Pete Riehm
Republican | Alabama
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Pete Riehm
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Senate, Dist. 33
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Houston, Houston, Bachelor of Music Education, 1985
US Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Military Master of Art & Science, 1996
WORK & MILITARY
US Navy, Commander, 21
AFFILIATIONS
Military Officers Association of America, South Alabama Chapter, President
Mobile Bay Area Veterans Day Commission, Vice President
South Alabama Veterans Council, Special Events Coordinator
Honor Flight South Alabama, Operations Officer
Alabama Light of the Village, Donor & Supporter
City of Mobile Solid Waste Disposal Authority, Chairman
Southwest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce, President
Common Sense Campaign (South Alabama Tea Party), Co-founder, President, Board Member
South Alabama Memorial Cemetery Foundation, Board Member
Mobile GOP, Chairman
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Mobile County Commissioner, 2010
US Congress Alabama District 1, 2012
ENDORSEMENTS*
OTHER (1)
*Alabama Forestry Association ForestPAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Alabama Forestry Association
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (5)
Donald Trump (2020); Jerry Carl (2020); Karla Dupriest (2022); State Republican Party Organizations (2022); WinRed (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be illegal. The only exceptions I would consider are for incest, rape, or the life of the mother under very strict conditions.
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.
Strongly Disagree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Absolutely NONE!
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
First, the USA should restore energy independence to deprive terror states of funding and allow the USA to exercise maximum economic leverage. And those states should be isolated and sanctioned until they change their ways.
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.
Strongly Disagree
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.
Option D would be optimal, but MEDICAID and MEDICAID have become too pervasive to eliminate. They have become integral to our healthcare and too many Americans are dependent on those programs to eliminate them. Therefore, option C is the viable choice, but it must be closely monitored.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None.
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Taxes should be simplified like a flat tax, so average Americans and small businesses can understand the tax code and know what to expect. Any estate taxes must be eliminated.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I support reducing spending across the board. Special emphasis should be placed on fraud and waste particularly in social and medical spending. And government bureaucracy must be decreased to eliminate waste and decentralize power.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
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?
Any immigrant that complies with our laws and immigrates legally.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Our education system is an abject failure. We have been trying to reform public education for decades without success. It is time to start over and introduce competition by giving parents control and a choice over their children's education. All schools including public schools will improve.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Strongly Agree
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
Our police should be fully funded, but we should increase funding for mental healthcare and reform it. The problems of law enforcement are compounded because they are forced to deal with too many mentally ill people that should be cared for in our failed mental healthcare system.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The government is a necessary evil to govern the affairs between citizens. It should only settle disputes between citizens, not create them. The government should protect the citizens from criminals and foreign enemies. The government should only engage in activities that benefit all the people but would not be economically feasible for the private sector; the only legitimate provinces for government are defense, infrastructure, and law enforcement. In general, government must be limited.
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?
Very Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
There are too many interviews and news stories over the past 15 years to list, but I have written a weekly column for almost 7 years. The last two years can be found at RenewAmercia.com.
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?
My top priorities are education reform and work force development. We are losing generations of children to failed education systems. If they cannot read by 3rd Grade, the probability they are doomed to a life a poverty skyrockets. We are also wasting time and losing too many kids in High School because they do not know the opportunities. Vocational training must be integrated into High School and not wait for Community College. We are cheating our kids of a good education and the opportunities for a prosperous career; and our economy is suffering because we are not raising a new work force.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
Our founders based the Constitution on Judeo-Christian values. It is essential. As John Adams said: "the Constitution is intended for a moral and virtuous people; and wholly inadequate for any other."
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly 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
Strongly Agree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My mother was a devout Catholic who raised us to fear and love the Lord. As an adult, I am a born-again Christian. The Bible is the Word of God and holds all the answers of life; I read the Bible daily.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Alabama voting laws are pretty good. Absentee voting should be reviewed to preserve election integrity.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism like hatred will always exist to some degree, so eternal vigilance is prudent. However, racism is not prevalent in the USA and not a threat to domestic security. People generally respect each other and want to get along, but we are bombarded by divisive propaganda. The threat is from the media and unscrupulous politicians seeking to shred the fabric of our society.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
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.
Neither represent my view. The environment is precious and must be protected, but a balance is possible. Environmental laws and regulations are necessary to protect the environment, but they must be reasonable and not onerous. Such laws and regulations should go far enough to establish reasonable protections, but not so extreme as to make certain vital products and services unaffordable.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
