Brent Jacobson
Republican | Wisconsin
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
Brent Jacobson
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
State Senator, Dist. 29
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, Law Degree, 2009
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN, B.S. Business Management, 2006
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Mayor - City of Mosinee, 2015- present
Marathon County Supervisor, 2020-2022
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
State Assembly, 2018
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (2)
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Right to Life
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
Former Governor Scott Walker
Former Representative Mary Williams
Representative Patrick Snyder
Wisconsin Right to Life
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2018)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE*
*Additional information was received after the evaluation was assigned and was not considered in the Panel Evaluations, therefore it is for additional educational purposes only.
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should not be allowed under any circumstances except to save the life of the mother. There are alternatives to terminating the pregnancy that allows new life to come into the world, particularly adoption. As a state legislator, I would strive to improve the adoption process in the State of Wisconsin and invest in resources for expecting mothers to encourage them to choose life over abortion. As a new father myself, I appreciate how very precious life is.
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
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
I am a strong advocate for repealing the personal income tax. Wisconsin is at an economic disadvantage as compared to other states in our union that do not have a personal income tax. I advocate for starting with a 3 percent flat tax while retaining the manufacturing and agricultural tax credit. The personal property tax must also be repealed. It is a convoluted and unfair tax on businesses. Finally, we must also eliminate taxes on retirement income. Many seniors struggle to make ends meet. They have diligently paid into the system their entire working life and should not be taxed yet again on retirement income.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
We must cut spending across the board. I will advocate for a one percent spending cut across all state agencies to start. We must also cut debt service spending in key areas including transportation. We currently fund a significant amount of the transportation budget with debt, wasting taxpayer dollars on interest payments. I propose eliminating or substantially reducing the outstanding transportation debt by moving sales tax revenue on motor vehicle parts to the transportation fund and by using part of the projected budget surplus. We must also reduce wasteful government spending at the state building level. Physical state office space is under utilized and much of it also sits on high value real estate that is presently not generating local tax revenue. Finally, a freeze on further K-12 education spending is warranted following generous increases over the last three state budgets.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
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?
Under no circumstance should government have the power to close our places of worship.
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.
C with the caveat that I disagree with and would oppose further expansion of state funding toward Medicaid.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Vaccination is a personal choice. Under no circumstance should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccination.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We have to secure our boarders. Boarder crossings are at historic highs while proper vetting is wholly lacking, opening us up to a pipeline for the unchecked infiltration of terrorists looking to do harm within our boarders. We are a loving, welcoming country. However, countless refuges arrived at our doorstep following the sad withdrawal from Afghanistan and vetting was deficient.
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.
Choose not to answer
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Those who follow the process toward legal citizenship only. Illegal and undocumented immigration threatens our economy, our national security, and our local public safety.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Parents are the primary stakeholders in their children's education.
Strongly Agree
This is why, in addition to supporting universal school choice, I will advocate for a parents’ bill of rights, which will include access to the curriculum.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Disagree
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.
God, family and country are my top priorities. I am Catholic. I was raised with religion as part of my life. I turn to God daily for guidance in all I do. God has guided me through my most trying times. God is my counselor in my most difficult decisions, and he walks beside me in all I do. I feel it is important to ask each day: God, I am here, how can I serve you today?
Marriage between one man and one woman and the families they form are the foundation of civilization and are fundamental to the well-being and prosperity of Wisconsin.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Codify and strengthen the recent ruling outlawing ballot drop boxes and pass legislation to ensure voting deputies in nursing homes regardless of the circumstances, outlaw private money to support publicly administered elections, eliminate the option to declare indefinitely confined voter status, require prompt cleanup of voter rolls, and require proof of citizenship to vote.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No. We are a loving, welcoming country. That does not mean that racism does not exist nor does it mean that there are not racially motivated acts of violence; however, unfortunately the media and certain politicians have exacerbated a racial divide in this country that has contributed to domestic violence premised on race.
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.
A. Take the recent attention given to PFAS for example. Federal and state governments in the U.S. are pushing unreachable PFAS standards and the media has ignored the fact that other developed countries (Canada and European nations) have standards multiple times our own. The cost to utility rate payers to reach our standards outweighs any measurable gain to public health.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
When I started my legal career, I specifically worked in oil and gas litigation in Pennsylvania. I represented oil and natural gas producers engaged in hydro fracking operations. I found the technology to access these resources to be safe and productive. Further, we must strive for energy independence in the U.S. The consequences of our historic dependence on foreign resources have never been more apparent than now with skyrocketing inflation and record high energy costs.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
At a most basic level, to provide defense from our enemies, domestic public safety, and transportation and utility infrastructure. Government overreach has, unfortunately, extended into every facet of our daily lives far beyond what our framers envisioned.
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).
https://www.facebook.com/supervisorjacobson. Here you will find video clips from meetings covering floor debate from my time as a Marathon County Supervisor. I would also recommend visiting my State Senate Facebook page for easy access to several interviews with AM550 where I discuss my platform and my conservative stance on issues in his race: https://www.facebook.com/BrentJacobsonForStateSenate.
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 am an experienced elected official as well as a full time business owner in the private sector. During my time as Mayor of Mosinee, we have advanced our community and economy, adding several new businesses, expanding others, and creating jobs. During my time as a Marathon County Supervisor, I tirelessly defended conservative values and common sense, including fighting against a liberal redistricting resolution, speaking out against wasteful government spending, and defeating efforts to advance an ordinance to lower penalties for drug offenses. I will take my experience from the public and private sector to serve my constituents well in the State Senate. My platform includes: 1. Universal school choice, 2. Repealing the state personal income tax, 3. Overhauling the unemployment insurance system to eliminate fraud and abuse, 3. Supporting law enforcement, 4. Defending the unborn, and 5. Standing up for Second Amendment freedoms. I am a hard worker who always gets his facts straight and educates himself on the issues to serve my constituents to the best of my ability.
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
We must increase support for mental health in our communities. As I talk with law enforcement, it is actually one of their top demands because mental health consumes a significant amount of their time. However, the source of that support certainly should not come from taking money away from law enforcement.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
We do not have a gun control problem in the United States; we have a mental health crisis. I am proud to have achieved the top rating available from the NRA for an individual who has not held state office. I would not support restrictions on gun ownership.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
