Bill Weld is a Republican candidate running for president in the upcoming 2020 election. He was previously a Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee in 2016, Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, Assistant Attorney General for US Criminal Division from 1986 to 1988 and the United States Attorney for Massachusetts from 1981 to 1986.
Weld is originally from Smithtown, NY. He attended Harvard and Oxford College. Weld married Susan Roosevelt Weld, a grand daughter of Theodore Roosevelt whom he had five children. The couple divorced in 2002, and he remarried to Leslie Marshall in 2003.
Some of his political success includes overseeing six upgrades for MA bond ratings. He also worked on the apprehension of Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega.
Weld’s plan for healthcare is to expand and boost funding for Medicaid.
On immigration, he strongly opposes Trump’s proposals of mass deportations, and he compared them to the practices of Nazi Germany. He instead wants broder access for visas and work permits.
Weld believes in climate change and that the U.S. must work in order to counter its effects. He supports the Paris Climate Accords and backed the idea of pricing carbon emissions to alleviate the threat of climate change.
He is pro-choice and supports legal access to abortion.
He is a supporter of LGBTQ rights and has worked to overturn California’s former law that outlawed same-sex marriage. He created the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and he supports letting transgender people use the bathroom of their choice.
On education, Weld supports abolishing the Department of Education to reduce the government’s overall size. He had also signed bills as a governor to increase school standards.
Weld broke with Republicans when he supported assault weapon bans and waiting periods for firearm purchases.