Todd A. Puglisi (challenger)
Jurisdiction Montgomery County
Todd Puglisi (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maryland. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on July 19, 2022.
Biography
Todd Puglisi graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 2003. Puglisi earned a degree from Montgomery College at Germantown in 2018. His career experience includes working as a seafood clerk and cashier with Safeway and a crew member with McDonald’s.[1]
I have no previous political experience in holding public office. However, I have campaigned for others seeking public office. I have experience being a hardworking Marylander who thinks a lot about public policy issues. I am a candidate pushing forward new ideas on issues of health care, education, rights, and national security. I ask the citizens of Maryland to vote for me to be their next US Senator.
What is the most pressing issue in your state or district?
I think crime is the most important issue for my state. As the next US Senator from Maryland, I will work with my colleagues to pass legislation that would prevent states and local governments from jailing individuals simply because they have drugs. Instead, all state and local governments may be allowed to jail a person for a third time after being caught with drugs. Your outlaw can be three strikes. At the same time, I will work to pass laws that will jail people who commit ludicrous crimes like murder and rape. I think that individuals who commit such a senseless crime should be jailed for several years under new federal laws, such as 50 years. We can be tough on crime that doesn’t involve drug possession and allow America to have the world’s smallest prison system, reserved only for the worst offenders.
What should America do to tackle climate change?
I believe there is climate change, although I believe that climate change is a natural phenomenon. Climate change happened 10,000 years ago when there were no cars or emissions. I think climate change will always be a part of the earth no matter what. However, I am mostly in favor of moving America to alternative energy because of national security. It’s a shame that so much of the world’s oil and natural gas is in and around countries whose governments or nations want to harm us. As the next US Senator from Maryland, I will fight to get America into alternative energy by 2030. I will work to pass legislation that would provide tax incentives for buying electric cars and providing electric car pumps. I will also pass a law to fund innovators for new technologies like garbage or hydroelectric generators.
How do you assess the response of the United States to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
I think the response has been good but it could have been better. It was a mistake for our president to tell the Russians that he would not send US troops to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion. Also the President or White says that the US will not create a no-fly zone over Ukraine. I think it’s important not to tell your enemy what you won’t. I am not saying that the president should be warlike or think recklessly, but that he should not allow Vladimir Putin to take advantage of what America and its allies will not do. I think the US and its ally Canada should send tons of LNG and oil to Europe with the help of subsidies and help change Europe’s energy infrastructure so that more nations can restrict Russian oil and natural gas.
What should the US do regarding legal status and potential citizenship for undocumented immigrants living here?
The United States should require undocumented immigrants to be fined or punished in some other humane way before legal status can be granted. I’m a Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush Republican and I want America’s doors to be wide open to legal immigrants. I support a guest worker program that can be managed by our state and local governments to make immigration to the US much easier, especially for work. This is why many good hardworking immigrants come to the US illegally because it is so difficult for them to come in legally and have a job, many Americans do not want to work. Several times I’ve worked at McDonald’s and I’ve seen lobbies close because we had fewer employees. That problem can be solved across America with the Guest Worker Program.
How would you describe what happened at the US Capitol on January 6th?
I would describe this as a dark day for America. It was then that a mob stormed the US Capitol and killed 6 Americans. This is a phenomenon I never want to see again. I also pray that my children and grandchildren will not live to see such a day. I am running for public office to ensure that my fellow citizens are looked after and not offended which can lead to violence.
What should America do now to prepare for the next pandemic?
The US should build CDC bases or branches around the world to detect the virus and provide vaccines and treatments. As soon as a virus is detected anywhere in the world, CDC will take a sample of the virus and contract with a private company such as Johnson & Johnson to create a vaccine or treatment. In this way, America and the world can go several steps ahead of the deadly virus and save millions of lives.
What is the right balance between roads and transit for US transportation spending?
I think the federal government should focus on building public-private partnerships in road and transit construction. This way our roads and transit can be better maintained along with more money for high-speed rail.
What will you do to better address income inequality?
I will expand my safety net programs and get rid of the minimum wage. In other words, I would replace the minimum wage with a minimum safety net. I think the minimum wage hurts poor Americans who don’t have skills that can’t get them jobs. The minimum wage also hurts small businesses that struggle to meet their needs. I think the government should work with our state and local governments to create health savings accounts, education savings accounts, food savings accounts, and mortgage rent savings accounts that cover health care, education costs, food/clothing, and rent/mortgage. Can help with payment. Not only will Americans be given tax credits and deductions, but our state and local governments will provide direct subsidies to these accounts to help poor and working-class Americans stay safe and become middle class.
Describe your position on the Electoral Count Act, which would put the ‘defense’ around the certification of presidential elections?
I support the Electoral Count Act and don’t want to see it expire. I support adding laws to the John Lewis Voting Rights Act that there is an independent commission made up of Democrats and Republicans that would oversee all presidential and midterm elections to ensure fairness. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act should also require states to have independent commissions to oversee local castes. The act would also create independent bipartisan commissions that would draw congressional districts fairly and end gerrymandering once and for all.
Who is your top choice for the presidency in 2024 and why?
My top choice for the presidency in 2024 is Governor Larry Hogan. I think he has managed the state of Maryland in a remarkable way. As governor, he has a balanced budget and cuts in taxes. Such things have been unheard of in Maryland. Because so many years ago Maryland will raise taxes and did not balance the budget. As governor, Larry Hogan has managed to help Maryland during the terrible times of COVID in 2020 and the riots in Baltimore in 2015. He has also fought a personal battle against two types of cancer and has experienced the loss of his father and sister. I think he can balance our federal budget and help America’s economy grow the way he has for Maryland. He may also show strength in standing up to the tyrants who, like Vladimir Putin, threaten our free world. We should all vote for Larry Hogan.