WHERE THEY STAND
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Rep. Jim Renacci are far apart on a number of issues. Here are some of their differences.
IMMIGRATION
■ Renacci: Supports border wall, opposes so-called “sanctuary cities” that protect undocumented immigrants; backs nationwide E-Verify system that would require businesses to check if their employees are legally permitted to work in the United States.
■ Brown: Has criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, saying the government has no business deporting immigrants who have lived in the United States for years; backed a 2013 immigration compromise that would have increased border security and created a path to citizenship; supports using technology like ground sensors, arguing they are more effective and less costly to taxpayers than a wall.
■ Both Brown and Renacci have criticized Trump’s now defunct policy that effectively separated families who entered the United States illegally.
GUNS/SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
■ Renacci: Has a lifetime A rating with the National Rifle Association; co-sponsored a bill to ensure the validity of any state-issued concealed carry license or permit in any other state that allows concealed carry; supported a number of other measures to preserve and expand gun rights.
■ Brown: Pushed measures to require those buying weapons online or at gun shows to undergo the same background check as someone buying them at a store in Ohio; supports curbs on gun stocks, which turn a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon; backed a measure to pay for school security improvements and invest in early intervention programs to prevent school violence.
HEALTH CARE
■ RENACCI: Opposes the Medicaid expansion and wants to scrap the Affordable Care Act, saying it is beyond repair; favors replacing the 2010 law with a “patient-centric, market-based system driven by competition and defined by choice, affordability, and access to quality care”; wants to preserve some aspects of Obamacare, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on their parents’ insurance longer.
■ BROWN: Has fought GOP efforts to repeal the ACA; has urged Congress to pass a bill that would add a public option to individual marketplaces to give consumers increased access to affordable plans; supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s decision to expand Medicaid.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
■ RENACCI: Cosponsored bill to remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood; supported the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which extended legal protection to infants born alive after a failed attempt at abortion.
■ BROWN: Backed bills aimed at maintaining and expanding access to birth control and family planning services; fought GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.