On Saturday evening, May 7, Democrats from across Sussex County gathered at the Wantage home of Frances Fraser-Smith to dine, drink, socialize and discuss the relative merits of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Prior to an informal debate, Sussex County Freeholder candidate Michele Van Allen (sitting in foreground, green skirt, black top) and Eleventh Congressional District candidate Lee Anne Brogowski (standing in background, black slacks, green top) had the opportunity to chat with their constituents.

These were the debate questions:

Primary Questions

1. How will your candidate successfully roll back the influence of Wall Street, corporations, and wealthy individuals on political campaign financing? Will any such reforms require a Constitutional Amendment or legislation to repeal Citizens United?
2. What will your candidate do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reverse global warming?
3. How will your candidate bring back the Middle Class and reduce the income disparity between the one percent and the rest of the U.S. working population? Can we create high-quality jobs that pay well? How can we increase real wages which have trended downward since 1999?
4. To what extent does your candidate support regulation of Wall Street, the banks, and other financial institutions?
5. What is your candidate’s position on universal health care? How can we control cost of health care and prescription drugs in the US?
6. What is your candidate’s position on U.S. foreign policy? Should the US increase or reduce military spending? How and when should military force be used abroad? Can we maintain security at home without significantly expanding the military which would threaten the rights of U.S. citizens?
7. According to a recent study, sixty-nine thousand bridges are in need of repair in the U.S. Given our national debt, how do you intend to pay for fixing our crumbling infrastructure?

Additional Questions (as time permits)

1. What policy will your candidate implement to assure that every citizen has the inalienable right to vote without fear of suppression?
2. What will your candidate do to prevent white- and blue-collar jobs from leaving the country? Do trade treaties like the TPP, NAFTA, CAFTA help or hurt the U.S. economy, and how?
3. How can we enforce women’s right to equal pay for equal work?
4. State your position on abortion and/or women’s reproductive rights.
5. How will your candidate control Federal-deficit spending and reduce the national debt?
6. How would your candidate reform the criminal justice system, especially considering the incarceration rate which is the highest in the world and heavily weighted towards minorities? How will your candidate reduce increasingly privatized, for-profit prisons?
7. Keeping cost in mind, how does your candidate intend to maximize high-quality education from primary schooling to college?
8. What is our candidate’s position on gun control, including assault weapons?
9. How will your candidate overcome the opposition of a Republican controlled Congress?