Eric Yonce Questions & Answers
Q: What is your stance on ICE? Abolish or reform?
A: We need immigration control. We need an immigration system. We do not need a "law enforcement" agency using excessive force, intimidation, racial profiling to patrol through our communities creating fear and chaos. The agency acts under the direction of the President. What we are seeing now, is a directive to not go after criminals, but to profile anyone that is not white or that may have an accent. This current program needs to be abolished. We are a nation of laws, laws for individuals as well as laws for our government and their agencies. We truly need a full reform of our immigration system. One that is fair, that treats people humanly. The crazy budget that ICE now has, somewhere around $85 million and rising, could be used in more effective ways.
Q: What is your plan to reach moderate and Republican voters in the district to ensure we can flip that seat?
A: It's simple, talk to them. Hear them out. Yes, easier said than done. One of the biggest problems that we have right now is that we talk past each other instead of with one another. I find that when I can have a longer conversation with someone, especially on the right side of the aisle, we can come to the same place. We may not necessarily agree how to get there, but a majority of the time we want the same outcomes. We have to take emotion out of things, get past the news narrative that is being taken in and speak about real issues that are impacting everyone.
Q: What is the first piece of legislation you would introduce?
A:First, there are a lot of bills out there that I would put my name behind. That said, the first piece of legislation that I will introduce will be the Human Sovereignty Act. Still working through the details, but the idea is that every individual possesses inherent sovereignty over their own body, personal relationships, and conscience. No federal or state government may infringe on those rights. It's time to truly codify those rights.
Medical autonomy
Reproductive autonomy
Relationship and Family autonomy
Freedom of thought and expression
Q: In light of the Randy Fine video circulating, what advice can you give voters to ensure their votes count?
A:It’s a dated video, but it shows you exactly what he thinks of the legislative process. He thinks it’s a joke. Shows that he does not care what anyone else thinks about something. My best advice right now is to stay up to date with your voter registration. Play close attention to what happens with the SAVE act and what the President does, as he has already stated that he does not care what Congress says, there will be voter ID this election. The hope is Congress grows a backbone and asserts their power. For us, we must stay diligent and make sure we help others to keep their voter information up to date.
Q: What advice would you give to those who are leaving MAGA in light of the Epstein Files?
A: Advice… just read things for yourself. Take the President out of the equation, the fact that no one is being investigated, held accountable, names are still redacted for things that shouldn’t be. If that does not infuriate you, I don’t know what does. It’s ok to break away, the way I look at it… we can disagree on policy all day, but we cannot disagree on how people should be treated. We should not disagree that anyone who participated in sexual abuse of a child should be held accountable.
Q: Where do you stand on AIPAC and Israel?
A: AIPAC should be register as a foreign agent. They should not have any place in our elections. I will not accept AIPAC money. I will not accept any foreign or corporate money. As for Isreal. The government of Iseral committed war crimes. They should be investigated and held accountable under international law. This also goes for our own government, as we enabled the actions.
Q: What is your plan for addressing gun violence in Florida?
A: Gun violence in Florida is on the rise. An outside observer can easily see the correlation in open carry and this increase in gun violence. In Ocala alone, it's almost every week a new shooting happens. I'm a firm believer in the 2nd amendment. I do not want to take guns away. What scares me most is the lack of knowledge and training. A part of my previous life in retail, I sold firearms. What scared me the most was selling a firearm to someone, and they had no idea on how to handle it, much less load and use it. I did not have the ability to stop the sale due to that. We require a training program and test for the ability to drive; we don't for the ability to own a firearm.