Jamie Raskin
Progressive
Democrat
House Representative
Maryland - District 8
Current Position: US House Representative MD-8
Running For: House Representative - District 8
Policy Positions
Health Care
- For Medicare for All; member of the Medicare for All Caucus
Environment
- For reducing concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs); cosponsored the Farm System Reform Act to impose a moratorium on new large CAFOs and phase out existing large CAFOs over 20 years
- For increasing plant-based food offerings at federal facilities; led congressional letters urging the Biden administration to require daily vegetarian entrée options across federal buildings, national parks, prisons, military bases, and VA hospitals
Civil Rights
- For same-sex marriage; helped lead the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland
- For abortion rights; member of the House Pro-Choice Caucus and defended reproductive freedom as Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- For LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections; voted in favor of the Equality Act in 2019 banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- For the Equal Rights Amendment; member of the Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
Voting Rights & Democracy
- For restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated people; passed legislation in Maryland restoring voting rights to former prisoners
- For the National Popular Vote interstate compact to elect the president by popular vote; introduced and sponsored the first such bill in the country
- For separation of church and state; co-founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus with a stated goal of promoting separation of church and state and opposing discrimination against nonreligious persons
- For a congressional commission to evaluate presidential fitness for office under the 25th Amendment; was chief sponsor of legislation to establish such a commission in 2017
Immigration & Foreign Affairs
- Against U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria; voted against H.Con.Res. 21 directing removal of U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days
- For a humanitarian pause or cease-fire in the Gaza war, conditioned on hostage release and removal of Hamas, with a surge of humanitarian aid to civilians
- Against offensive weapons transfers to Israel; cosponsored the 'Block the Bombs Act' to block offensive weapons to Israel
Public Safety
- Against the death penalty; sponsored and led the repeal of the death penalty in Maryland
- For medical cannabis legalization; championed medical marijuana reform in Maryland and introduced a medical marijuana bill signed into law in 2014