Kevin Wade in 2012 Del. Senate Debate
On Abortion:
Not proud that Delaware has highest abortion rate
One audience member asked the candidates if they thought human rights or religious rights were more important. Wade said no right should supersede any other right.
He said he was not proud Delaware has the highest per capita abortion rate in the nation. "I believe in life," he said.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Abortion:
Funding to Planned Parenthood ok if not used for abortions
An audience member asked if the candidates would vote to fund Planned Parenthood. Wade said he would support some funding to Planned
Parenthood, but not if it would be used for abortions. "Planned Parenthood is not a central theme in healthcare for this country," he said. Wade said he would rather provide healthcare funding for children and the elderly.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Budget & Economy:
I've balanced budget in my engineering corporation
Wade said, "Unlike the U.S. Senate, I've had to balance a budget for 30 years." Wade founded Philadelphia Control Systems Inc., an engineering corporation based in
Christiana. "We don't have people who've acted with responsibility, who've signed the front of a paycheck," he said of legislators.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Civil Rights:
Marriage is fundamental building block for any community
Pires said, "I support gay marriage. Gay people are equal."Wade called the issue a "fringe issue," but continued, "I will state for the record,
I know that marriage is between man and a woman and is the fundamental building block for any community and any nation."
Source: Newark Post on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Education:
Department of Education has been an abysmal failure
Wade said the federal Department of Education was created
40 years ago to maximize the effectiveness of education. "It's been an abysmal failure," he said.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Energy & Oil:
More oil drilling on U.S. soil
Wade said regulations on job creators should be cut,
and more oil drilling should occur on U.S. soil.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Energy & Oil:
Don't raise taxes on gas by 25 cents per gallon
Carper said that in order to keep taxes lower, he has worked to "pull the plug" on outdated tax credits, and that he supports the Investment Tax Credit, which places incentives on companies' investments in technologies that can be sold around the world
as commercial products and services. Wade criticized Carper's proposal to raise taxes on gas by 25 cents per gallon, which he called a result of Carper spending "too many years in Washington and too many years away from Delaware."
Source: Newark Post on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Foreign Policy:
Unwinnable situation in Afghanistan & all of Mideast
We have an unwinnable situation under the current setup in Afghanistan . and throughout the Middle East, Wade said. He cited the recent deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans during an attack by Islamic militants as
examples of indecision and a lack of leadership from Washington. "All we heard from the White House was confusion, and silence from Senator Carper (in regards to Stevens' death)," Wade said.
Source: Newark Post on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Immigration:
It's not hard to come here legally; follow the right away
Asked for his opinion on undocumented workers, Carper said he has worked to establish legislation that secures U.S. borders. Wade disagreed that America's borders are secure, and said that while immigration "feeds the American spirit," it should be done
properly. "There are many right ways to do it, and there's a handful of wrong ways to do it. It's not hard to come here legally; it's not hard to become a citizen. Let's just follow the path that others have taken that have built this nation."
Source: Newark Post on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Tax Reform:
Tax code adds 12.5 percent to the cost of everything
Wade said the tax code needs an overhaul. The federal tax code adds 12.5 percent to the cost of everything manufactured in the United States,
Wade said. He called the code a toy box for special interests. "There is no confidence in the leadership of this nation," he said.
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
On Civil Rights:
Same-sex marriage is a "fringe issue" and a distraction
Wade called same-sex marriage a "fringe issue" and a distraction to real issues of concern to voters. "They worry about jobs, their homes, this country and the future of their children and grandchildren," he said.Pires unequivocally supported
legalization of same-sex marriage. Carper offered more tepid support but said he supports the repeal of a Bill Clinton-era law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Carper only recently reversed his position on the Defense of Marriage Act.
Source: Delmarva Daily Times on 2012 Del. Senate debate
Oct 17, 2012
On Corporations:
Remove deductions and loopholes so GE pays some tax
Wade said that Congress must act to remove deductions and loopholes to simplify the tax code. He said that General Electric was able to avoid paying any federal income taxes two years ago by deploying special interest tax loopholes."We have loopholes
everywhere but not loopholes for 'We, the people,' " Wade said. "We need to overhaul the tax code, which is 60,000 pages of nonsense, and remove it as an obstacle." Wade said his experience as a business owner would be an asset in the Senate.
Source: Delmarva Daily Times on 2012 Del. Senate debate
Oct 17, 2012
On Principles & Values:
Career politicians can't change Washington
Kevin Wade offered several attacks on Washington and Carper. "Career politicians have done more to secure their own political prospects than they have to secure the future fortunes of
American and Delaware families," Wade said. "Washington won't change until we change the people in Washington."
Source: Delmarva Daily Times on 2012 Del. Senate debate
Oct 17, 2012
On Principles & Values:
Sen. Carper accepts Wade's 10-debate challenge
Incumbent Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) publicly agreed to debate challenger Kevin Wade (R) 10 times in the coming 7 weeks before election day at Thursday night's Candidate Forum, hosted by Hadassah and the Jewish Community Center in North Wilmington.
Wade issued public statements in May and a written request to Carper's campaign in July asking the senator for "10 or 20 debates" across Delaware.
Carper is now in his second term as a U.S. Senator and previously served as State Treasurer, as Delaware's U.S. Congressman, and as Governor. When Carper campaigned against then-Senator William Roth in 2000, they engaged in several statewide
debates that Carper called "the Delaware way," setting a precedent that Wade seeks to exploit in un-seating Carper. Neither Carper nor his campaign office acknowledged Wade's debate challenge until last night's forum in North Wilmington.
Source: Examiner.com on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 14, 2012
On Corporations:
Small business owner: Philadelphia Control System since 1982
During [his proposed series of debates against Sen. Tom Carper], Wade said, he would describe his vision and solutions from the perspective of being a small business owner.
Wade owns Philadelphia Control Systems, Inc., in Christiana, Delaware. The firm, which Wade founded in 1982, provides industrial automation computer solutions and technology data management.
Source: Delaware Republican Examiner on 2012 Delaware Senate debates
May 26, 2012
On Principles & Values:
Challenges Carper to twenty Senate debates
Kevin Wade, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, is challenging Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) to a series of "twenty debates or thirty debates" in the upcoming campaign. He issued the challenge on WDEL radio Friday afternoon. Wade said that
Carper challenged then-incumbent senator William V. Roth (R-DE) to a series of twenty debates statewide in 2000. Carper defeated Roth in that election, and called the debate challenge "the Delaware way."
"There are 880,000 people in the state that
have questions they'd like to ask of Senator Carper" Wade said during his call-in to a popular Wilmington radio program. "Maybe we can get 500 at a time into a room and get the questions asked and he can describe his vision from his 35-year incumbency
standpoint," he continued.
Wade described Carper as "silent Tom down in the Senate." He said the debates in 2000, which he referred to as "the Carper rule," were a good idea then and are a good idea now. "Good ideas don't age," he said.
Source: Delaware Republican Examiner on 2012 Delaware Senate debates
May 26, 2012
Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018