Immigration

Nugent says his experience in Hernando County, Florida law enforcement will help secure national borders and fight illegal immigration.

Regarding the immigration laws in Arizona, Nugent said that "Arizona did exactly what they thought was necessary to protect Arizona....because the federal government abdicated their responsibility to do what they're supposed to do." He blames the Arizona law on the federal government's lack of enforcement of current laws.

Health Care

Nugent opposes the Obama administration's health-care reform bill, calling it "unconstitutional," and saying it will add "hundreds of billions of dollars" to the national deficit. He has vowed to help repeal the legislation and supports the Florida attorney general's lawsuit against the federal government.

He also opposes cuts to Medicare.

Federal Spending and Stimulus

Nugent has called on the federal government to freeze spending at pre-recession rates, "before all of the bailouts and stimulus projects were funded."

However, on Nugent's watch, the Hernando County sheriff's department accepted and spent roughly $268,000 of federal stimulus money on computers, software, and other technology. Nugent has claimed that he didn't know at the time that the agency was accepting federal funds.

He has also said, "I know that [voters] want the out of control spending stopped. They don't understand why Congress can't just stop spending money we don't have."

Taxes

Nugent wants to lower taxes and "reestablish" the Bush administration's tax cuts "across the board."

Energy

Nugent supports domestic drilling for oil and natural gas, including in the Gulf of Mexico, and believes better technology is necessary. When asked about whether he supports the previous restrictions on Gulf water drilling, he said, "Regulations are already in place that do that. I don't think you need to create another bureaucracy because every time we do that, it just adds hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of doing business."

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