Chris Coulombe

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Chris Coulombe completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coulombe's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tBorn and raised in Sonoma County, Chris Coulombe enlisted in the military at 18 as a private, and returned home 16 years later as a captain. \r\n<p>In his final assignment Chris represented the Army to dignitaries and senior security officials from almost every country in the Indo-Asia Pacific, focusing on multilateral solutions to regional and global security challenges.\r\n</p><p>When Chris returned home to Sonoma County, he built a statewide distribution company; co-founded a trade association that helped pass legislation beneficial to small businesses working on policy taxation and regulations in Sacramento.\r\n</p><p>Chris has won several awards including North Bay Business Journal Forty Under 40; his company won the Small Transportation Business of the Year Award from the American Business Association, and a Zennie Award for HR Excellence. The following year Chris won The Irish Echo’s Forty Under 40 award.\r\n</p><p>As an Eagle Scout, he serves as the past president and an advisory board member of Scouting’s Redwood Empire Council, assists his childhood scout troop, and hikes the beautiful wilderness of Northern California with his German Shepherd, Xorro. \r\n</p>\n</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Partisan Politics is tearing this country apart. It has destroyed our environment, economy, and children's education. We need reasonable, objective, solution based leaders in Congress who vote in the best interests of the people; not elected followers who vote the party line or for special interests.</li><li>Economy - Americans must be able to afford to be American. I will work to suspend the federal income tax on the first $182,000 of income for 5-years, helping Americans keep up to $35,000 more a year of their own money. This will reinvigorate our local economies and small businesses and decrease the rate of Americans entering unhoused conditions all without government programs or debt. While our career politicians and political parties play political games, China is focused and will be the largest economy in the world in 2028; we must reimagine and re-invigorate America's economy to compete.</li><li>Education - Our children are the future of this nation, they are the ones that will keep America competitive on a global scale when we are gone. At present we are failing to give them the skills and resources necessary for them to succeed. We must realign the stakeholders to ensure the next generation is getting well-rounded and relevant experience and education . That includes bringing parents and business to the table, ensuring the best interests of the children and the country is represented.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading1-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI spent my life focused on national and international policy , specifically around strategic security - dealing with challenges around resource (water/food) security, geopolitical instability, and global economics. These are the issues that a country must never lose sight of and that our national leaders must understand deeply or we will be out maneuvered on a global scale - as we are seeing with China now. <br/><br/>\n<p>We are also watching the continued degradation of our environment. We need new leaders that are going to take up a more aggressive stance on addressing the challenges that threaten our earth and subsequently the well being of the next generation. We can all agree we are not meeting the challenge and that the time for half measures has passed. Members of Congress have talked and talked and we have waited and waited, in return we have the worst drought in 1200-years and historic fire seasons year after year. The time has come to stand.<br/><br/>\r\nAs a small business owner and co-founder of a trade group I understand the struggles of small businesses first hand. I have worked with legislators and regulators to remove or reduce the friction created by government and help businesses survive. After the global lockdown our small businesses need all the help they can get before they are unable to compete and exist. This is a grave risk to our economy and must be addressed quickly.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nSpace is the future, we must prepare America's economy for the 22nd Century and we must do that now.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading2-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tVery hard to answer this, there are many that I look up to for various aspects of my life. Most important is my grandmother, she was the matriarch of the family - she showed our family the power of love and kindness through her example. We could never tell as children but she came from a very hard childhood in the 1930's, despite that she brought all of us together at every opportunity to spend time with family. Through the mystical ways grandparents have she taught me stop and savor life, to embrace the things I love - and to protect them fiercely. She also showed us that time is not free.<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading3-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThere were two: As a child, I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I was 9 at the time.<br/><br/>\r\nAs an adult, it was 9/11. I was serving on my first deployment in the Persian Gulf searching vessels going into and coming out of Iraq (UN Sanction 986). We were on a foreign vessel at the time the planes hit the towers, my team watched it on TV at the same time as the ship's crew. Needless to say, it was a pivotal experience in my military career.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading4-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was your very first job? How long did you have it?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAs a teenager, I worked as both a dishwasher in a deli and washed buses for a year or so each. You learn teamwork quickly when you have a 50+ buses to wash and vacuum a day.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading5-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is your favorite book? Why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Rights of Man, Thomas Paine\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading6-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tSometimes, the point of our system is that there is a mix. We need those with experience in addition to those with a fresh perspective.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading7-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tIn 2028 China will be the largest economy in the world. This means that the US will not drive the economic agenda in the international community for the first time in over a century. I do not believe our current career politicians understand the magnitude of this paradigm shift. If the global economy places China at the center of international trade they have a great deal of power and leverage over the value of the US Dollar (USD) and that is a dangerous proposition for the average American, living paycheck to paycheck or on a fixed income.<br/><br/>\n<p>Just as we are seeing the initial impacts of loose monetary policy skyrocketing inflation and causing the cost of living to increase month over month, the replacement of the USD as the global trade currency by the Chinese Yuan will and the global petrodollar will plummet demand and therefore value of the USD precipitously.<br/><br/>\r\nWe must resuscitate our small businesses and lead a focused evolution of our economy, pivoting toward protecting our remaining environment and building a space economy aimed at preparing America for the 22nd Century. That is where the winners and losers of the future will be decided. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nAmericans are ready to build, we are just looking for leaders with vision that will use our talents to bring benefit and advancement to all of humanity. Allowing us to hand the next generation something we can be proud of.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading8-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI agree. Something close to 16-years is appropriate.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading9-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-203137-2023-12-04\" id=\"heading10-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-203137-2023-12-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-203137-2023-12-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-203137-2023-12-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMarin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt County GOPs, and Assemblymember Devon Mathis.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nChris Coulombe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coulombe's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Chris Coulombe enlisted in the military at 18 as a private, and returned home 16 years later as a captain. In his final assignment Chris represented the Army to dignitaries and senior security officials from almost every country in the Indo-Asia Pacific, focusing on multilateral solutions to regional and global security challenges. When Chris returned home to Sonoma County, he built a statewide distribution company; co-founded a trade association that helped pass legislation beneficial to small businesses working on policy taxation and regulations in Sacramento. Chris has won several awards including North Bay Business Journal Forty Under 40; his company won the Small Transportation Business of the Year Award from the American Business Association, and a Zennie Award for HR Excellence. The following year Chris won The Irish Echo’s Forty Under 40 award. As an Eagle Scout, he serves as the past president and an advisory board member of Scouting’s Redwood Empire Council, assists his childhood scout troop, and hikes the beautiful wilderness of Northern California with his German Shepherd, Xorro. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Partisan Politics is tearing this country apart. It has destroyed our environment, economy, and children's education. We need reasonable, objective, solution based leaders in Congress who vote in the best interests of the people; not elected followers who vote the party line or for special interests. Economy - Americans must be able to afford to be American. I will work to suspend the federal income tax on the first $182,000 of income for 5-years, helping Americans keep up to $35,000 more a year of their own money. This will reinvigorate our local economies and small businesses and decrease the rate of Americans entering unhoused conditions all without government programs or debt. While our career politicians and political parties play political games, China is focused and will be the largest economy in the world in 2028; we must reimagine and re-invigorate America's economy to compete. Education - Our children are the future of this nation, they are the ones that will keep America competitive on a global scale when we are gone. At present we are failing to give them the skills and resources necessary for them to succeed. We must realign the stakeholders to ensure the next generation is getting well-rounded and relevant experience and education . That includes bringing parents and business to the table, ensuring the best interests of the children and the country is represented. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I spent my life focused on national and international policy , specifically around strategic security - dealing with challenges around resource (water/food) security, geopolitical instability, and global economics. These are the issues that a country must never lose sight of and that our national leaders must understand deeply or we will be out maneuvered on a global scale - as we are seeing with China now. We are also watching the continued degradation of our environment. We need new leaders that are going to take up a more aggressive stance on addressing the challenges that threaten our earth and subsequently the well being of the next generation. We can all agree we are not meeting the challenge and that the time for half measures has passed. Members of Congress have talked and talked and we have waited and waited, in return we have the worst drought in 1200-years and historic fire seasons year after year. The time has come to stand. As a small business owner and co-founder of a trade group I understand the struggles of small businesses first hand. I have worked with legislators and regulators to remove or reduce the friction created by government and help businesses survive. After the global lockdown our small businesses need all the help they can get before they are unable to compete and exist. This is a grave risk to our economy and must be addressed quickly. Space is the future, we must prepare America's economy for the 22nd Century and we must do that now. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? Very hard to answer this, there are many that I look up to for various aspects of my life. Most important is my grandmother, she was the matriarch of the family - she showed our family the power of love and kindness through her example. We could never tell as children but she came from a very hard childhood in the 1930's, despite that she brought all of us together at every opportunity to spend time with family. Through the mystical ways grandparents have she taught me stop and savor life, to embrace the things I love - and to protect them fiercely. She also showed us that time is not free. What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? There were two: As a child, I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I was 9 at the time. As an adult, it was 9/11. I was serving on my first deployment in the Persian Gulf searching vessels going into and coming out of Iraq (UN Sanction 986). We were on a foreign vessel at the time the planes hit the towers, my team watched it on TV at the same time as the ship's crew. Needless to say, it was a pivotal experience in my military career. What was your very first job? How long did you have it? As a teenager, I worked as both a dishwasher in a deli and washed buses for a year or so each. You learn teamwork quickly when you have a 50+ buses to wash and vacuum a day. What is your favorite book? Why? The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? Sometimes, the point of our system is that there is a mix. We need those with experience in addition to those with a fresh perspective. What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? In 2028 China will be the largest economy in the world. This means that the US will not drive the economic agenda in the international community for the first time in over a century. I do not believe our current career politicians understand the magnitude of this paradigm shift. If the global economy places China at the center of international trade they have a great deal of power and leverage over the value of the US Dollar (USD) and that is a dangerous proposition for the average American, living paycheck to paycheck or on a fixed income. Just as we are seeing the initial impacts of loose monetary policy skyrocketing inflation and causing the cost of living to increase month over month, the replacement of the USD as the global trade currency by the Chinese Yuan will and the global petrodollar will plummet demand and therefore value of the USD precipitously. We must resuscitate our small businesses and lead a focused evolution of our economy, pivoting toward protecting our remaining environment and building a space economy aimed at preparing America for the 22nd Century. That is where the winners and losers of the future will be decided. Americans are ready to build, we are just looking for leaders with vision that will use our talents to bring benefit and advancement to all of humanity. Allowing us to hand the next generation something we can be proud of. What are your thoughts on term limits? I agree. Something close to 16-years is appropriate. Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? Yes What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign? Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt County GOPs, and Assemblymember Devon Mathis.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Campaign website", "answer_html": "<p>Coulombe’s campaign website stated the following:\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>Priorities</b><br/>\n<b>America needs new political leadership.</b>\n</p><p>Too many of our elected officials — including the one who has represented the north coast (CA-2) for a decade — <b>prioritize themselves, their party, and their special interests.</b> Constituents come last.\n</p><p><b>Their priorities are exactly backwards.</b>\n</p><p>That’s why so many people in our district are suffering, why families and businesses have been leaving for years, and why the middle class has been hollowed out.\n</p><p>Our politicians, California’s in particular, have insulated themselves from the consequences of their policies. While our cities are in a crisis of homelessness, drug abuse, and criminality, <b>the politicians who helped create this chaos live comfortably on our tax dollars.</b>\n</p><p>Party politics and career politicians are standing in the way of educational, economic, and environmental progress.\n</p><p><b>We should be living in a new golden age for California and America.</b>\n</p><p>It is time to vote out the political class, and choose new leaders who will serve the people.\n</p><p><b>It is time to choose a better future.</b>\n</p><p><b>Economy</b><br/>\nTotal economic growth is the foundation on which all progress depends.\n</p><p>Career politicians forgot that long ago, and now our economy is stagnant.\n</p><p>It took a pandemic and lockdown to reveal just how badly our leaders have hollowed out the productive sectors of the U.S. economy.\n</p><p>They exported our manufacturing base to China, endangering both our supply chain and national security.\n</p><p>They weaken the dollar and threaten its global reserve currency status, which helps keep the dollar’s value much higher than it otherwise would be. If our leaders continue along this path, China may overtake us as the world’s economic superpower before 2030. \n</p><p>Hardest to ignore, prices of basic goods haven’t been this high in 40 years. Official government statistics paper over the true level of inflation, but any American who shops for themselves has noticed and felt the rise in prices.\n</p><p>Amazingly, in spite of politicians’ best efforts, the United States economy remains a symbol of opportunity and the single greatest wealth-generating machine the world has ever seen.\n</p><p>But how long will this last when America’s politicians do not prioritize the daily economic realities of most Americans?\n</p><p>America has the resources to build the greatest educational system in the world.\n</p><p>America has the technology to fuel our daily lives with renewable energy.\n</p><p>America’s middle class could be living through a new golden age.\n</p><p>Immediately upon entering Congress, I will introduce two bills aimed at stimulating the economy not by enriching the government but by reducing its burden on Americans: \n</p><p><b>The Veterans Economic Freedom Act</b> will exempt all active duty and honorably discharged Veterans from federal income tax for life, ensuring financial stability for them and their families. \n</p><p><b>The American Economic Freedom Act</b> will suspend the federal income tax on the first $182,000 of income for 5 years. This will allow millions of middle-class taxpayers to keep more of their money.\n</p><p><b>Education</b><br/>\nWhat is the purpose of education?\n</p><p>The answer is simple:\n</p><p>To give our children the tools they need to realize their full potential.\n</p><p>To enable students to compete in a hyper-competitive global marketplace.\n</p><p>To prepare America to remain the sole global superpower.\n</p><p>But our public schools are not setting up our children for success. By every metric, California’s students are trailing America’s, not to mention China’s.\n</p><p>This doesn’t seem to bother our politicians, for some reason.\n</p><p>Evidently, they do not prioritize the success of our schools or students.\n</p><p>I will fight to make sure that parents have the educational options they need to ensure a better future for their children.\n</p><p>And I will work to provide our public schools with all the resources they need to give students the education they deserve.\n</p><p><b>Environment</b><br/>\nWhat have our politicians done to help the environment they talk so much about? \n</p><p>They attend summits in Europe, stage photo-ops in front of burned-out forests or cities, and tell us how much they care. Caring is not enough.\n</p><p>While our energy costs rise, our politicians push away the companies that do the most to bring us alternative forms of energy.\n</p><p>And they do little to advance the very technologies that could one day replace our dependence on fossil fuels.\n</p><p>Yet, every year they say we are one year closer to causing irreversible damage to the planet and our future. So why are they not acting?\n</p><p>We have more than enough technology and resources to fuel our economy with clean, cheap energy.\n</p><p>We could be energy independent — no more oil or natural gas imports from the Middle East or Russia.\n</p><p>We could power our cars, homes, and buildings with renewable energy that does not damage our water or air.\n</p><p>We have everything we need.\n</p><p>The only thing missing is leadership — we need doers, not talkers.<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_4-0\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-4\">[4]</a></sup>\n</p>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"cquotecite\" colspan=\"3\" style=\"border: none; padding-right: 4%\"><cite style=\"font-style: normal;font-size: smaller; float: right;\">—Chris Coulombe’s campaign website (2024)<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-5\"><a href=\"#cite_note-5\">[5]</a></sup></cite>\n</td></tr></tbody></table>\n</div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Chris Coulombe completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coulombe's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tBorn and raised in Sonoma County, Chris Coulombe enlisted in the military at 18 as a private, and returned home 16-years later as a captain. Chris led the Army’s Pacific Pathfinder platoon, which specializes in reconnaissance and recovery of sensitive information in enemy territory.\r\n<p>He ran the Army’s Pacific Theater Air Assault School, facilitating the training of thousands of Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of U.S. and partner military forces, qualifying them in helicopter rappelling and assault operations. In his final assignment Chris represented the Army to dignitaries and senior security officials from almost every country in the Indo-Asia Pacific, focusing on multilateral solutions to regional and global security challenges. When Chris returned home to Sonoma County, he built a statewide logistics and distribution company serving the cannabis industry; co-founded a trade association that helped pass legislation critical to small businesses; and worked with the current and previous administrations in Sacramento on taxation, regulations, and rights of California’s small businesses.\r\n</p>\nIn 2018 the North Bay Business Journal recognized Chris in its Forty Under 40 issue; his company won the Small Transportation Business of the Year Award from the American Business Association, and a Zennie Award for HR Excellence. The following year Chris won The Irish Echo’s national Forty Under 40 award. As an Eagle Scout, Chris served as the regional scouting Council President.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Partisan Politics is tearing this country apart. It has destroyed our environment, economy, and children's education. We need reasonable, objective, solution based leaders in Congress who vote in the best interests of the people; not elected followers who vote the party line or for special interests.</li><li>Economy - Americans must be able to afford to be American. I will work to suspend the federal income tax on the first $170,000 of income for 5-years, helping Americans keep up to $35,000 more a year of their own money. This will reinvigorate our local economies and small businesses and decrease the rate of Americans entering unhoused conditions all without government programs or debt. While our career politicians and political parties play political games, China is focused and will be the largest economy in the world in 2028; we must reimagine and re-invigorate America's economy to compete.</li><li>Education - Our children are the future of this nation, they are the ones that will keep America competitive on a global scale when we are gone. At present we are failing to give them the skills and resources necessary for them to succeed. We must realign the stakeholders to ensure the next generation is getting well-rounded and relevant experience and education . That includes bringing parents and business to the table, ensuring the best interests of the children and the country is represented.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading1-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI spent my life focused on national and international policy , specifically around strategic security - dealing with challenges around resource (water/food) security, geopolitical instability, and global economics. These are the issues that a country must never lose sight of and that our national leaders must understand deeply or we will be out maneuvered on a global scale - as we are seeing with China now. <br/><br/>\n<p>We are also watching the continued degradation of our environment. We need new leaders that are going to take up a more aggressive stance on addressing the challenges that threaten our earth and subsequently the well being of the next generation. We can all agree we are not meeting the challenge and that the time for half measures has passed. Members of Congress have talked and talked and we have waited and waited, in return we have the worst drought in 1200-years and historic fire seasons year after year. The time has come to stand.<br/><br/>\r\nAs a small business owner and co-founder of a trade group I understand the struggles of small businesses first hand. I have worked with legislators and regulators to remove or reduce the friction created by government and help businesses survive. After the global lockdown our small businesses need all the help they can get before they are unable to compete and exist. This is a grave risk to our economy and must be addressed quickly.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nSpace is the future, we must prepare America's economy for the 22nd Century and we must do that now.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading2-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tVery hard to answer this, there are many that I look up to for various aspects of my life. Most important is my grandmother, she was the matriarch of the family - she showed our family the power of love and kindness through her example. We could never tell as children but she came from a very hard childhood in the 1930's, despite that she brought all of us together at every opportunity to spend time with family. Through the mystical ways grandparents have she taught me stop and savor life, to embrace the things I love - and to protect them fiercely. She also showed us that time is not free.<br/><br/><br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading3-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Rights of Man by Thomas Paine.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading4-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHonor, courage, and commitment. They are the character values encouraged by the Marine Corps but perfect sum up the values we need to get this republic back on track.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading5-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat legacy would you like to leave?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tLeaving this place better than I found it.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading6-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThere were two: As a child, I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I was 9 at the time.<br/><br/>\r\nAs an adult, it was 9/11. I was serving on my first deployment in the Persian Gulf searching vessels going into and coming out of Iraq (UN Sanction 986). We were on a foreign vessel at the time the planes hit the towers, my team watched it on TV at the same time as the ship's crew. Needless to say, it was a pivotal experience in my military career.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading7-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was your very first job? How long did you have it?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAs a teenager, I worked as both a dishwasher in a deli and washed buses for a year or so each. You learn teamwork quickly when you have a 50+ buses to wash and vacuum a day.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading8-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was the last song that got stuck in your head?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tBanks by NEEDTOBREATHE\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading9-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNot always. Sometimes it can be good but often it brings corruption and allows less than capable individuals to advance to a higher office just because of the special interests they are supported by. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading10-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tIn 2028 China will be the largest economy in the world. This means that the US will not drive the economic agenda in the international community for the first time in over a century. I do not believe our current career politicians understand the magnitude of this paradigm shift. If the global economy places China at the center of international trade they have a great deal of power and leverage over the value of the US Dollar (USD) and that is a dangerous proposition for the average American, living paycheck to paycheck or on a fixed income.<br/><br/>\n<p>Just as we are seeing the initial impacts of loose monetary policy skyrocketing inflation and causing the cost of living to increase month over month, the replacement of the USD as the global trade currency by the Chinese Yuan will and the global petrodollar will plummet demand and therefore value of the USD precipitously.<br/><br/>\r\nWe must resuscitate our small businesses and lead a focused evolution of our economy, pivoting toward protecting our remaining environment and building a space economy aimed at preparing America for the 22nd Century. That is where the winners and losers of the future will be decided. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nAmericans are ready to build, we are just looking for leaders with vision that will use our talents to bring benefit and advancement to all of humanity. Allowing us to hand the next generation something we can be proud of.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading11-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes, it keep reps close to the people they need to win the vote. Depending on their character that is their constituents or their donors.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading12-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse12-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading12-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse12-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI agree. Something close to 16-years is appropriate.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-119907-2022-04-19\" id=\"heading13-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse13-119907-2022-04-19\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading13-119907-2022-04-19\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse13-119907-2022-04-19\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAbsolutely, but compromise in the name of good policy that is in the best interests of the people.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "Coulombe’s campaign website stated the following:\n“ Priorities America needs new political leadership. Too many of our elected officials — including the one who has represented the north coast (CA-2) for a decade — prioritize themselves, their party, and their special interests. Constituents come last. Their priorities are exactly backwards. That’s why so many people in our district are suffering, why families and businesses have been leaving for years, and why the middle class has been hollowed out. Our politicians, California’s in particular, have insulated themselves from the consequences of their policies. While our cities are in a crisis of homelessness, drug abuse, and criminality, the politicians who helped create this chaos live comfortably on our tax dollars. Party politics and career politicians are standing in the way of educational, economic, and environmental progress. We should be living in a new golden age for California and America. It is time to vote out the political class, and choose new leaders who will serve the people. It is time to choose a better future. Economy Total economic growth is the foundation on which all progress depends. Career politicians forgot that long ago, and now our economy is stagnant. It took a pandemic and lockdown to reveal just how badly our leaders have hollowed out the productive sectors of the U.S. economy. They exported our manufacturing base to China, endangering both our supply chain and national security. They weaken the dollar and threaten its global reserve currency status, which helps keep the dollar’s value much higher than it otherwise would be. If our leaders continue along this path, China may overtake us as the world’s economic superpower before 2030. Hardest to ignore, prices of basic goods haven’t been this high in 40 years. Official government statistics paper over the true level of inflation, but any American who shops for themselves has noticed and felt the rise in prices. Amazingly, in spite of politicians’ best efforts, the United States economy remains a symbol of opportunity and the single greatest wealth-generating machine the world has ever seen. But how long will this last when America’s politicians do not prioritize the daily economic realities of most Americans? America has the resources to build the greatest educational system in the world. America has the technology to fuel our daily lives with renewable energy. America’s middle class could be living through a new golden age. Immediately upon entering Congress, I will introduce two bills aimed at stimulating the economy not by enriching the government but by reducing its burden on Americans: The Veterans Economic Freedom Act will exempt all active duty and honorably discharged Veterans from federal income tax for life, ensuring financial stability for them and their families. The American Economic Freedom Act will suspend the federal income tax on the first $182,000 of income for 5 years. This will allow millions of middle-class taxpayers to keep more of their money. Education What is the purpose of education? The answer is simple: To give our children the tools they need to realize their full potential. To enable students to compete in a hyper-competitive global marketplace. To prepare America to remain the sole global superpower. But our public schools are not setting up our children for success. By every metric, California’s students are trailing America’s, not to mention China’s. This doesn’t seem to bother our politicians, for some reason. Evidently, they do not prioritize the success of our schools or students. I will fight to make sure that parents have the educational options they need to ensure a better future for their children. And I will work to provide our public schools with all the resources they need to give students the education they deserve. Environment What have our politicians done to help the environment they talk so much about? They attend summits in Europe, stage photo-ops in front of burned-out forests or cities, and tell us how much they care. Caring is not enough. While our energy costs rise, our politicians push away the companies that do the most to bring us alternative forms of energy. And they do little to advance the very technologies that could one day replace our dependence on fossil fuels. Yet, every year they say we are one year closer to causing irreversible damage to the planet and our future. So why are they not acting? We have more than enough technology and resources to fuel our economy with clean, cheap energy. We could be energy independent — no more oil or natural gas imports from the Middle East or Russia. We could power our cars, homes, and buildings with renewable energy that does not damage our water or air. We have everything we need. The only thing missing is leadership — we need doers, not talkers. [4] ” —Chris Coulombe’s campaign website (2024) [5]\n\n\nChris Coulombe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coulombe's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Born and raised in Sonoma County, Chris Coulombe enlisted in the military at 18 as a private, and returned home 16-years later as a captain. Chris led the Army’s Pacific Pathfinder platoon, which specializes in reconnaissance and recovery of sensitive information in enemy territory. He ran the Army’s Pacific Theater Air Assault School, facilitating the training of thousands of Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of U.S. and partner military forces, qualifying them in helicopter rappelling and assault operations. In his final assignment Chris represented the Army to dignitaries and senior security officials from almost every country in the Indo-Asia Pacific, focusing on multilateral solutions to regional and global security challenges. When Chris returned home to Sonoma County, he built a statewide logistics and distribution company serving the cannabis industry; co-founded a trade association that helped pass legislation critical to small businesses; and worked with the current and previous administrations in Sacramento on taxation, regulations, and rights of California’s small businesses. In 2018 the North Bay Business Journal recognized Chris in its Forty Under 40 issue; his company won the Small Transportation Business of the Year Award from the American Business Association, and a Zennie Award for HR Excellence. The following year Chris won The Irish Echo’s national Forty Under 40 award. As an Eagle Scout, Chris served as the regional scouting Council President. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Partisan Politics is tearing this country apart. It has destroyed our environment, economy, and children's education. We need reasonable, objective, solution based leaders in Congress who vote in the best interests of the people; not elected followers who vote the party line or for special interests. Economy - Americans must be able to afford to be American. I will work to suspend the federal income tax on the first $170,000 of income for 5-years, helping Americans keep up to $35,000 more a year of their own money. This will reinvigorate our local economies and small businesses and decrease the rate of Americans entering unhoused conditions all without government programs or debt. While our career politicians and political parties play political games, China is focused and will be the largest economy in the world in 2028; we must reimagine and re-invigorate America's economy to compete. Education - Our children are the future of this nation, they are the ones that will keep America competitive on a global scale when we are gone. At present we are failing to give them the skills and resources necessary for them to succeed. We must realign the stakeholders to ensure the next generation is getting well-rounded and relevant experience and education . That includes bringing parents and business to the table, ensuring the best interests of the children and the country is represented. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I spent my life focused on national and international policy , specifically around strategic security - dealing with challenges around resource (water/food) security, geopolitical instability, and global economics. These are the issues that a country must never lose sight of and that our national leaders must understand deeply or we will be out maneuvered on a global scale - as we are seeing with China now. We are also watching the continued degradation of our environment. We need new leaders that are going to take up a more aggressive stance on addressing the challenges that threaten our earth and subsequently the well being of the next generation. We can all agree we are not meeting the challenge and that the time for half measures has passed. Members of Congress have talked and talked and we have waited and waited, in return we have the worst drought in 1200-years and historic fire seasons year after year. The time has come to stand. As a small business owner and co-founder of a trade group I understand the struggles of small businesses first hand. I have worked with legislators and regulators to remove or reduce the friction created by government and help businesses survive. After the global lockdown our small businesses need all the help they can get before they are unable to compete and exist. This is a grave risk to our economy and must be addressed quickly. Space is the future, we must prepare America's economy for the 22nd Century and we must do that now. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? Very hard to answer this, there are many that I look up to for various aspects of my life. Most important is my grandmother, she was the matriarch of the family - she showed our family the power of love and kindness through her example. We could never tell as children but she came from a very hard childhood in the 1930's, despite that she brought all of us together at every opportunity to spend time with family. Through the mystical ways grandparents have she taught me stop and savor life, to embrace the things I love - and to protect them fiercely. She also showed us that time is not free. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine. What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Honor, courage, and commitment. They are the character values encouraged by the Marine Corps but perfect sum up the values we need to get this republic back on track. What legacy would you like to leave? Leaving this place better than I found it. What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? There were two: As a child, I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I was 9 at the time. As an adult, it was 9/11. I was serving on my first deployment in the Persian Gulf searching vessels going into and coming out of Iraq (UN Sanction 986). We were on a foreign vessel at the time the planes hit the towers, my team watched it on TV at the same time as the ship's crew. Needless to say, it was a pivotal experience in my military career. What was your very first job? How long did you have it? As a teenager, I worked as both a dishwasher in a deli and washed buses for a year or so each. You learn teamwork quickly when you have a 50+ buses to wash and vacuum a day. What was the last song that got stuck in your head? Banks by NEEDTOBREATHE Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? Not always. Sometimes it can be good but often it brings corruption and allows less than capable individuals to advance to a higher office just because of the special interests they are supported by. What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? In 2028 China will be the largest economy in the world. This means that the US will not drive the economic agenda in the international community for the first time in over a century. I do not believe our current career politicians understand the magnitude of this paradigm shift. If the global economy places China at the center of international trade they have a great deal of power and leverage over the value of the US Dollar (USD) and that is a dangerous proposition for the average American, living paycheck to paycheck or on a fixed income. Just as we are seeing the initial impacts of loose monetary policy skyrocketing inflation and causing the cost of living to increase month over month, the replacement of the USD as the global trade currency by the Chinese Yuan will and the global petrodollar will plummet demand and therefore value of the USD precipitously. We must resuscitate our small businesses and lead a focused evolution of our economy, pivoting toward protecting our remaining environment and building a space economy aimed at preparing America for the 22nd Century. That is where the winners and losers of the future will be decided. Americans are ready to build, we are just looking for leaders with vision that will use our talents to bring benefit and advancement to all of humanity. Allowing us to hand the next generation something we can be proud of. Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives? Yes, it keep reps close to the people they need to win the vote. Depending on their character that is their constituents or their donors. What are your thoughts on term limits? I agree. Something close to 16-years is appropriate. Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? Absolutely, but compromise in the name of good policy that is in the best interests of the people.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Campaign website", "answer_html": "<p>Coulombe's campaign website stated the following:\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>Economy</b>\n</p><p>Total economic growth is the foundation on which all progress depends.\n</p><p>Career politicians forgot that long ago, and now we careen towards continued economic decline.\n</p><p>It took a pandemic and lockdown to reveal just how badly our leaders have damaged the foundation of the U.S. economy.\n</p><p>They exported our manufacturing base to China, endangering both our supply chain and national security.\n</p><p>They weaken the dollar and threaten its place as the global trade currency. If our leaders continue along this path, experts predict the US will lose its place to China before the decade ends. Accordingly, the dollar will lose its place as the global trade currency and the low-interest rates that go along with it.\n</p><p>And finally, but hardest to ignore, prices of basic goods haven’t been this high in 40 years and America lost over 100,000 businesses in the last two years.\n</p><p>And yet, in spite of our politicians’ best efforts, the United States economy remains a symbol of opportunity, and the single greatest wealth-generating machine the world has ever seen.\n</p><p>But how long can this last when America’s politicians do not prioritize Americans, small businesses, or the economy?\n</p><p>Thanks to our wealth and innovation, we have the resources to build the greatest educational system in the world.\n</p><p>Thanks to our wealth and innovation, we have the technology to fuel our daily lives with renewable energy.\n</p><p>Before we can make progress on anything else, our leaders must prioritize the economy.\n</p><p>Do not kill the goose that lays the golden egg.\n</p><p><br/>\n<b>Education</b>\n</p><p>What is the purpose of education?\n</p><p>The answer is simple:\n</p><p>To give our children the tools they need to realize their full potential.\n</p><p>To enable students to compete in a hyper-competitive global marketplace.\n</p><p>To prepare America to remain the sole global superpower.\n</p><p>But our public schools are not setting up our children for success. By every metric, California’s students are trailing America’s, not to mention China’s.\n</p><p>This doesn’t seem to bother our politicians, for some reason.\n</p><p>Evidently, they do not prioritize the success of our schools or students.\n</p><p>I will fight to make sure that parents have the educational options they need to ensure a better future for their children.\n</p><p>And I will work to provide our public schools with all the resources they need to give students the education they deserve.\n</p><p><br/>\n<b>Environment</b>\n</p><p>Our politicians talk a big game on the environment, but what have they done?\n</p><p>They attend summits in Europe, stage photo-ops in front of burned-out forests, and tell us how much they care. These are wonderful exercises in demonstrating how much they care, but caring is not enough.\n</p><p>While our energy costs rise, our politicians push away the companies that do the most to bring us alternative forms of energy.\n</p><p>And they do little to advance the very technologies that could one day replace our dependence on fossil fuels.\n</p><p>Yet, every year they say we are one year closer to causing irreversible damage to the planet and our future. So why are they not acting?\n</p><p>We have more than enough technology and resources to fuel our economy with clean, cheap energy.\n</p><p>We could be energy independent — no more oil or natural gas imports from the Middle East or Russia.\n</p><p>We could power our cars, homes, and buildings with renewable energy that does not damage our water or air.\n</p><p>We have everything we need.\n</p><p>The only thing missing is leadership — we need doers, not talkers.<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_4-1\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-4\">[4]</a></sup>\n</p>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"cquotecite\" colspan=\"3\" style=\"border: none; padding-right: 4%\"><cite style=\"font-style: normal;font-size: smaller; float: right;\">—Chris Coulombe's campaign website (2022)<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-6\"><a href=\"#cite_note-6\">[6]</a></sup></cite>\n</td></tr></tbody></table>\n</div>", "answer_text": "Coulombe's campaign website stated the following:\n“ Economy Total economic growth is the foundation on which all progress depends. Career politicians forgot that long ago, and now we careen towards continued economic decline. It took a pandemic and lockdown to reveal just how badly our leaders have damaged the foundation of the U.S. economy. They exported our manufacturing base to China, endangering both our supply chain and national security. They weaken the dollar and threaten its place as the global trade currency. If our leaders continue along this path, experts predict the US will lose its place to China before the decade ends. Accordingly, the dollar will lose its place as the global trade currency and the low-interest rates that go along with it. And finally, but hardest to ignore, prices of basic goods haven’t been this high in 40 years and America lost over 100,000 businesses in the last two years. And yet, in spite of our politicians’ best efforts, the United States economy remains a symbol of opportunity, and the single greatest wealth-generating machine the world has ever seen. But how long can this last when America’s politicians do not prioritize Americans, small businesses, or the economy? Thanks to our wealth and innovation, we have the resources to build the greatest educational system in the world. Thanks to our wealth and innovation, we have the technology to fuel our daily lives with renewable energy. Before we can make progress on anything else, our leaders must prioritize the economy. Do not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Education What is the purpose of education? The answer is simple: To give our children the tools they need to realize their full potential. To enable students to compete in a hyper-competitive global marketplace. To prepare America to remain the sole global superpower. But our public schools are not setting up our children for success. By every metric, California’s students are trailing America’s, not to mention China’s. This doesn’t seem to bother our politicians, for some reason. Evidently, they do not prioritize the success of our schools or students. I will fight to make sure that parents have the educational options they need to ensure a better future for their children. And I will work to provide our public schools with all the resources they need to give students the education they deserve. Environment Our politicians talk a big game on the environment, but what have they done? They attend summits in Europe, stage photo-ops in front of burned-out forests, and tell us how much they care. These are wonderful exercises in demonstrating how much they care, but caring is not enough. While our energy costs rise, our politicians push away the companies that do the most to bring us alternative forms of energy. And they do little to advance the very technologies that could one day replace our dependence on fossil fuels. Yet, every year they say we are one year closer to causing irreversible damage to the planet and our future. So why are they not acting? We have more than enough technology and resources to fuel our economy with clean, cheap energy. We could be energy independent — no more oil or natural gas imports from the Middle East or Russia. We could power our cars, homes, and buildings with renewable energy that does not damage our water or air. We have everything we need. The only thing missing is leadership — we need doers, not talkers. [4] ” —Chris Coulombe's campaign website (2022) [6]"}]