Matt Deneen

Republican | Kentucky

Candidate Profile

Conservative

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Matt Deneen


Party

Republican


Election Year

2026


Election

Republican Primary


Race

State Senator, Dist. 10


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Matt Deneen websites
Matt Deneen emailFacebookFacebook

EDUCATION

Georgetown College, Georgetown Kentucky, Bachelor's Degree, 1986-1990

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Masters Degree, 1993-1996

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Rank 1

WORK & MILITARY

Educator/School Administrator, Teacher/Principal, 1992-2021

Elizabethtown City Council Member, Councilman, 2019-2022

Deneen Properties LLC, CEO, 2004-2026

Kentucky State Senate, State Senator District10, 2023-2026

AFFILIATIONS

Elizabethtown HeritageFoundation, Board Member, 2018-2020

Elizabethtown Airport Board, Board Member, 2019-2022

Hardin County History Museum Board, Board Member, 2024-2026

Severns Valley Baptist Church, Member, 1982-2026

Greenspace, Board Member, 2017-2026

Elizabethtown Trail Town Advisory Board, Chairman, 2018-2026

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

City Council Member, 2019-2022

State Senator, 2023-2026

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

Re Election as State Senator District 10

SCORECARDS

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS


LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS

ENDORSEMENTS

CONSERVATIVE (1)

Freedoms Heritage Forum

LIBERAL (1)

IAFF Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters

REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)

Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)

Daniel Cameron (2023)

Stephen Meredith (2023)

Jim DuPlessis (2017)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)

Bluegrass Committee (2022)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)

Jimmie Lee (2018)

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.

Strongly Agree

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).

Strongly Agree

Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?

Elective no. Only in the case of a medical emergency

The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.

Strongly Agree

The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.

Strongly Agree


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?

Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian Values that are embedded into our founding documents. The Constitutional framework and the Bill of Rights were designed to ensure that the freedom of religion is protected.

Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.

Strongly Disagree


NATIONAL SECURITY

The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.

Strongly Agree

Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?

As a State Senator I do not have a vote on international relations. That is left to Congress. Isreal has been and remains an ally and strategic partner of the United States in the Middle East.


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) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.

Medicaid and Medicare should remain available and are designed to serve those in most need of assistance the poor, disabled and elderly.

The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.

Disagree


ECONOMY

Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.

Strongly Agree

What is your position on the minimum wage?

The minimum wage is just that the minimum Can that be raised periodically yes. The market demand for employees drives employers to raise their pay on their own in order to compete for employees.

I support using taxpayer funds to lobby the state legislature.

Strongly Disagree

List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.

Improving oversight and reporting requirements. Providing the general assembly with on-going and updated revenue and expenditure reports throughout the year Frequent Audits and oversight by the State Auditor's Office


IMMIGRATION

I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.

Strongly Disagree


EDUCATION

I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.

Agree

Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.

Strongly Agree


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?

Public safety and accountability

Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.

Strongly Agree

The government should use automated-enforcement cameras to track speeding and criminal activity.

Neutral

Cameras have been incorporated to help save lives from child abductions to road construction zones and have helped locate stolen vehicles. There is a place for this type of law enforcement assistance, but it should be limited in scope.


2ND AMENDMENT

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

Kentucky is a second amendment sanctuary state. I believe strongly in the second amendment and the practices and procedures in place to purchase firearms and protect the public from unlawful sales and possession.


ABOUT YOU

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?

Conservative

Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.

NO

Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.

NO


VALUES

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

My faith and my beliefs are practiced every day through daily devotionals, prayer groups and beginning every meeting in prayer. These values are based on my acknowledgement that Christ is King and that his guidance and blessings are needed and should be acknowledged everyday.

Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.

Agree

I support the expansion of gambling in my state.

Neutral

Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's upbringing, including their religious, health, and educational well-being.

Strongly Agree

Attempts to transition or encourage a child to transition to the opposite sex constitutes child abuse.

Strongly Agree


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Strongly Disagree


EQUALITY

Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.

Strongly Disagree

Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.

Strongly Agree


ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?

I believe in a "all of the above" approach to energy production. I support the responsible implementation of nuclear, natural gas, coal and any sources of energy to keep Kentucky competitive and energy cost down.

Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.

Disagree

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