7th Congressional District Republican nominee: Craig Cameron

Complete coverage of the local and national primary and general election, including results, analysis and voter resources to keep Chicago voters informed.

Republican Craig Cameron declined to participate in the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board general election endorsement process.

This questionnaire of his views on a variety of important issues to the 7th Congressional District is from the March primary election:

As a member of the House from Illinois, please explain what your specific cause or causes will be. Please avoid a generic topic or issue in your answer.

Cameron: My priorities while in Congress will be promoting jobs and economic growth. I will advocate for legislation and policies that will benefit our local communities. We need policies that will drive growth and access to jobs. Our neighborhoods need to be restored physically and we need financial empowerment on a local level. As a Congressman, I will ensure that as a public official that the priorities of the people of the 7th District of Illinois are protected in Washington D.C.

Please list three district-specific needs that will be your priorities. This could be a project that is needed in your district, or a rule that needs to be changed, or some federal matter that has been ignored.

Cameron:

Priority 1. We need to continue to find ways to lower taxes. The new tax initiatives, recently passed in the house and senate, are a step in the right direction. But, my desire is to foster incremental economic growth so that more Americans can keep more of the money that they earn through hard work and sweat equity.

Priority 2. My desire is to promote infrastructure development and to promote policies to re-develop declining neighborhoods.

Priority 3. My desire is to identify funding sources for inner city schools. I believe that a good education is the foundation of fostering creativity and ensuring that the future is secured through developing innovative ideas and the elimination of generational poverty.

Who is Craig Cameron?

Please list three district-specific needs that will be your priorities. This could be a project that is needed in your district, or a rule that needs to be changed, or some federal matter that has been ignored.

Cameron: Priority 1. We need to continue to find ways to lower taxes. The new tax initiatives, recently passed in the house and senate, are a step in the right direction. But, my desire is to foster incremental economic growth so that more Americans can keep more of the money that they earn through hard work and sweat equity.

Priority 2. My desire is to promote infrastructure development and to promote policies to re-develop declining neighborhoods.

Priority 3. My desire is to identify funding sources for inner city schools. I believe that a good education is the foundation of fostering creativity and ensuring that the future is secured through developing innovative ideas and the elimination of generational poverty.

What do you make of President Trump?

Cameron: I wish people would just accept that he is the President. We need to stand behind and support him. By doing so we can make him a great leader. Because a great team is what makes the individual great.

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Which three actions by the Trump administration do you support the most? Which three do you oppose the most?

Cameron: I support part of new tax bill, President Trumps support of the Armed forces, and his positioning on international affairs. I oppose The Coal Act, building the wall, and the cut backs on HIV/AIDS research.

What is your view of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian tampering in the 2016 election, including possible collusion by the Trump campaign. Does Mueller have your support?

Cameron: We need to find out the truth about the 2016 election and prevent this from ever happening again.

What should Congress do to reduce the threat of terrorism at home, either from ISIS or from others?

Cameron: Join forces with our allies, to help them invest in new technology to stay on top of new threats and the ever-changing evolution of terrorism.

What is the single most important action Congress can take to curb gun violence in the United States?

Cameron: More thorough and coordinated background checks, online, in stores, and at expos.

Do you favor a law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” that increase the firing speed of semi-automatic weapons? Why? Do you favor any further legal limits on guns of any kind? Or, conversely, what gun restrictions should be done away with?

Cameron: Yes, I support the banning of bump stocks. An automatic weapon can do a lot of damage in little time. I don’t favor any other limitations at this time

As an editorial board, our core criticism of the tax overhaul legislation supported by the Republican majorities in the House and Senate is that it lowers taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans at a time of historic inequalities of wealth and income in the United States. We believe in free markets, but it does not look to us like the “silent hand” of the market is functioning properly, rewarding merit fairly. We are troubled that the top 1 percent of Americans own 38.6 percent of the nation’s wealth and the bottom 90 percent own just 22.8 percent of the wealth. Tell us how we are right or wrong about this. Does the growing income and wealth gap trouble you?

Cameron: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Let’s see how this new tax structure plays out. Ask me in January of 2019.

Do you support the Trump administration’s decision to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? How will this help or hinder efforts to secure a lasting peace between Israel and its Middle East neighbors?

Cameron: Why can’t Jerusalem be a two-state capitol?

Is military action by the United States a plausible response to the nuclear weapons threat posed by North Korea? How might a U.S. military response play out for South Korea, Japan and China? What alternative do you support?

Cameron: Military action against North Korea could potentially constitute a a devastating loss of lives. We need to sit down and talk, Communication is the key.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the third version of the Trump administration’s travel ban on eight countries with predominantly Muslim populations can go into effect while legal challenges against the ban continue. What is your position on this travel ban?

Cameron: We need a better immigration system with checks and balances. And once that’s implemented then we can abandon the travel ban.

Has the United States in the last decade been accepting too many immigrants, and does this pose a threat to the American way of life?

Cameron: We are a country of immigrants. This country was built by immigrants, and I support immigration.

Should the “wall” between the United States and Mexico be built? What might it accomplish?

Cameron: No, it’s a complete waste of money.

The tax reform plan created by Republican majorities in the House and Senate would eliminate the Obamacare “individual mandate” that most Americans must have health insurance or pay a fine. Does this threaten the viability of the Affordable Care Act? What more on this, if anything, should be done?

Cameron: Well its not affordable, and I think we need to overhaul this plan. I like the idea of everyone being required to have healthcare, but penalizing them for it isn’t the key. We need to have fair billing practices in the healthcare industry, and opening up the insurance pools so that we can cross state lines would help foster better competition and drive down medical costs. Doing this will also bring down the cost of high priced premiums.

What is your biggest difference with your opponent(s)?

Cameron: I can’t really answer this question. I’m a Project Manager Engineer in the Telecom Industry. I manage project time and deliverables, along with personnel on a daily basis. I have much experience in bringing huge projects in under budget. I also have Government related experience in dealing with disaster relief projects.

Ahead of the historic 2018 elections, the Sun-Times is teaming up weekly with the Better Government Association, in print and online, to fact-check the truthfulness of the candidates. You can find all of the PolitiFact Illinois stories we’ve reported together here.

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