By Ronald J. Hansen || Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic asked Mark Kelly and Blake Masters, the major party candidates running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, a series of questions touching on policy and personal style.
The questions range from inflation to abortion and what they personally can add to the Senate.
Here are their written answers, provided in alphabetical order.
The Phoenix area has been a hot spot for inflation in the U.S. and Arizonans have felt the effects of rapidly rising prices for more than a year. What specific steps by Congress do you think would be most effective in bringing down inflation?
Mark Kelly, Democrat: When I travel across Arizona, the thing I hear about most is that folks are working hard but struggling with the high costs of gas, groceries, and prescription drugs. That’s why I’ve been working for months in the Senate to bring down costs.
I led a bipartisan law to bring microchip manufacturing back to America. Microchips are in everything from our cars to our microwaves, and making them in America will ease our supply chain problems and lower costs. This law will also put Arizona at the forefront of chip manufacturing, creating thousands of good-paying jobs. And I recently passed a plan to let Medicare negotiate for lower prescription prices, helping Arizona seniors save on their prescription drugs.
On top of that, I’ve introduced legislation to cut the federal gas tax to save Arizonans money at the pump. I pushed President (Joe) Biden to increase domestic oil production, which will help lower the cost of gas. And I’ve pressured the oil companies profiting off this crisis to stop their unacceptable price gouging.
There is a lot more that we need to do to support Arizona families struggling with costs, and I’m committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to address this problem and deliver results for our state.
