Derek Skees
Republican | Montana
Candidate Profile
Verified Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Derek Skees
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
Public Service Commission, Dist. 5
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Seminole State College, Sanford, FL., AS
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Montana State GOP, Treasurer/ Flathead County Committee man
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
HD 4 Whitefish, HD 11 South Flathead, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2021
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Montana State Auditor, 2012
PSC District 5 Commisioner, 2014
Race
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
2021
A
2021
100%
2021
100%
2021
89%, 92% (cum.)†
2021
88%
2021
|100%
2021
|89%, 92% (cum.)†
2021
|88%
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
2021
|11%, 4% (cum.)†
2021
|0%
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Current PSC Commisioners Fielder, Pinocci, and O'Donnell, plus many conservative Legislators
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
State Republican Party Organizations (2019)
Steve Daines (2020)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
The extremely rare instance of the life of the mother at risk (ectopic pregnancy for example). Not the Doe v Bolton excuse of "the mother is stressed out".
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?
In Montana, we should have a Constitutional law that says we only recognize 3 forms of taxation: sales, income, property, and we can only have two in effect at any one time. Then, bring a sales tax to replace eliminate property.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
We need to sunset every statutory appropriation on the books over a set number of years, and let the Legislature decide on each one, if it remains. We need to set every department in the Executive Branch at zero based budgeting, and have them justify every dollar they spend with outcome based metrics. We need to pass a constitutional amendment that limits the growth of the state government to match the GDP growth of the private sector.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
College is an option, not a requirement like k-12. Only k-12 is guaranteed tax payer funded. State based universities should have a metric developed for funding, based upon graduation rates and successful student outcomes, not enrollment. In k-12, we also need to change the funding to a voucher system that follows the student, as determined by the parent. Public, private, or even a tax voucher for home school per student, or a coalition of parents hiring subject tutors 1099 style.
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?
Only if it is proven in a court of law to be an cult like environment that damages the health (mental or physical) of it's members or children, or a church that has been found guilty in a court of law of actively pursuing treason against the state of Montana or the USA... otherwise, never.
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) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. We should fund to help the most vulnerable among us, otherwise the government should remain out of the insurance business.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Never. I have the right to Life and Liberty, and those are MY medical choices. I have the only Constitutional right to decide if I do, or do not want any vaccination, and we the people never gave that right to any government. That right includes my children, until they become adults and can decide for themselves.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Make radical Islamic faiths/sects illegal in the USA (If they teach violence as a tenet/tool for conversion of their faith against non-nonbelievers, then it shouldn't be protected by the 1st amendment), engage the world Islamic community to reject it as well, support those governments that do, and economically isolate any government that does not. This includes any nation that uses Islam to commit violations of human rights (beheading, anti-women rights, etc) Any terrorist attack against the US will be answered in kind when we discover who did it, and then we can work to eliminate that threat from then on with limited surgical military action with coalitions of nations affected. Anything more, must have a declaration of war by congress. NEVER make a deal that gives nukes to Iran. This nuclear deal by Biden is a travesty, and borderline treason to US interests in the region!
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
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?
We should allow folks who bring a skill/asset/ability that would benefit the United States to immigrate. Merit based immigration only, with a limited number allowed each year. We must return to integration rules and laws, helping to integrate these new folks into our culture, and teaching them what it means to be an American. This includes English as the primary language, used by government at state and federal levels. We must have a border wall along the entire southern boundary. We should round up anyone who is here illegally, including expired Visa's and deport them each year. Should eliminate Anchor baby rules/laws. Only children of two US parents are automatically a US citizen, no matter where they are born.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
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
Already covered as sex in our discriminatory laws. Gender is a social construct only. Sex is determined by chromosomes and genitalia present at birth, and it should be illegal to change this as a minor..
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
The state may create a union outside this definition, to allow all the legal requirements of insurance, power of attorney, inheritance, raising of minors etc., to be met, but it should not be called marriage.
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.
Jesus saves. Romans 10:9-10 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Must be required.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Proposals that increases accountability of election officials (and machines), transparency in the process for everyone, access of observers to verify compliance, 100% train of custody verifiability, and video access to every stage of the ballot process for folks to see. Very stiff penalties and jail time for anyone who is found guilty of election fraud, tampering, or attempts to subvert the simple principle of one man one vote.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
I don't think it's a threat to domestic security, but we need to stop using it as a dividing tactic, a wedge issue, seeing it only in once race (BTW that is racist!), and constantly making everything about race. We need to restore the color blind culture, and judge a man on the content of his character, not the color of his skin. “There are two races of men in this world, but only these two -- the "race" of the decent man and the "race" of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people.” ? Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Not here in America. Our sins with slavery were paid in the Civil War when hundreds of thousands died to make us all free. (If you must pay anything, make the Democrats pay the reparation, as they caused the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, the KKK, and today's agitated racial animus.)
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. We need to find a non-political biased science based balance of stewardship of the land and water while allowing access to the bounty of the earth, and lastly, secure the proper bonding to protect the tax payer in the restoration upon completion process.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That is it: to secure the rights of the governed.
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).
I am sure a search will find out what the voter requires.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
Never.
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
I have a strong voting record you can easily reference for 4 Legislative sessions. I am A+ rated with the NRA, 100% Lifetime with the Montana Family Foundation and a 92% lifetime score with the American Conservative Union (CPAC).
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Agree
A person shall never be denied their God given rights, regardless of departmental policy, so as long as that policy is not a violation of my constitutional rights, sure they can be immune to prosecution for securing those rights.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Enforcement of the laws on criminals who violate. No Red Flag laws, ever! Stop going after law abiding citizens right to keep and bear arms. This question is an oxymoron; law abiding citizens gun ownership IS the protection of public safety.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
