Ross Spano

Republican | Florida

Candidate Profile*

Verified Conservative

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

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Ross Spano


Party

Republican


Election Year

2020


Election

Primary


Race

U.S. Rep., Dist. 15


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Ross Spano websites FacebookXYouTube

EDUCATION

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, J.D., 1998

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, B.A., 1994

WORK & MILITARY

Spano & Woody, P.A., Owner and Attorney, 2014-2018

Christmas, Spano & Owen, P.A., Owner and Attorney, 2006-2014

Christmas & Associates, P.A., Associate Attorney and Partner, 2003-2006

Dickerson Law Firm, P.A., Associate Attorney, 2000-2003

AFFILIATIONS

Bell Shoals Baptist Church, Member

Florida Farm Bureau, Member, Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce

Past Board Member, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Member

Florida Bar Association, Member, Florida Baptist Children's Home

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

U.S. House of Representative, 2019-Current

State Representative, 2012-2018

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

(Candidate did not provide)

Race

Previous Races

SCORECARDS

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS

2019-20

100%


2017-18

A+


2019-20

100%


2020

A


2020

96%


2019-20

96%, 96% (cum.)†


2019

95%


2018

100%, 90% (cum.)†


2019

90%, 90% (cum.)†


2019

89%, 89% (cum.)†


2019

88%


2017-18

85%


2019

81% (cum.)†


2019

79%, 79% (cum.)†


2019-20

77%


2019

B


2019-20

73%, 70% (cum.)†


2019

67% (cum.)†



2019-20

|

100%




2019-20

|

96%, 96% (cum.)†


2019

|

95%


2018

|

100%, 90% (cum.)†


2019

|

90%, 90% (cum.)†


2019

|

89%, 89% (cum.)†




2019

|

81% (cum.)†


2019

|

79%, 79% (cum.)†




2019-20

|

73%, 70% (cum.)†


2019

|

67% (cum.)†



LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS

ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (9)

Club for Growth

Daniel Webster

Family Research Council Action PAC

Greg Steube

Huck PAC

OTHER (1)

Vern Buchanan

REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)

Senator Marco Rubio

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (House Minority Leader)

Rep. Steve Scalise (Minority Whip)

Rep. Liz Cheney (House Republican Conference Chair

Rep. Tom Emmer (NRCC Chairman)

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (10)

Club for Growth (2020)

Daniel (Dan) Bishop (2019)

Daniel D. Raulerson (2011)

Florida Family Policy Council (2017)

Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2019)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (111)

Accountability PAC (2018)

Advancing Florida Agriculture (2018)

America Unlimited (2018)

Andrew Harris (2018)

Ann PAC (2018)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (6)

Airline Pilots Association (2019)

American Association for Justice (2019)

American Nurses Association (2014)

Florida Justice Association (2013)

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (2019)

OTHER INFORMATION

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.

Strongly Agree

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.

Strongly Agree

I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.

Strongly Agree

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

Abortion should only be permitted only when necessary to save the life of the mother.


ECONOMY

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.

Strongly Disagree

Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.

Strongly Agree

How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?

The best way to guarantee benefits for future generations is to balance the federal budget, reign in runaway spending, and ultimately pay off the national debt. I would not reduce benefits for those at or near retirement. Our promises to Social Security payees should be kept. I do think we should offer younger Social Security payees the opportunity to participate in a self directed, defined contribution retirement plan.

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

First step is to reduce wastefully government spending, eliminate redundancies, and pass a balanced budget amendment that does not allow us to spend more than the government brings in revenue.

Under what circumstances should taxpayers help pay off existing student loans?

There are none.


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.

Strongly Agree

Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.

Strongly Agree

I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.

Yes

What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?

The government is not able to discriminate against any citizen for race or religion, while recognizing the Judeo-Christian values our country was founded on. While ensuring every citizen has the right to freely practice their religion.


HEALTHCARE

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.

Strongly Disagree

I support the elimination of private healthcare insurance.

Strongly Disagree

How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?

Permit business associations to offer health insurance to their members; allow primary care doctors to offer direct insurance arrangements with their patients to provide them with primary care; allow insurers to provide coverage across state lines; promote or require transparency in medical costs to patients prior to treatment.


NATIONAL SECURITY

The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.

Strongly Agree

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

The United States should fully commit its military and intelligence gathering resources to track down and eliminate radical Islamic terrorists around the world. It should also take all necessary economic steps to isolate any groups or countries that offer support or protection to radical Islamic terrorists, including sanctions and/or the withdrawal of foreign aide.


IMMIGRATION

I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.

Strongly Agree

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished.

Strongly Disagree

State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.

Strongly Agree

Employers should be required to use E-verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.

Strongly Agree

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

We need to build the wall, secure our borders, and put America's interests first. I am against amnesty for illegal immigrants.


EDUCATION

Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.

Strongly Disagree


VALUES

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

Strongly Agree

I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.

Strongly Disagree

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

As a strong committed Christian my faith is deeply personal and I want to ensure that every person in this country continues to have the ability to practice the religious principles that they hold dear to them as I do mine.


ABOUT YOU

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

Very Conservative

Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.

https://spano.house.gov/issues/

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

No.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

It is a privilege and honor to represent my constituents in Congress. I strive daily to ensure that I represent each and everyone of them and their interests to the best of my abilities. I will always honor the democratic principals that our country was founded that has lead it to be a beacon of light to so many in the world. I would humbly ask for your vote to continue to represent you in Congress.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.

Strongly Agree


2ND AMENDMENT

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

I support background checks and the safe use of fire arms and I strongly support our 2nd Amendment rights.


OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

I support BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanction) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

Strongly Disagree

I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Disagree

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

Strongly Disagree

The Electoral College should be abolished.

Strongly Disagree

In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?

Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting economic growth (as outlined in my Economic Recovery Act of April 2020), preserving and protecting life at all stages of human life, and balancing the federal budget.

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

As evident through the recent events it is. Therefore we must do everything in our power to make sure every citizen is treated fairly and equally under the law. While making sure every American has the opportunity to pursue the American dream.

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