other authors, only five of them were minorities and Estela was the only child. For me, we need to be an example for kids. And then of course inspire kids to push for immigration laws to change. But the main thing is, we as Hispanic people and as a minority need to get educated and start reading more.

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Torn Apart: 13 Year Old Author Estela Juarez on New Book & Mother's Deportation - The 74

HOME Secretary Suella Braverman has been cut out of immigration reform planning as the PM prepares to relax visa rules as part of her growth push.

Tory MPs with concerns about local businesses being short-staffed have been told to go to the Cabinet Office and Business Department rather than the Home Office in a snub to Ms Braverman.

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Broadband engineers, butchers and care workers are all in line for the visa bonanza as the Treasury tells No10 it is the quickest way to go for growth.

On Tuesday the PM let rip at squabbling Cabinet Ministers for publicly breaking ranks on the mini-Budget.

She read the riot act to her top team at just their second meeting following an astonishing collapse of discipline where several broke ranks to urge her to keep benefits in line with inflation.

One source said of chief agitator and former leadership contender, Penny Mordaunt, who was one of those who spoke out last week: "She spent the whole time looking up at the ceiling instead."

Ms Mordaunt said last week that she backed "benefits keeping pace" with inflation - and the government should not "try to help people with one hand and take away with another."

The PM was said to have been "frustrated" by her intervention.

Government insiders blamed new Chief Whip, Wendy Morton, for failing to enforce Cabinet discipline - just four weeks into the new Government - saying she's not spent enough time meeting MPs.

One source said: "Its important that the Chief Whip proactively meets colleagues, and gets the chance to hear their feedback or concerns on the governments agenda, before she asks them to vote on it.

"If she is learning from the papers that MPs are unhappy about government policy, that needs to urgently change."

Meanwhile, Ms Braverman has been accused by Tory moderates of freelancing on immigration policy and running her own leadership campaign inside the Home Office.

A source told The Sun: It is clear that there is widespread frustration in Government and in the Party with Suellas freelancing and her consistent blocking of the Government agenda.

She is running a blatant leadership campaign but its having a destabilising effect on the Government. She needs to focus on the day job and stop her antics otherwise she wont last very long."

Read more:
Suella Braverman cut out of immigration reform planning as PM prepares to relax visa rules... - The Sun

If you live in Philadelphia or thereabouts, the October baseball playoffs have brought almost unbridled joy from a Phillies hot streak, punctuated by an epic bat flip and an inside-the-park home run and marred only by jarring interruptions from the most shockingly crude and, arguably, racist political ads since Willie Horton hit the small screen in 1988.

Every few innings, the dark, grainy TV spots with a flood of unsettling images of urban crime and civic unrest, or large migrant caravans streaming toward the U.S. border broke up the stream of otherwise cheerful spots for iPhones or car insurance. One says illegal immigration is draining our paychecks, wrecking our schools, ruining our hospitals and threatening your family blaming President Biden, and telling Democrats to stop hurting our children, against an ominous, empty playground swing. The crime spot blames liberals for a wave of violence, bloodshed and death as men with machine guns roam an urban wasteland.

You wont be shocked to learn that the ads are deliberately dishonest, conflating Democratic immigration policies, for example, with the horrific case of one undocumented immigrant named Christopher Puente accused of raping a toddler at a fast-food restaurant in Chicago (She was 3 ... years ... old, the narrator intones, milking the pathos). Whats not said is that the alleged assault occurred in February 2020, more than three years into the presidency of Republican Donald Trump, well before Biden took office.

Thats appalling, but thats not whats most upsetting about these ads, which, according to social media, have been broadcast nationally during the baseball telecasts on Fox Sports 1. There is absolutely no filter of jarring and often violent imagery, the racist overtones and the xenophobic innuendo, and the unrelenting darkness of the American carnage vibe. No one cares that this is afternoon baseball and little girls and boys are watching. This is America now.

In fact, the comparison to that infamous Willie (really William) Horton ad isnt even fair. That spot which attempted to stir up racial panic by (misleadingly, of course) linking Democrat Michael Dukakis to a Black inmate who committed a rape and murder after a weekend pass only aired on TV one time, because just 34 years ago even most Republicans found it too crude, and over the edge. Listen to that 1980s spot and the tone that offended many folks back then seems calm and measured compared to the Natural-Born-Killers-on-acid vibe of the 2022 attack ads. Today, any and all guardrails have been taken down.

One other thing that wont surprise you about the new attack ads is that the people behind them arent eager for you to know exactly who they are.

The required tagline lists the sponsor as a new group calling itself Citizens for Sanity. On one level, thanks to some excellent research by the campaign-finance watchdog Open Secrets, we know a lot about who these Citizens for Sanity are: the very worst, xenophobic remnants of Team Trump, offering America not just a new low for the 2022 midterms but a sneak preview of the nightmare that the 45th presidents 2024 comeback crusade is likely to be.

Open Secrets reports a close overlap between the trustees of Citizens for Sanity as identified to the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC and the pro-Trump America First Legal Foundation, which is spearheaded by Stephen Miller, the former Trump White House official behind harsh immigration policies such as family separation at the southern border.

It says three political operatives involved with the Miller-founded legal group Gene Hamilton, John Zadrozny and Ian Prior are also listed as involved with Citizens for Sanity. Zadroznys path, for example, has taken him from the fiercely anti-migrant Federation for American Immigration Reform which the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed as a hate group to the Trump administration, including a stint as a top U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service official, to the vile ads youre seeing on TV now. Citizens for Sanity treasurer Hamilton was point man on Trumps efforts to kill the program seeking legal status for young migrant Dreamers.

Thats all important to know, but the most important thing about Citizens for Sanity remains secret: Just who is providing the evidently millions of dollars to pay for all of this, including now ads on national baseball telecasts. Thats because Citizens for Sanity is a dark-money group of the kind that have flourished in more than a decade since the Supreme Courts Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates of untraceable billionaire, or corporate, cash.

In the end, the radical new thing that may tip the scales in Novembers election in which both control of the House and the Senate appear to be up for grabs may be one of the oldest stories around: very rich people buying the outcome, thanks to their ability to spend millions of dollars on emotionally manipulative attack ads. But while the concept billionaires using their wealth to bail out reactionary politicians wholl keep their taxes low and defend corporate power has been around, 2022 is standing out for the far-right extremism that the 1 Percent is now willing to fund.

READ MORE: Racist Willie Horton-style fearmongering on crime may win midterms for GOP

Indeed, among those wealthy donors that we can identify, Exhibit A is now a key player in this years fraught Pennsylvania governors race: Wisconsin Schlitz beer heir and packaging industrialist Dick Uihlein and his wife, Liz. They have pumped a staggering $26 million into 2022s federal elections as well as the largest donation to Pennsylvanias far-right GOP gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano, of some $900,000.

A recent New York Times profile of the Uihleins, as the most influential Republican donors that youve never heard of, chronicles their penchant for backing some of that partys most extreme candidates, from the Alabama 2017 Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct involving teen girls, down to local school board candidates who vehemently oppose transgender rights.

But the Uihleins are hardly unique at a time when people whove accumulated wealth in Americas so-called knowledge economy are now spending their fortunes on candidates who support Trumps Big Lie and other dangerous assaults on actual knowledge. Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump supporter Peter Thiel said to have invested more than $30 million in conservative candidates this cycle almost single-handedly saved the U.S. Senate campaigns of Arizonas Blake Masters, who has blamed Americas gun-violence crisis on Black people, frankly, and Ohios J.D. Vance, who thinks women should stay in violent marriages for the sake of the children. Ditto Oregons Nike sneaker mogul Phil Knight, who has spent $4.75 million on not one but two candidates in an effort to make sure that his normally progressive state rejects a Democratic gubernatorial candidate he doesnt like.

The world has seen this before. When fascism and other forms of right-wing extremism rose across Europe in the 1930s, large corporations and their rich investors who one might have hoped would have been revulsed by the ugliness, violence and racism of such movements instead hopped on the bandwagon, supporting some of the worst dictators. It took decades for corporations like Volkswagen, Siemens, and IG Farben successor Bayer to apologize for supporting Germanys Nazi government. In 2020s America, it feels like the cycle is just starting.

Some might find that comparison extreme, but this falls rise of Citizens for Sanity shows that some secret billionaires are willing to fund commercials that feel like the modern heirs to Goebbels-inspired propaganda. Before this weekends ad blitz, Citizens for Sanity was engaged in coast-to-coast political trolling in the crude, owning the libs style that Trumpism has brought into the mainstream. Many are sarcastic broadsides that Democrats are pro-criminal.

It placed an ad in Philadelphias oldest African American newspaper, the Philadelphia Tribune, sarcastically applauding Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman for the courage to wear a hoodie in even the most formal settings. The courage to grow a ratty goatee and wear it proudly. The courage to demand cold-blooded killers murderers be freed from prison. Giant billboards in a similar, hyper-ironic style attacking prominent Democrats have gone up from California to Massachusetts.

The common theme is demonizing out groups, or The Other alternating between transgender youth, refugees crossing America southern border, or images that play to stereotypes about Black criminality. Students of history have seen this ugliness before, and things usually get worse. Tomorrows textbooks about this momentous midterm election of 2022 are being written today, and we will look back on this moment when secret billionaires worked to make white supremacy and political hate as all-American as baseball and cherry pie.

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Whos behind those vile, right-wing political TV ads during the baseball playoffs? - The Philadelphia Inquirer

In Indiana, Republican Sen. Todd Young is working to defend his seat against challengers Democrat Thomas McDermott Jr. and Libertarian James Sceniak on the November ballot.

So far, Young is seen as the frontrunner as a well-known fundraiser with more name recognition, but both McDermott and Young have ads on TV as of this week.

IndyStar asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire explaining their stance on key issues, from abortion to marijuana legalization. Here's where candidates stand on the issues, in 100 words or less, edited only for length and lightly for grammar.

Meet Sen. Todd YoungYoung attempts to focus on bills rather than talk show soundbites

Meet Thomas McDermott Indiana Democrat running for U.S. Senate compared to Donald Trump

Meet James SceniakLibertarian Sceniak plays the long game

Question: Should Congress pass any laws either restricting abortions or codifying abortion-rights into federal law? If so, what provisions should those laws contain?

McDermott: First of all: Im pro-choice. I believe all Hoosiers deserve to make their own health care decisions. Elected officials like our current senator that support fully banning abortion with no exceptions are extreme and simply cruel. I will fight in Washington, D.C. to codify Roe and restore Hoosiers' freedoms and civil liberties. The gerrymandered supermajority in the Indiana Statehouse has already shown us that they refuse to protect women or even listen to them. That means we must codify Roe on the federal level.

Sceniak: I consider myself personally pro-life, but banning and criminalizing does not work. Abortions will still be performed and often with greater risk, thus losing more lives. Our end goal should always be to preserve life. This can only be done by increasing society's support for life. My plan for reducing abortions involves supporting adoption through substantial tax breaks and continuing to subsidize the cost of adoption, supporting foster care, ensuring every individual has the opportunity and freedom to pursue happiness by ensuring we fight inflation and waste, and to ensure we educate young men and women in safe sex practices.

Young: It was the right decision for the Supreme Court to restore authority over this issue back to the states, allowing each state to make its own laws regarding abortion. I am pro-life, but I also understand this issue divides our country and divides Washington. In the Senate, there are not 60 votes to legalize or ban abortions, and this is an issue that will be decided by each individual state.

Q; Should Congress address inflation or rising gas prices, and if so, how?

McDermott: Elected officials need to do more to address the needs of working families and that means tackling inflation, making sure jobs pay living wages, and fighting unnecessary taxes. My opponent has been in Washington for over a decade, yet he points the finger at the president when it comes to inflation. I promise that when Im in Washington, regardless of whom the president is, I will work to pass policies that help Americans and their financial well-being. We can tackle inflation in real, meaningful ways if we can look beyond the partisan politics that currently dominate our U.S. Senate.

Sceniak: Inflation is a monetary phenomenon and is caused by the rising money supply. The money supply doubled from 2020 to 2021, putting too many dollars in circulation at the same time there were supply shortages. What Congress can do to reduce inflation is reduce wasteful spending, which means less borrowing, resulting in less pressure to increase the money supply. As far as addressing rising gas prices, Congress should encourage more drilling and more refining capacity to increase the supply of oil and repeal laws like the Jones Act that make it difficult to transport oil across the country.

Young: When President Joe Biden and the Democrats took control of Washington, the cost of a gallon of gas was $2.38. Gas skyrocketed in price because of his policies. On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline and supported other anti-energy production policies found in the Green New Deal.

High gas prices hit everyone, but they especially hurt middle class and low-income families, and people on fixed incomes. The best way to reduce gas prices is to unleash American energy production. A Republican Congress will pass legislation expanding our domestic energy supply.

Q: Congress passed a gun reform law this summer. What else, if anything, should be done to limit mass shootings?

McDermott: As a gun owner and a Navy veteran, I was taught how to use firearms responsibly. I support the Second Amendment and I don't want to take away your gun. I have a lifetime license to carry. Still, I believe military-style assault weapons do not have a place on our streets, where they can be used against our police, our children and our neighbors. We need to pass effective gun safety measures, eliminate loopholes that put guns in the hands of those that shouldn't have them, and protect our children so that schools are safe and secure.

Sceniak: "Shall not be infringed" is self-explanatory. I will always support the civil rights of people to defend their family, person and property. Creating better access to mental health resources should be a starting point. The more we take care of our neighbors through these services the more we will address the heart of these issues. When we create a culture of mentally healthy and happy individuals, who have a future to look forward to, violence will decrease including those violent acts that are not committed with a gun.

Young: I support the Second Amendment. When it comes to violent gun crime, lawful gun owners are not the problem, criminals are. We dont have to choose between protecting Second Amendment rights and making our communities safer. We can and should do both. To deal with the root causes of violence, I have long supported increased federal funding for better access to mental health services and to train more mental health providers, particularly in school settings. To that end, I supported the Safer Communities Act because it is the most substantial investment in community-based mental health services in our nations history.

Q: Are there any federal election reforms, such as those updating the 1887 Electoral Count Act, that you would support?

McDermott: Yes, I support the Electoral Count Act and would also fight to end Citizens United to remove unfettered money in politics that allows special interest groups to dominate elections over the American people. Money is power in todays politics, and that power is too concentrated at the moment in favor of corporations and Super PACs instead of ordinary Americans. Taking dark money out of our elections will help elect candidates that have to answer to people and not corporations or special interests.

Sceniak: Election security and reforms are essential for civil conversations and politics to take place. Election security is extremely important. We need to ensure that every vote counts and we have confidence in our electoral system. The Constitution leaves the electoral process to each state, and election reforms should happen at the state level. At the federal level, the top priority is to ensure that states practice equality within their voting laws, ensuring that all voices are heard through the democratic practice of elections.

Young: I joined a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues in introducing the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act. This bill was the result of several months of discussion and negotiation within a bipartisan working group.

This legislation establishes clear guidelines and common sense reforms for our system of certifying and counting electoral votes through the Electoral Count Act, and has received several endorsements across the ideological spectrum. I hope to see this bill get signed into law this year.

Q: Is the House Jan. 6 committee necessary to investigate what happened on Jan. 6, 2020?

McDermott: Yes. Americans deserve to know the full scope of what happened that day and how it happened. My belief is that no one is above the law, and when our Capitol Police are attacked and our elected leaders targeted with violence, its essential that we get to the truth of the matter and punish those that were involved. My opponent says he supports law enforcement, but when given the chance to support the Capitol Police he turned his back on them by refusing to support their efforts to get to the bottom of what happened on Jan. 6.

Sceniak: No one person is above the law. If a crime is thought to be committed, it should go through the proper channels of investigation. House committees can be part of this process. We should hold government officials to high standards as well as investigate what broke down with security. In addition to those issues, we should also investigate why so many Americans did not believe their voice was heard through the election process. My caution is that in investigating we do this to seek justice and not simply to gain political momentum.

Young: I was appalled by the violence on Jan. 6, as I stated at the time and many times since. I am against all violent protests. I have never been shy to condemn violence from any group, no matter their political background. The most critical investigations are the legal ones. We have a Justice Department that charges and prosecutes criminal activity and that process is ongoing, as it should be.

Q: Should protections for same-sex and interracial marriages be enshrined in federal law?

McDermott: Yes. The Supreme Court has shown us that it is not afraid to get rid of 50 years of precedent when it overruled Roe v. Wade. If left to the states, we will have a patchwork of different laws in different states that will deny basic freedoms that are already protected by federal law through Supreme Court precedent.

Sceniak: I am proud to stand with all Hoosiers and their families. Interracial marriage and same-sex marriage is part of the unique cultural diversity in Indiana as well as throughout all of America. Ideally the government should not regulate marriage and love through licensing, but because it does, we must seek laws that protect all marriages. Discriminatory practices against interracial marriage and same-sex marriage should not be tolerated by states nor federal law. I stand with the Libertarian party that recognized this from their inception in 1971, before either of the other parties. Love is love.

Young: Given the Obergefell decision on same-sex marriage in 2015, I think most people consider this issue settled. A lot of Hoosiers I hear from wonder why the government regulates marriage at all. In the Senate, there are continued conversations about how to ensure any bill the Senate considers would include religious freedom protections, which are critically important. If a bill related to this topic comes to the floor for a vote, I will review it and discuss it with my constituents before deciding how I will vote.

Q; Are there any immigration reforms you think Congress should pursue?

McDermott: I support real immigration reform, not the empty talk, scare tactics, and political stunts you see in Washington year after year. As the husband of an immigrant, I know how important immigrants are to America and our history. As a Navy veteran, I know how important the safety and security of our border is. We must look at smart and compassionate solutions. This is America we know these things dont have to be mutually exclusive. My opponent has been talking about immigration for 12 years and hes done nothing about it. Lets elect someone that will work toward real solutions.

Sceniak: Immigration is a top priority. We are a nation of immigrants and a melting pot of unique cultural diversity. Just as a castle has a moat, we need to protect our nation with a vetting process. Our drawbridge should be wide and welcoming, allowing for any peaceful person who seeks freedom and prosperity to come to America. As a senator, I will promote and vote with policies that allow for those who want to live, work, and contribute to our society and economy to have access through work visas and accept refugees from oppressive regimes like Venezuela.

Young: I served on the Arizona-Mexico border while I was in the Marines. I have seen firsthand the drugs and human smuggling that result from open borders. Im doing everything I can in Congress to work with the brave men and women of the Border Patrol who, I'm proud to say, have endorsed my campaign for reelection to get them the tools they need to handle this crisis. That effort will include an actual physical fence in some areas, and other technologies, so that we have the people and resources to cover the border, including the desolate area where I served.

Q: Do you agree with President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan, and do you support any other initiatives to either reduce the cost of college or decrease student loan debt?

McDermott: I agree with this one-time debt relief solution. However, I also believe that the program should be extended to those who attended community colleges and took non-college paths like trade unions and other professions. We all know the real problem is the ever-rising price of a college education. Ive tried to tackle this problem as mayor of Hammond by starting the College Bound Scholarship Program, which has provided scholarships to thousands of Hammonds graduating seniors. We must reduce the costs and lower barriers to an education in this country so that we do not stifle yet another generation's economic opportunities.

Sceniak: The president's student loan forgiveness is a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to a specific group of people college graduates. I believe, due to financial institutions and federal policies, that many students were extorted into debt that is difficult to pay down. Some relief, such as forgiving the interest due on that debt, is a good policy. With a nation that is $31 trillion in debt we are not in a position to forgive all college debt without bringing substantial harm to future generations and their economic opportunities.

Young: Asking Hoosiers who didnt attend college or already paid off their college debt to foot the bill for others is an unfair, misguided proposal. It will do nothing to make higher education more affordable, which is what we should really be focused on. I know the value of education. I served for it, attending the Naval Academy and commissioning in the Marine Corps. Student loan repayment is a short-term solution that fails to address the root of the issue: the out-of-control costs of higher education, and the lack of incentives to study practical subjects.

Q: Biden recently announced that he has directed his administration to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Do you support the federal decriminalization of marijuana?

McDermott: Decriminalizing marijuana is the right thing to do. Hoosier seniors and veterans are especially on my mind when it comes to the reclassification of cannabis. Sen. Todd Young and other Indiana leaders have abandoned them on this issue and they deserve access to the health benefits marijuana provides, as well as the economic benefits that would come to the Hoosier state.

Sceniak: Yes. Cannabis usage and possession has no victim, therefore it should not be a crime. The drug war has wasted countless taxpayer resources. Cannabis laws have often been over enforced in minority communities while ignored in others causing further discrimination to these families. Instead, we should treat drug abuse as a medical issue, which would allow those who have addictions to get the help they need rather than fearing they'll be sent to a jail cell. Prohibition did not work with alcohol and we see the same result with cannabis.

Young: This is another example of President Biden taking unilateral action to grab headlines and distract from his other failures. I continue to support more research about the health impact of marijuana use, and Ive co-sponsored legislation to begin clinical trials for veterans. Ultimately, the legalization question is best addressed by states.

Call IndyStar Statehouse and political watchdog reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270 or email her at kaitlin.lange@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter:@kaitlin_lange.

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Where Indiana Senate candidates stand on the issues - IndyStar