Illinois is getting in gear for its own primary March 15.

Here’s a look at the candidates’ stances on topics SIU students may want to keep in mind as the state’s primary approaches. The following information was pulled from this New York Times article, this Esquire article and this Mother Jones article. 

Republican candidates

All Republican candidates are in favor of doing away with the Affordable Care Act.

Front-runner Donald Trump

• Opposes gay marriage
• Supports medical marijuana use; thinks states should choose
• Wants to deport undocumented immigrants
• Opposes new gun control restrictions
• Skeptical about man-made climate change
• Opposes to allowing refugees
• In favor of allowing some abortion regulations
• In support of the death penalty
• Supports tax-rate reductions

“I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”

“If [President Barack] Obama, through his weakness, lets [Syrian refugees] come in, I’m sending them out if I win.”

Ted Cruz

• Introduced the 2014 State Marriage Defense Act allowing states to define marriage 
• Opposes recreational marijuana use; thinks states should choose
• Against legalizing undocumented immigrants
• Opposes new gun control restrictions
• Skeptical about man-made climate change
• Only in favor of accepting Christian refugees
• Pro-life
• Supports death penalty
• In support of a national sales or flat tax

“Imagine a federal government that works to defend the sanctity of human life and to uphold the sacrament of marriage.”

“You don’t get rid of the bad guys by getting rid of our guns. You get rid of the bad guys by using our guns.”

Marco Rubio

• Believes states, not Congress, should define marriage
• Supports medical marijuana use
• Prefers undocumented immigrants remain undocumented
• Opposes new gun control restrictions
• Skeptical about man-made climate change
• Opposed to allowing refugees
• Pro-life
• Supports death penalty
• Supports tax-rate reduction

“Gun laws fail everywhere they’re tried.”

“We are not going to make America a harder place to create jobs in order to pursue policies that will do absolutely nothing, nothing to change our climate.”

John Kasich

• Accepting of same-sex marriage
• Opposes all marijuana use; thinks states should choose
• Prefers undocumented immigrants remain undocumented
• Opposes new gun control restrictions
• Opposes climate change regulations
• Don’t allow refugees
• Supports death penalty
• Supports tax-rate reduction

“If they’ve been law-abiding over a period of time, they ought to be legalized and they ought to be able to stay here.”

“I think there are things we can do to protect the environment. We should. But we shouldn’t worship the environment.”

Ben Carson

• Believes marriage is between a man and a woman 
• Supports some medical marijuana use
• Prefers undocumented immigrants remain undocumented
• Opposes new gun control restrictions
• Skeptical about man-made climate change
• Don’t allow refugees
• Pro-life
• In favor of allowing states to decide on use of the death penalty
• In support of a national sales or flat tax

“I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away.”

“To bring Syrian refugees to the U.S. under these circumstances is a suspension of intellect.”

Democratic candidates

The left-wing candidates are in favor of marriage equality and LGBTQ rights, granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants, tightening gun control laws, allowing Syrian refugees into the country and increasing taxes imposed on the wealthy. Both are pro-choice and believe more needs to be done on climate change.

Hillary Clinton

• Mostly in support of the Affordable Care Act
• Supports medical marijuana use
• Supports the death penalty

“Our goal is not to deter or contain ISIS, but to defeat and destroy ISIS.”

“We should ban discrimination against LGBT Americans and their families so they can live, learn, marry and work just like everybody else.”

Bernie Sanders

• In favor of a single-payer health care system
• Supports medical and recreational marijuana use
• Opposes the death penalty

“Climate change is threatening this planet in horrendous ways.”

“Health care, to my mind, is a right of all people.”

Anna Spoerre can be reached at [email protected] or 618-536-3325.