Pat Stefano

Republican | Pennsylvania

Candidate Profile*

Conservative

*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Pat Stefano


Party

Republican


Election Year

2022


Election

General


Race

State Senate, Dist. 32


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Pat Stefano websites
FacebookXYouTubeLinkedIn

EDUCATION

Penn State, Lemont Furnacwe, Assoc, 1989

WORK & MILITARY

(Candidate did not provide)

AFFILIATIONS

American Heart Association, Past President, Junior Achievement of SW PA

Board VP, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Past President

Bullskin Twp/Connellsville Twp Joint Sewer Authority, Past Chairman, Fayette County Community Action

Board Member, FayPenn Economic Development Council, Board Member

St Rita Church, Lector, St. John Church

Lector, East End United Community Center, Board Member

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

Senator PA 32nd, 8

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

(Candidate did not provide)

Race

Previous Races

ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (3)

*National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF

*PA Chamber of Business and Industry

*National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Pennsylvania

LIBERAL (1)

*Laborers' District Council of Western Pennsylvania

OTHER (1)

*Humane PA

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (10)

Bill Shuster (2016)

Devlin Robinson (2020)

Guy Reschenthaler (2015)

John Rafferty, Jr. (2016)

Justin Walsh (2016)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (24)

Adam Harris (2020)

Build PA PAC (2018)

David Argall (2020)

Dominic Pileggi (2014)

Donald White (2014)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (7)

Independent State Store Union (2020)

International Association of Firefighters (includes national, state & local affiliates) (2022)

International Union of Operating Engineers (2019)

Laborers International Union of North America (includes national, state & local affiliates) (2020)

Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (2022)

OTHER INFORMATION

See Ballotpedia for Sen. Pat Stefano Campaign Themes
See VoteSmart's list of Sen. Pat Stefano's Key Votes

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

Health of the mother, rape, incest or other violent crimes.

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).

Strongly Agree

I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Disagree


ECONOMY

What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?

Tax code should be streamlined, simplified, and reduced if possible. Simple percentage flat tax preferred.

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?

Human Services as our safety nets are too strong, wherein we incentivize the wrong behavior. I believe in a hand up, not a hand out. Hard work should be rewarded and laziness penalized.

Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.

Disagree

Even with public education, anything that is labeled "free" has no value and goes unappreciated.


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.

Disagree

Under what circumstances can government close churches?

Never - but if they are masquerading as a church but actually are a violent group, then that needs to be exposed.


HEALTHCARE

What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.

Medicaid and Medicare need to be revamped, re-evaluated with stricter access. The most important issue is affordable healthcare plans for working Americans.

Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?

Never mandate - only educate. All vaccinations should be options with a strong educational component so people can make their personal decisions based on facts.


NATIONAL SECURITY

What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?

Maintain good intelligence operations to flush out any potential threats or learn of their existence before bad things happen.

I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.

Neutral


IMMIGRATION

The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.

Strongly Agree

Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?

Immigration is necessary for the US workforce, by measure with caps. All immigration must be through legal, verified channels.


EDUCATION

I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.

Agree

I always support and defend the constitution and it clearly states that education should be provided, so I support funding of our schools, but competition promotes excellence and parents need quality choices.


VALUES

Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.

Agree

I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.

Disagree

Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition

Neutral

How do you define marriage? Marriage by a church or church leader is God-ordained and sacred. Marriage at a governmental level is a civil contract. The two are separate and work needs done to define the two.

I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.

Disagree

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I believe and support Ben Franklin's quote: "Without our faith, we will never hire enough police." Our behaviors must be guided from within and faith provides the medium for us to do that and care more for our brothers and sisters.


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Strongly Disagree

What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?

Only the voter can request an application for absentee ballots. No third parties. Once paper ballots are scanned, a temporary receipt should be printed to verify the machine registered the votes on the paper ballot correctly.


EQUALITY

Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?

No it is not. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures. Understanding each other is what we need to be doing. We all tend to be comfortable with what we know best and its human nature to resist stepping outside our circles. Social media platforms profit most when we disagree and will promote and encourage that discourse.

Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.

Strongly Disagree

We cannot change the past, understand it so we can propose a better future.


ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.

We can protect the environment while at the same time growing our economy. Environmental organizations should be partners with business to promote a strong, prosperous, healthy community.

I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.

Strongly Agree

Until we can develop new technologies that are AFFORDABLE without governmental subsidies, then we should be using what is right under our feet.


ABOUT YOU

What do you think is the general purpose of government?

5 purposes: Safety (military & police), Education, A hand up, not a hand out, infrastructure (roads/utilities), Foreign relations

When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?

Conservative

Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).

Americans for Prosperity grading, NFIB awards, conservative organization reports

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.

No.

What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?

I come from a business background, our family printing company of 62 years. My goal is to make Pennsylvania move to the top of the good lists, not the bottom.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.

Agree

I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.

Strongly Disagree


2ND AMENDMENT

What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?

None - only education. Law abiding citizens follow the law. Criminals and perpetrators of violence do not.

Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.

Strongly Disagree

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