Cole Hefner

Republican | Texas

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

Cole Hefner


Party

Republican


Election Year

2020


Election

General


Race

State Rep., Dist. 5


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Cole Hefner websites Facebook

EDUCATION

Home School, Pittsburg

WORK & MILITARY

Construction, Owner, 7

Construction, Vice Pres, 8.5

Insurance, Agent, 5

AFFILIATIONS

Rotary, Member, Lions Club

Member, South Jefferson Baptist Church, Member

NRA, Member

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

State Representative, 3

County Commissioner, 4

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

(Candidate did not provide)

Race

Previous Races

SCORECARDS

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS


LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS

2019

14%


2019

20%, 10% (cum.)


2019

F


2019

0%


2019

|

20%, 10% (cum.)


2019

|

F


ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (7)

East Texans for Liberty PAC

Glenn Hegar

National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF

Texas Right to Life

Texas State Rifle Association

OTHER (4)

*National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Texas

Texas Alliance for Life PAC (TAL)

Texas Association of Realtors/TREPAC

*Texas Oil and Gas Association

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (21)

Briscoe Cain (2019)

Bryan Hughes (2013)

David Simpson (2013)

Dennis Paul (2020)

East Texans For Liberty (2019)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (21)

Bryan Hughes (2017)

Dan Patrick (2018)

Eagle Forum (2016)

Empower Texans (2017)

James Frank (2016)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (2018)

International Association of Firefighters (includes national, state & local affiliates) (2016)

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

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

Human life is a precious blessing from God, and should always be vigorously protected from conception to natural death.


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

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

Government spending needs to be reduced in nearly every area and program, and we should reevaluate our current budget process. A system of zero-based budgeting would enable the government to assess what our actual needs are instead of wasting taxpayer dollars at an ever-increasing rate.


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

Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.

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?

Freedom of religion was a foundational belief at this country's birth and remains so today. "Separation of church and state" does not appear in our country's founding documents. It is a phrase that is often twisted by the media and used to attack our leaders who use their faith to guide their decisions. If our decisions are not guided by faith, we are truly lost.


HEALTHCARE

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

Strongly Disagree

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

I do not believe that promoting healthcare coverage is a proper role of government. I believe Americans would see a decrease in healthcare costs and increase in quality of healthcare if the government would stop standing in the way of free market principles.


NATIONAL SECURITY

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

Strongly Agree


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

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

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

We should welcome immigrants who are law-abiding and want to be productive citizens who assimilate into our American culture. As a sovereign nation, we should have absolute control over our borders and dictate the flow of those who wish to enter our country, whether temporarily or on a permanent basis.


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

Promotion of the LGBT agenda in public schools, including teaching of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”, is completely inappropriate and should be opposed at the state and local level.

Strongly Agree

I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.

Strongly Disagree

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I believe that Jesus Christ came to Earth to die for our sins and that the only way to eternal life is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.


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.

I have previously served as a Republican Precinct Chairman and for 4 years as a County Commissioner where I fought to cut spending and protect taxpayers. I then helped to found a conservative activist group in East Texas. Since 2017, I have served as State Representative for District 5 and I am proud of my strong conservative voting record since I have been in the Legislature.

What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?

My experience as an employer running a construction company, parenting 7 children with my beautiful wife Kerri, and serving as a County Commissioner were all vitally important in preparing me to serve as a State Representative.

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?

I have been blessed to serve as State Representative for House District 5 since 2017, and I would be honored to continue to serve in that role. I know that these elected positions are earned and not given. I hope to earn the votes of East Texans in November and to continue to represent them with principled conservatism.


JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY

I support the use of Sharia law as a basis for legislation and judicial decisions in the United States.

Strongly Disagree


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

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

Strongly Agree


2ND AMENDMENT

Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?

Yes

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

The fewer restrictions that are placed on law-abiding gun owners that want to exercise their Second Amendment rights, the safer the public will be.


OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Strongly Disagree

I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.

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?

Did not answer

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

Racism is reprehensible in any setting but I believe our country is threatened far more by foreign dictators and terrorist organizations that want to erase our way of life.

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