Gary G. Howell

Strongly Agree

Taxpayers should not be required to fund organizations that provide abortions. Public funds should instead support health care and services that protect both mothers and unborn children.

None

Strongly Agree

At conception, a new human organism comes into existence with a unique genetic identity distinct from both mother and father. That human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Allegany County, MD and Mineral County, WV share one economy. Despite Maryland’s higher minimum wage, Mineral County has higher median income, lower unemployment and greater workforce participation. Markets work better than mandates.

Strongly Agree

Free enterprise and private property rights are fundamental to both economic prosperity and individual liberty. People should have the freedom to own property, build businesses, invest, innovate, and benefit from their own hard work with limited government interference.

Outcome driven regulations. Set the safety or environmental standard, but allow businesses to determine the most effective and efficient way to meet it. Accountability for spending. Require measurable results from state programs and contractors and eliminate spending that fails to deliver value. Stop improper payments. Strengthen verification and auditing to prevent fraud and improper payments before taxpayer dollars are spent.

The First Amendment prohibits government from establishing a religion while protecting every American’s right to freely exercise their faith. Separation of church and state should never mean separation of faith from public life. Government should neither impose religion nor discriminate against people because their faith influences how they live, speak, vote, or serve.

Strongly Disagree

Government should not force individuals or businesses to violate sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. Americans do not surrender their First Amendment rights when they enter the workplace or operate a business. Religious liberty requires reasonable protections for conscience while respecting the rights of others.

C, Medicare and Medicaid should continue serving the populations they were created to protect. Beyond those programs, we should rely primarily on private insurance, competition, transparency, and market based reforms to lower costs and expand access, rather than creating a new government run health care system.

Strongly Disagree

The Fourth Amendment protects Americans against unreasonable government intrusion into their private lives. Government should not maintain databases identifying citizens by their medical conditions. Legitimate research can be conducted using anonymized, aggregated data without sacrificing individual privacy.

Strongly Agree

The Chinese Communist Party poses a serious threat to American security, prosperity, and freedom. The CCP should never be confused with the Chinese people or their history. I believe the free and democratic Republic of China on Taiwan, not the communist regime in Beijing, represents the values of the true China. The United States must stand firmly against CCP aggression and coercion.

Yes. Israel is a vital strategic partner of the United States and a democratic nation in a region dominated by authoritarian governments. Israeli Arabs are citizens with voting rights and representation in Israel’s parliament and institutions. Our nations share important security, economic, and democratic interests, making a strong U.S. Israel relationship important to both countries.

Strongly Disagree

Local governments should not obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration law. Sanctuary policies undermine the rule of law and can prevent necessary cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement. Immigration laws should be enforced consistently while respecting constitutional rights and due process.

Strongly Agree

Education decisions should be made as close to students and parents as possible. States and local communities understand their schools better than Washington bureaucrats. I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, returning authority to the states, and ensuring that existing federal education funding follows students without unnecessary federal mandates.

Strongly Agree

Foreign governments should not be permitted to buy influence over American education, research, or curriculum. Foreign government funding creates serious concerns about transparency, academic independence, intellectual property, and national security. Legitimate international academic cooperation should remain possible, but foreign government influence must be prohibited.

Strongly Agree

Parents have the fundamental right and responsibility to direct their children's education and well-being. I strongly support West Virginia's Hope Scholarship Program, which empowers parents to choose the educational setting that best meets the individual needs of their children.

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Neutral

I do not believe government should encourage gambling, but neither do I believe it is government's role to protect competent adults from every poor decision they may make with their own money. Adults should generally be free to make their own choices and accept responsibility for the consequences.

I am a Christian and have been a member of the United Methodist Church. I am currently looking for a Global Methodist congregation because of the direction the United Methodist Church has taken on matters of faith and doctrine. My Christian faith shapes my belief in the value of every human life, personal responsibility, service to others, and treating people with dignity and respect. Like all Christians, I know I can always work harder to live my faith and become a better Christian.

Strongly Disagree

West Virginia already provides voters the option of receiving a photo voter registration card. I have one myself. I believe we should provide these cards to registered voters and require photo identification when voting. This protects election integrity while ensuring every eligible voter has access to acceptable identification.

Strongly Disagree

I strongly oppose imposing liability or granting government benefits based on race. No American living today legally owned slaves, and no American living today was legally enslaved in the United States. Government should treat people as individuals under the law, not assign guilt or compensation based on the race or ancestry of people generations ago.

Strongly Agree

I strongly agree and have backed that position with my vote. I voted for West Virginia’s Riley Gaines Act to protect women’s sports and sex separated spaces. Women and girls deserve fairness in athletic competition and privacy and safety in spaces designated for them.

Strongly Disagree

Human activity can affect the climate, but I do not believe it constitutes the drastic global threat portrayed by this statement or justifies emergency government intervention. Environmental policy should be based on sound science, measurable results, and a realistic balance between environmental protection, economic prosperity, and affordable, reliable energy.

I support an all of the above energy strategy. Natural gas, coal, nuclear, and hydro should provide reliable dispatchable power, supplemented by other sources where economical. Reliability, affordability, and energy security must come first.

Very Conservative

I consider myself very conservative. I believe in limited government, individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, the sanctity of human life, parental rights, religious liberty, secure elections and borders, and a strong national defense. Government should protect our constitutional rights, provide essential services, and then allow individuals, families, communities, and businesses the freedom to succeed.

No

No

The primary goal of the criminal justice system should be protecting the public and ensuring justice. Those who commit crimes must be held accountable, with punishment proportionate to the offense and restitution to victims where possible. Rehabilitation should be encouraged so those who have served their sentences can become productive, law abiding citizens and are less likely to commit another crime.

Strongly Agree

Protecting children from sexual exploitation is a fundamental responsibility of government and law enforcement, including when predators use online platforms and technology to target them.

Strongly Agree

Sharia law is incompatible with our U.S. and state constitutions and therefore has no place in our legal framework. The Constitution and laws enacted under it must remain supreme. Every American is free to practice his or her religion, but no religious legal system should supersede our constitutional rights and laws.

“Shall not be infringed.” The Second Amendment protects the individual right to keep and bear arms. Law abiding citizens should not face additional restrictions for exercising that right. Public safety efforts should focus on violent criminals, those legally adjudicated as dangerous, and severe penalties for crimes committed with firearms.