(upbeat music) - We continue Decision 2022, the US House of Representatives Candidate Forum for Michigan's third congressional district.

Today's forum was recorded Wednesday, October 26th from the studios of the Meijer Public Broadcast Center, at Grand Valley State University.

Joining us now is Democratic candidate, Hillary Scholten from Grand Rapids.

Hillary, how are you?

- I'm doing very well.

Thank you so much, Patrick.

Thanks for having me.

- Yeah, we appreciate the time.

So for starters, tell us a little bit about yourself, and why serving in Congress is important for you.

- Absolutely.

I was born and raised here in West Michigan.

I'm raising my family here now too.

I raised my hand to run because the issues that matter to people in West Michigan matter to me and my family too.

From rising prices to safe communities, good schools, and protecting women's healthcare, these are the issues that matter to voters and they matter to me and my family too.

I was not born and raised a Democrat.

I actually did not know a Democrat until I was a senior in high school.

But I'm running to serve our community and put the issues that matter first.

I started my career as a social worker, then became a public interest attorney, proudly served our country at the nation's top law enforcement agency, the United States Department of Justice.

Now I'm back home here, continuing that service by raising my hand to run and represent West Michigan and Congress.

- In your estimation, what is the number one issue that needs to be addressed in Michigan's third congressional district, and how would you address it?

- Yeah, well, unequivocally, the number one issue that I'm hearing about from people on the doors is the issue of choice.

You know, voters here know what is at stake and overwhelmingly, I have heard from people since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Even people who have said, "My entire life, I have voted along with a platform that would seek to overturn Roe v.

Wade."

But people saying to me, "I never fully grasped what Roe v. Wade was protecting."

We're seeing right now the dire consequences.

Women being forced to go into septic shock, before they're able to get the life saving healthcare that they need.

Young girls, the victims of rape and incest, who can't access the healthcare that they need, and increasingly, even especially people with faith are waking up and saying, "This is not where we need to be on this issue."

- Inflation, US inflation is currently running at about 8.2%.

- Yep.

- What policies would you encourage to get inflation under control?

- Absolutely.

Now this is another top issue and it's one that I fully understand as a working mom of two kids.

I feel the sticker shock at the grocery store when I check out and the pain at the pump, just like everybody else.

We have to hold companies accountable for price gouging.

We know that oil and gas companies have made record breaking profits in the last quarter, and we are seeing that price increase passed on to everyday working families.

Additionally, we need to shore up supply chains, cut 'em, bring them back home, and make sure that we have a shorter loop between the products, where the products are made and the delivery to individuals.

And finally, I'm running ads right now and I'm not afraid to tell my party to stop the spending.

We can't deny that excessive spending does play a role in inflation.

And I'll stand up to Democrats in Congress to make sure that we don't continue in that track record.

- Election integrity is being questioned.

This is a little wordy.

I'm gonna try to boil it down for everyone here.

Michigan's Proposal 2 will appear on the November ballot.

It would amend the constitution, protecting the fundamental right to vote.

Some of the basics include use of photo ID, or a signed affidavit to verify voter identity.

It would also have a placement on a permanent absentee voter list, prepaid ballot postage, and a state funded ballot tracking notification system and access to ballot drop boxes.

Do you agree or disagree with this amendment, and tell us why.

- Yeah, so you know, I mean, as a general rule, I try not to weigh in on state ballot initiatives and stick to my wheelhouse, federal issues that impact what we'll address in Congress.

But there is no question, that we need to shore up the security of our elections.

And I think a lot of that comes with keeping election deniers out of office.

My opponent is someone who has repeatedly ignored the facts, and ignored the results of the 2020 election.

When we have attacks on the very basics of our democracy coming from right inside the house, our elections are not secure.

Individuals who undermine the the votes of the people, at what point will we stop?

At what point will our elections feel safe and secure?

- You touched on this earlier, but I'll ask the question.

Dobbs v. Jackson reversed Roe v. Wade, and the constitutional right to an abortion.

What is your view on reproductive rights, or the right to life?

- Yeah, you know, as a woman, a mother, a person of deep faith, there is probably no other issue that I have thought more about, prayed more about, listened to more voter's concerns on, than this issue.

I deeply respect a woman's God-given ability to make these complicated, personal, decisions for herself.

And in Congress, I'll make sure that, that right is protected.

- A campaign attack ad citing the May 30th, 2020 Grand Rapids riots that broke out in response to the killing of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, accuses you of "dismissing the destruction" and praising the rioters.

The Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC accuses you of bankrolling organizations supporting the defunding of the Grand Rapids Police Department.

- If you could please provide context to these alleged statements.

- Yeah, well it's easy to provide the context to you, and I'll speak directly to the viewers at home as well.

The context is these attacks are 100% false.

You don't have to take my word for it.

Multiple independent sources have proven them to be completely false.

I made a statement after the riots, condemning them, urging people to stop the violence.

I was downtown after the riots with members from my church helping to clean up.

My opponent, John Gibbs, was nowhere to be found.

I'm the only candidate in this race, to be endorsed by law enforcement.

I proudly served our country at the nation's top law enforcement agency.

These attacks against me are baseless.

But when you look at the things that my opponent has done, encouraging the riots on January 6th, praising them, that resulted tragically in the death of numerous police officers, there is no question, there's only one candidate in this race that supports community safety and that's me.

- We'll stick with violent crime, and it's been on the rise in the United States.

What solutions would you propose to curb the current trends?

- I think that we absolutely have to do more to create trust between law enforcement and our community.

I think that comes from making sure that our law enforcement, whether it's the the police department, the sheriff's office, or the nation's top law enforcement agency, has the resources that they need to competently and effectively do their job.

I think that there has to be oversight and accountability that's for the good and safety of the officers, as well as the community.

Community trust has to be at the heart of what we do to curb violent crime.

I also think that we need to make sure that there are increased opportunities in communities.

I think we have to look at the social determinants of violent crime, as well as the penal consequences of which I think we absolutely have to have severe consequences for violent crime, but we also have to look at the social determinants of crime, such as access to education, job opportunities.

Those are things that I'll fight for in Congress as well.

- There are philosophical differences about how children should be taught and learn in the K through 12 system.

What is your suggested curriculum or best method for teaching today's children?

- Well, that one is also easy.

I think that that is not a role for the federal government.

As a member of Congress, I don't think it's our decision to weigh in.

You know, my opponent talks at length about how he thinks kids should be taught in our classroom.

I think we need to get politics out of the classroom.

We see just an unprecedented culture war being waged by the right, right now in terms of what is taught in our classrooms and parents are fed up.

We don't want these culture wars imposed on our children.

I'm the only mom in this race and would be the first mom to represent West Michigan in Congress.

I think it's important to have that perspective right now.

A mom of school-aged kids who understands what the last two years of this pandemic has done to children, to teachers, and to parents as well.

Who needs to be making that decision?

The teachers, the parents, in conjunction with the experts and the local elected officials, who are in charge of driving that policy.

But I don't think it's a matter for detached politicians in Washington DC.

- What is the role of government during a public health crisis?

- Well, I think the role of government is to make sure that the people are safe and to provide the best guidance possible.

I have talked at length.

I'm not afraid to stand up to the Democratic party, and say where I think they went wrong.

I think that we see unequivocally, what happened under the Trump administration fostering lies about the the truth and the reality.

I think it's the role of the government to deliver accurate facts, whether it comports with your beliefs or your desires at the end of the day.

However, I disagree with the Biden administration's role in mandating vaccines, and forcing the administration of those vaccines on small businesses, especially at a time when they were critically suffering.

I spent the past year working through pandemic mandates, both at a state and federal level, and trying to offer guidance to small businesses in how to navigate that.

What an eye-opening experience.

I don't think that these mandates were effective in the way that the government thought that they should be.

And I think that we need to provide the proper facts, resources, and tools so that communities can stay healthy and safe.

- What makes you better qualified than your opponent to serve in Congress and be representative of this district?

- Yeah, you know, Patrick, I think one of the biggest things is my connection and accountability to the district.

I'm a fourth generation West Michigander.

I'm raising my family here now too.

Folks know that they can count on me to show up for our community, time, and time again.

I talk to people every single day who say, "You know, Hillary, I am a cradle Republican and I know that I'll be able to find you at church, in the grocery store, alongside the baseball field, and ask you questions.

We don't have that same accountability with Mr. Gibbs, who just showed up here to push our former congressman out of office to do Trump's bidding for him.

How do we know he's gonna show up for this community time and time again?

We don't."

- Foreign policy.

What approach should the United States take when it comes to Russia and China?

- We have to stand strong against our enemies.

Right now, Russia and China are posing a major threat to democracy around the world and at home.

I think supporting Ukraine right now, is one of the best things that we can do to help them fight the battle for liberation and democracy going forward.

We can't let the encroachment of Russia into the free nation of Ukraine, continue to creep around the world.

And in terms of competitiveness with China, we've gotta bring our supply chains back home and shore up our own American competitiveness right here on American soil.

- Government spending.

Where would you focus taxpayer dollars?

- I think that right now it is critical that we are shoring up alternative energy solutions here at home, to make electric vehicles, alternative energy sources, more affordable and accessible to everyday Americans.

Addressing climate change is a number one issue that I hear from voters around the district, particularly our young voters at Grand Valley State University, who are such a large constituent group of this new district.

As a mom of two young kids, I take the threat of human induced climate change, very real.

And we need to make this option of electric vehicle alternatives more accessible to individuals.

I put that in the larger category also of critical infrastructure investments.

And we've got needs here in West Michigan, from our airport expansion to protecting our beautiful great lakes right here at home.

Protecting and shoring up our infrastructure is a top priority of mine.

- You've touched on two of the questions that are coming up.

Do you believe humans are significantly contributing to climate change?

And how can humans reverse it?

- Absolutely.

The facts speak for themselves.

It's not solely responsible, but humans are creating and exacerbating climate change.

We have to curb the impacts of our carbon emissions, and reduce the impact of human-induced climate change.

I think alternative energy sources, is a number one way to do that.

- So how would you propose the nation's secure energy independence?

- Well, I think, you know, there are ways that we can continue to tap our oil sources here at home and as we transition to alternative energy sources, making those options more affordable for everyday Americans, and most people, myself included, can't afford a hundred thousand dollars, even a $50,000 electric vehicle.

But I think that we can play a role, in getting to a place of competitiveness where those vehicles are more affordable and accessible.

- Is there a moral or personal issue you support that is an opposition to your party's ideology?

What is it and why do you strongly adhere to your belief?

- Well, you know, I wanna, I wanna come back to the choice issue on this one because I think that one of the things that the Democratic party gets wrong, is assuming that individuals who are pro-life are not taking into consideration the value of women.

You know, sometimes you hear people say, "Oh, they're not pro-life, they're just pro-birth."

I disagree and I think it's insulting.

I honor and respect the people, who are so valiantly fighting for life, and I wanna see the party of pro-choice, make alternatives for women, who are making the choice to choose life.

The number one reason women choose to terminate a pregnancy is because of poverty.

That's no choice at all.

We need to do things to elevate the alternative choices to choose life when women would otherwise want to.

Increasing access to education, economic opportunities, making adoption more accessible, to individuals should they choose.

And I think elevating the role of choice in the pro-choice movement has to be front and center for the party going forward.

- What is this race in your mind?

What is it about?

- This race is about the future of West Michigan, and I would say the future of our country.

Here we have someone who raised her hand to run, deeply invested in her community, raising her her hand to run, to represent her community, her children, and you know, I'm raising my family here now too as well.

And I'm running against someone whose entire existence is based on an agenda and a motive by Donald Trump to implant him here to execute the former president's agenda and vendetta against our congressman who voted to impeach him.

That's not a platform on which to lead West Michigan forward.

He has no roots and connections here in the district to hold him accountable.

He's an election denier, a conspiracy theorist, so extreme, that his own party would not even confirm him to a position within the Trump administration.

The contrast in this race could not be more extreme and the consequences could not be more severe.

- This is the second time you've run in this district, but this district has been redrawn.

- [Scholten] It has.

- What are the impacts of running in a redrawn district?

- Well, one of the things that excites me so much about this new configuration of the district is that it keeps my hometown of Grand Rapids right at the center of the district as well.

In 2020, I won the city of Grand Rapids by a margin of 70 to 30.

People in the city were so excited for change and now we have an opportunity to continue what we started because the city of Grand Rapids is retained, in the new configuration of the district.

And the other thing that excites me so much is that we have new wonderful parts of the district that are also energized to send a new type of representative to Congress.

Out on the Lake Shore we've got Muskegon, and Grand Haven, Democratic bases, we also have Grand Valley State University, a new energized pool of young people.

This is a district that voted for President Biden by nine points, sent Governor Whitmer to Lansing by a margin of seven points.

Even going back as far as Clinton, the district voted for a Democrat.

So we know there's already that base there.

And then I offer something so strong and compelling to Moderates, Independents, and as we've seen by the new group of Republicans and Independents coming out to support me, something to Republicans as well who want competent, effective, and pragmatic leadership in Washington.

- Democratic candidate.

Hillary Scholten, thank you so much for your time.

- Thank you so much, Patrick.

(upbeat music)