Dan O'Connell

I do not believe that Abortion is not a valid form of birth control. They should only be performed when live birth is no longer viable or the life of the mother is in danger. The 2019 MO Abortion ban led to an additional 200 children born each month to troubled lives. Our foster care system lacks the resources to adequately provide for those children. The expensive and adoption process doesn’t work in favor of good families ready and willing to take these children into their lives.

Strongly Agree

There's no happy endings when unregulated pharmaceuticals are involved in any kind of medical treatment. If the choice to abort has already been made, it should be done under the care of a professional.

Strongly Agree

Missouri has banned abortions. Withholding funds from Planned Parenthood because they perform abortions ignores the other good Planned Parenthood still does for the public, which only only leads to more suffering of our neighbors and children. If Planned Parenthood is found to be breaking state and federal laws by providing outlawed services, then they should no longer exist as an organization.

Disagree

I have not yet seen a bill drafted that will not lead to medically assisted suicide being used for those with treatable issues. The state should never be sponsoring the death of it's citizens.

Strongly Agree

Free enterprise and the right to private property is a core American value. My policies would support more owners and better mobility through that system.

We could double Missouri's minimum wage and it still wouldn't be enough. Wages have been kept so low that even white collar professionals cannot afford to buy a modest suburban home.

No

They can be useful criteria to guide legislators, but as we currently see with the public school funding formula, trusting our governance to an algorithm only leads to more confusion and dissatisfaction. Tying the hands of legislators reduces their options available to help. Investment decisions should prioritize economic returns and financial stability, ensuring taxpayer funds are used efficiently to support essential services and infrastructure.

The government closing a church is a blatant violation of the First Amendment. There would have to be a clear and imminent risk to public health and safety to close down a church. With that said, Churches are still businesses, and are subject to regulation and consequences like any other. Should they fall behind on their taxes or their facilities fall into extreme disrepair, the government may take action to help or force the sale. But the church as an organization may live on.

Disagree

Private businesses not supported by any form of taxpayer funding should have the right to refuse service based on any criteria they like. Similarly, every patron and citizen has a right to exercise their freedom of speech to sway potential clients away from a business that discriminates. Government, regulated public utility companies, and essential facilities like hospitals should be legally compelled to provide equal services without discrimination.

Access to affordable healthcare is a human right. We should never have allowed our employers to decide what level of healthcare we deserve. It puts profit incentives in all the wrong places, leading to skyrocketing costs and worse patient care. If elected, I will bar employers from providing healthcare. Every household can purchase their own health insurance alongside their home and auto. This gives insurers a profit incentive to do right by patients, and forces raises out of employers.

State-level government should never mandate vaccines. Employers have a free market right to mandate proof of vaccination from their employees. Local school boards can decide for themselves to vaccinate or not. Parents can decide from there.

Strongly Agree

China is actively trying to manipulate Americans by sowing distrust between our neighbors and government. They are making investments in our country that drive up housing prices, cause inflation, and lead drain public resources. Their grip on technology is actively draining the brains of our children, and doing generational harm to our nation. Outside US borders, they are the single greatest threat to the world order as we know it, and must be kept in check. We must divest from China.

Hamas must be eliminated. Israel's treatment of Palestine civilians is horrifying, but choosing to continue sending aid is a Federal decision. There's nothing Jefferson City can do about that situation. Anyone that says they can is pandering. Israel's relationship with Missouri specifically is very important. Boeing and assorted defense contractors are key employers to our state's economy, and several key elements of what they produce within our state relies on Israeli suppliers.

Disagree

The US border must be secured, but a physical wall would cost as much as US foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine combined, and do even less to aid US interests. That money would be far better spent on improving our immigration process to bring more people into the country legally. We are already seeing a million worker deficit as boomers retire faster than teenagers enter the workforce. We should be hunting down those that employ illegal immigrants and profit by exploiting their labor.

Strongly Disagree

Public schools already struggle to teach and care for our children, and their budgets are chronically running at a loss. There's no room for a profit margin that wouldn't come out of student outcomes if we allow for-profit schools to start taking school funding. Charter schools should not exist outside of alternative programs and or within school districts that have approved them. At no time should the State Government be overriding a local school board's decision.

Strongly Agree

Children must be able to trust their parents and medical professionals to be making the best decisions for them. State regulations should also never be overriding a medical professional's opinion. If a Doctor is advocating the mutilation of a child, their license to practice should be revoked. "Grooming" is bad, but we must understand that teachers cannot teach pubescent children without discussing gender and sexual abnormalities. Refusing to discuss these topics leads to child suicides.

Strongly Agree

Any parent or legal guardian must have every right to make choices for their children until that right is stripped from them by age or court action. The State should never be giving parenting advice or regulating the values a parent instills in their children.

Neutral

Doctors should never be restricted in providing the best possible care for their patients. If their professional, medical, opinion is that providing gender transition services is the best treatment available that leads to their patient living the longest, happiest, and healthiest life, then the state should not be withholding that treatment. While I wish there was a more effective treatment for Gender Dysphoria, right now transition services is the most effective known 'treatment'.

Disagree

The US Constitution does not allow for any government entity to push their religious ideals on it's people. By claiming something is "God Ordained", any legislator is already starting to tread on constitutional rights. Marriage provably leads to stable homes that lead to better outcomes for children. We should be encouraging the development of more families and stable homes that can help raise the extra 300 children per month created by the Abortion ban. Even if they're unconventional.

As a lifelong Catholic, my faith is fundamental to who I am and guides my principles and actions. I believe in the dignity of every human life, the importance of family, and the moral responsibility we all share to support and uplift our community. While I agree with the Catholic Church's positions on most moral issues, I am running because morality cannot and should not ever be legislated. We are all different and moral optimums are incompatible with good legislation. My faith instills in me the values of integrity, service, and compassion, which also drives my zeal to fight for my rights and that of my neighbors. I have learned through my faith that we must be willing to fight for what is right, even when the odds are against you.

Disagree

Every citizen has a right to vote and have their voice heard. We must take steps to protect our electoral integrity, and Positive ID of a voter is basic security. It is the responsibility of all citizens to have a proper state-issued identification, and the responsibility of the state to ensure access to that service. If this requirement poses a barrier to voting, then the state should be working to make the process of obtaining photo identification more accessible.

Disagree

The founding fathers knew that direct elections would lead to poor choices. That Compact will only serve to disenfranchise voters in states that are compelled to send electors to vote against the wishes of their citizens. The Electoral College system is not flawless. Especially in it's current form. However, this is not the solution. We should be looking into Ranked Choice voting or properly amending the constitution properly instead of leveraging loopholes and technicalities.

Domestic security is paramount, and any form of extremism, including racism, poses a threat to the peace and unity of our nation. While recognizing the existence of racism, we must also consider that broad accusations can deepen divisions rather than heal them. Effective leadership focuses on reinforcing the principles of justice, equality, and cooperation among all Americans, promoting policies that strengthen community ties and ensure the safety and prosperity of all our citizens.

Disagree

CRT's assumption that our institutions are fundamentally racist is an outdated philosophy. As the public has become aware of institutional racism, policies based on race have been routinely eliminated at the institutional level. Looking at modern institutions, they are far more biased towards poor people of any race, making it easy to confuse with racism. Most of our problems with race, crime, and inequality could be improved if our wealth gap was brought closer to 1950's America.

Strongly Disagree

These issues are complex, require local context, and should be handled by their governing organizations and members. School Boards, MSHSAA, and shelter professionals are far more qualified to set policy than the state legislature. As a Senator, I would hesitate to pass any rule that overrides a choice made by local leaders and owners. For youth sports, I feel Men's organizations should be where transgender kids 'default' to. Boys playing against girls pose a real danger to players.

Climate change is real, but requires action at the federal level. At the state level, we should be working to protect our environment and ensure that our air and water is clean, safe, and accessible. As a former Fracking Engineer, I've seen first-hand that corporations cannot be trusted to self-regulate. Good enforcement of sensible regulations keeps corporations from doing damage that will take generations to heal, while giving their respective industries a level playing ground to compete.

Reliable Energy means power that comes when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. Nuclear power is clean, sustainable, and consistent, and Missouri is uniquely positioned to profit heavily from it's expansion.

No.

No.

We all have the right to pursue your happiness up to the limit that it infringes on another's pursuit of happiness. Good government legislates that where line falls. This includes safeguarding our communities, encouraging economic prosperity through free market policies, and maintaining a limited government role that allows individuals and businesses to thrive without undue interference. Government also has a responsibility to defend from foreign threats while maintaining domestic peace.

Moderate

I am a moderate conservative who believes in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and upholding traditional values. I support strong defense and judicial policies, advocate for the protection of religious freedoms, and prioritize policies that stimulate economic growth and bring careers to Missouri. I will fight to defend our Constitutional rights while improving the health and prosperity for the people St. Charles and Missouri. I will bring change to Missouri. Not more of the same.

Neutral

We need a wave of police reform, which should be directed by the state legislature. "Defunding the Police" is only going to create more injustices while increasing crime. We should be increasing police budgets to provide better training and encouraging their involvement in community programs to restore a sense of trust in the law. There's great value in community outreach programs too, but the funding will have to come from somewhere else.

The right to bear arms is a constitutional right. At a minimum, an armed populace keeps a tyrannical government in check. I see that some feel there is an epidemic of gun violence in the US right, but restricting legal gun ownership will not solve those problems. Reducing poverty, providing access to affordable healthcare (physical and mental), and building trust in society are the real solutions to those problems. By addressing these root causes we will reduce all forms of violence.

No

Schools are gun-free zones by federal law, with few exceptions such as LEO's acting within their duties. If the state allows teachers to carry guns, it is also authorizing them to use them, which will lead to the state-sponsored shooting of a child. If a district is worried about protecting children, they should station police officers at the school, or hire teachers that are also sheriff's deputies. This allows any shootings could be dealt with as we would with routine law enforcement.