Name: Jay Townsend
Age: 56
Party Affiliation: Conservative Republican
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Decision to Run: Out of disgust and frustration with the current U.S. Senate elected representative Chuck Schumer.
Major Issues: High unemployment and out-of-control spending are the major issues.
Top Priorities: Getting the 1 million unemployed New Yorkers back to work in the private sector.
Name: Charles E. Schumer
Age: 59
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: U.S. Senator, 1999-Present
Decision to Run: I am running for reelection because I believe now more than ever we need to have people in office who understand the needs of the middle class. I have built my career on delivering for middle class New Yorkers. Whether its college tuition tax cuts, tax breaks for those who use mass transit to get to work, or incentives for companies to start hiring again, I believe the vitality of our state and our country depends on a vibrant and growing middle class.
Major Issues: Job creation must be our top priority and while government doesn’t create jobs, it can help create an environment in which entrepreneurs and private enterprise can prosper. Earlier this year, I worked with Senator Hatch, a Republican from Utah, to enact the HIRE Act to promote hiring by giving a payroll tax cut to employers. In the first six months after the law was signed, 8.1 million businesses were able to take advantage of this tax cut.
We also need to stop outsourcing local jobs, which has drained New York of 90,000 good-paying jobs in the last three years alone. In September, I proposed a payroll tax cut for every job that an employer returned to the United States from overseas. This is a common-sense approach that provides incentives for companies to invest in the U.S. rather than doing so overseas
Top Priorities: For far too long, China has gotten away with manipulating its currency, driving down the value of their money so it costs them less than it should to export goods. And that hurts American businesses and costs New Yorkers jobs. That’s why in my next term my first priority is continuing to lead the fight for penalties and tariffs to level the playing field for American workers.
