CHVL/Election-Candidate Information/2006/Federal

A Colorado
non-profit organization
advocating for animals
in the political arena

CHVL 2006 Candidate Information
~ U.S. Congressional District 2 ~

This page contains candidate information about the candidates for U.S. Representative for Colorado Congressional District 2.

Highlights from this race:

The first "Pro-Animal Pick" for this race is Mark Udall (Democratic Party) because of his voting record and because of his questionnaire response score of 94%. To volunteer to help his campaign, please visit http://www.markudall.org.
The second "Pro-Animal Pick" for this race is Rich Mancuso (Republican Party) because of his questionnaire response score of 94%. To volunteer to help his campaign, please visit http://www.richmancuso.com.
Mark Udall (Democratic Party) is the incumbent for this office. The current Congress (109th Congress) is still in progress, so we do not have a final voting score for it. The Humane Society of the United States, along with the Fund for Animals, has prepared a mid-term scorecard for the 109th Congress, which you can see by visiting http://www.fund.org/humanescorecard/. On the same page you will also see links to prior Congressional scorecards.
All candidates in this race are listed below, along with their responses or a notation that they did not respond.

Notes:

Responses are given exactly as they were written. Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors were not corrected.
CHVL imposed a 25-word limit on comments because of space limitations; however, if a candidate exceeded this limit we did not cut the text off in mid-sentence. In any case where a candidate's comment is not shown in full, we have included a note to contact us for the full comment.
Each candidate's party affiliation is indicated in parentheses immediately following his or her name below. Party abbreviations are as follows. "D" - Democratic Party; "G" - Green Party; "L" - Libertarian Party; "R" - Republican Party.

Candidate questionnaire scores

1a. Did you grow up with animals? Yes/No
1b. If so, what kind?

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes - Dog
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes - Dogs, Horses, Cats, Cows, etc.

2a. Does your family have animals? Yes/No
2b. If so, what kind?

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes - Turtle
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes - My sons do at this time but because of my schedule I do not but I do care for them.

The bills and resolutions referred to in the following questions are from the 109th (current) Congress. We thank the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for some of the legislation descriptions. For more information about any bill or resolution (including its complete text), please visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

3. The “Pet Safety and Protection Act” (S. 451) would amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

4. The “Pet Animal Welfare Statute” (S. 1139 & H.R. 2669) would close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that allows large commercial breeders (“puppy mills”) that sell directly to the public to escape regulation, requiring them to meet the same minimal welfare standards as other facilities. Would you be likely to vote for this bill? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

5. The “American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act” (H.R. 503 & S. 1915) would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit the trade and transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes - I supported an amendment to de-fund horse slaughter operations, supported the Wild Horse and Burro Preservation Act, but would like to review this bill before casting my vote.
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

6. The “Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act” (S. 382 & H.R. 817) would authorize felony-level jail time for animal fighting, prohibit interstate commerce of cockfighting implements, and update provisions on animal seizure and disposition after arrests. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

7. The “Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act” (S. 742 & H.R. 2562) would curb overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture, which supports overcrowded and unsanitary conditions on factory farms and endangers public health. Would you be likely to vote for this bill? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Undecided - I have reservations about timely access to antibiotics for treatment of essential animal diseases to ensure animal well being, as well as public health concerns.
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

8. The “Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act” (PETS Act) (S. 2548 & H.R. 3858) would require local and state authorities to include in their evacuation plans how they will accommodate household pets and service animals in the event of a disaster. Would you be likely to vote for this bill? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

9. The “Downed Animal Protection Act” (S. 1779 & H.R. 3931) would end the use of certain nonambulatory livestock (cattle, sheep, swine, goats, or horses, mules, or other equines) in human food and require that these downed animals be humanely euthanized when presented at slaughter facilities. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

10. The ”Truth in Fur Labeling Act” (H.R. 4904) would require that all fur garments, regardless of value, identify the species of animal used and the country of origin. Would you be likely to vote for this bill? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

11. The “Captive Primate Safety Act” (S. 1509 & H.R. 1329) would prohibit interstate and foreign commerce in nonhuman primates (chimpanzees, monkeys, lemurs and others) for the pet trade. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

12. The “Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act” (H.R. 2428) would encourage non-lethal management methods and create a moratorium on the killing of Yellowstone bison so they can freely roam federal public lands surrounding the park. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Undecided - Need to know how this would affect farmers & ranchers in the area & would this create a danger to livestock & other wildlife?

13. The “Inhumane Trapping Prevention Act” (H.R. 3442) would prohibit interstate commerce of steel-jaw leghold traps and the import, export, or interstate commerce of fur of animals caught with these devices. Would you be likely to vote for this bill? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

14. Senate Resolution 33 (S. Res. 33) calls on the government of Canada to end its commercial seal hunt. The hunt is the largest commercial slaughter of wildlife in the world, allowing hunters to club or shoot up to 975,000 baby harp seals over a three-year period. Would you be likely to vote for this resolution?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

15. The ”Sportsmanship in Hunting Act” (S. 304 & H.R. 1688) would prohibit interstate commerce in animals destined to be killed for trophies at canned hunting facilities. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

16. The ”Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting Act” (H.R. 1558) would prohibit internet hunting whereby a person remotely controls the aiming and firing of a weapon to kill an animal at a canned hunting facility. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

17. The “Antifreeze Bittering Agent Act” (S. 1110 & H.R. 2567) would require inclusion of a “bittering agent” in engine coolant and antifreeze. This would reduce the risk of poisoning of animals and children. Would you be likely to vote for this bill?Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

18. Would you be willing to consider factual documentation from CHVL on a given issue? Yes/No/Undecided

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Yes
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Yes

Please add any other comments ...

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	None given
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	None given

Candidate questionnaire scores

CD2	Mark Udall (D)	Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 94%
CD2	Joe Calhoun (G)	Did not respond
CD2	Norm Olsen (L)	Did not respond
CD2	Rich Mancuso (R)	Overall Questionnaire Response Score = 94%

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