Voter Guide: 4th Congressional District candidates

Randy Forbes

• Republican incumbent
  
• Residence: Chesapeake
• Occupation:  U.S. Representative; previously a lawyer
• Personal: Age 58; married to Shirley Forbes, four children.
• Experience: Four terms in Congress, first elected in 2001; Virginia State Senate, 1997-2001; Virginia House of Delegates, 1989-1997.
• Education:  Bachelor’s degree, Randolph-Macon College, 1974; law degree, University of Virginia, 1977.
• Website:  www.randyforbes.com
• Opposes: abortion. Has sponsored or co-sponsored bills that would ban federal funding of abortions, ban abortions on military bases  and affirm a human embryo has full rights under the U.S. Constitution at the moment of conception.
• Supports: affirmative action programs. Says they shouldn’t be based solely on race but also be used to assist economically depressed regions.

Opposed bills that provided billions in federal funds to bail out lending institutions and the auto industry, saying they were not proper use of tax money. Also opposed the economic stimulus bill in 2009, saying it damaged the economy by adding billions of dollars to the national debt. Says that the federal government can best help the economy by lowering taxes and cutting federal spending.

Supports exploration and drilling for oil and gas off Virginia's coast as long as adequate safeguards are in place. Supports tax credits for people buying energy-efficient cars. Believes private research can lead the way toward independence from foreign oil. Has proposed a "New Manhattan Project" that would offer billions of dollars in prizes and grants to encourage the development of more efficient cars, make greater use of solar power, make biofuel prices more competitive or develop safer methods of disposing of nuclear waste.

Says marriage should only be for heterosexual couples. Opposes changes to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Opposed the new health care law, saying it is too expensive and won't do anything to lower the cost of medical care. Says if it is not repealed, he will work try to block funding for key parts of the bill. Favors ending the denial of coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, allowing insurance firms to compete across state lines and allowing workers to keep their health insurance if they change or lose their job. Wants limits on malpractice awards. Proposed spending billions in federal money on grants for research in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and heart disease. Says such grants could cut health care costs by producing new treatments or cures.

Wants stronger enforcement along U.S.-Mexico border and stricter enforcement of immigration laws. Opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants. Supported bills that would prohibit giving federal money to colleges that admit illegal immigrants, make a DUI conviction grounds for mandatory deportation, and make English the official language of the United States.

Says the United States is in a "precarious situation" in both countries. Supported the troop surge in Iraq and says the United States is on track to move its troops out of that country. Supports efforts in Afghanistan but says it's a "tough call" because U.S. leaders haven't found the right strategy or formula to resolve that conflict. Opposes setting timetables for withdrawing from either country because it boosts the morale of enemy fighters.

Proponent of bolstering the national defense but has been critical of the Pentagon for not providing Congress with adequate information about shipbuilding needs and other issues. Attempted to block the Navy's plans to move a Norfolk-based carrier to Florida and the proposal to shut down Joint Forces Command. Opposes reducing Tricare benefits and supported legislation to allow veterans to transfer GI Bill benefits to their spouse or children.

Supported keeping intact the Bush tax cuts. Supports an amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Supports setting up a bipartisan commission to recommend where to cut duplicative or wasteful spending.

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Dr. Wynne LeGrow

• Democrat
• Residence: Emporia
• Occupation:  Retired physician, practiced 29 years in Emporia and Greensville County.
• Personal: Age 65; married to Marilyn LeGrow, one son and three stepchildren.
• Experience: First bid for elected office.
• Education:  Bachelor’s degree, Ohio State University, 1967; doctor of medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1972.
• Website:   www.legrowforuscongress.com
• Supports: abortion rights. Would not change current laws. Opposes third-trimester abortions except where the mother’s health or life is endangered.
• Supports: affirmative action programs but wants them expanded to cover economic inequality as well as race.

Says he supported the bank bailout bills and economic stimulus legislation because they prevented another Great Depression. Says the stimulus saved or created 3 million jobs. Believes it's critical for Congress to reduce the national debt and curb federal spending to help revive the economy. Supports the recent bank reform laws but said they did not go far enough to prevent financial abuses of the sort that sparked the recession. Wants stiffer regulations on the use of bank deposits for high-risk investments. Supports tax incentives for businesses that create jobs. Wants to promote education to develop a better-skilled work force.

Says one of his primary reasons for running is to address global climate change caused by humans burning oil and coal. Wants to establish a carbon tax or some other penalty to force a reduction in use of fossil fuels. Wants to require power companies to gradually increase the percentage of their power supplies coming from renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, over a number of years. Favors tax credits for consumers using solar energy or other renewable sources. Says drilling off Virginia's coast is a large environmental risk and would supply a relatively small amount of oil.

Supports gay marriage. "I don't see how two men or two women being married harms my marriage." Favors ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and allowing gays to serve openly in the military.

Says the new health care law is a good start but does not go far enough. Favors establishing a government health insurance option to give more price competition to for-profit health insurers. Would favor expanding Medicare - now limited to retired people - to allow younger workers to buy into the system. Favors limiting malpractice awards as a way to bring down costs. Favors developing stronger programs for counseling about end-of-life care so that families don't spend thousands on health care that isn't necessary for a dying patient.

Wants border security to be tighter but doubts it can be made foolproof. Wants to develop a "path towards citizenship" for the illegal immigrants already in the United States, adding that anyone seeking to stay would need to learn "passable English" and pay a fine. Says employers should face tougher penalties if they hire illegal immigrants.

Says we should leave Iraq and Afghanistan soon. Calls the war in Iraq "a mistake from the beginning." Says he, like many Americans, believed the reports, now shown to be false, that invading troops would find weapons of mass destruction. Says invading Afghanistan was justified because that was where Osama bin Laden and other planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks were based. Now, nine years later, with bin Laden probably in Pakistan, he says, "I see no reason for sticking around there." Terrorists in Afghanistan or Pakistan can be targeted with unmanned drones, he says.

Says as the country seeks to cut spending, it needs to address costly military weapons programs, which can be wasteful because they are deliberately spread across several states to bolster local jobs. Says he doesn't want to see military-related jobs cut in Hampton Roads but acknowledges that cuts would affect the region. Says he would "favor keeping whatever we can as close as we can if it's the most efficient way to use our defense dollars."

Says it will be impossible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes. Said budget can only be balanced over several years - not in one swift move. Favors keeping in place the Bush tax cuts except for families with incomes above $250,000 a year or individuals earning more than $200,000. The extra $600 billion from those taxes over 10 years could be used to create jobs with infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and high-speed rail. Wants a commission set up by Congress to propose major federal funding cuts that Congress would have to approve with a single vote. Would not change the Social Security system.

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