Rene Lopez
Republican | Arizona
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Rene Lopez
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist. 4
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Arizona, Tucson, B.S., 1996
WORK & MILITARY
U.S. Navy, Lieutenant, 4.7
AFFILIATIONS
Catholic Church, Catechist, Cece's Hope Center
Founder and Chairman of the Board, AZ LD21, Chairman
Maricopa County Republican Committee, 2nd Vice Chairman, City of Chandler Parks & Rec
Board Member, Chandler Education Coalition, Chair
Chandler Chamber Education and Workforce Coalition, Member, Read on Chandler
Executive Board Member, Arizona Department of Revenue Municipal Tax Code Commission, Chairman
AZ Municipal Water Users Assoc. (AMWUA), Board Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Chandler City Council, 7.5
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (7)
Kevin Hartke, Mayor of Chandler
J.D. Mesnard; AZ State Senator
Jeff Weninger; AZ State Representative
Mark Stewart; Chandler City Councilmember
Julie Spilsbury; Mesa City Councilmember
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Josh Askey (2022)
WinRed (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
WinRed (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
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
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Only in cases of health of the mother and incidents of incest.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
What should be the relationship between the church and the state?
Separate, but not exclusionary.
NATIONAL SECURITY
With regard to America's foreign policy, which view most closely resembles yours: A) The United States should intervene whenever freedom is threatened. B) The United States should selectively help countries trying to grow democracy and fight tyranny. C) The United States has become too involved in others' policies and should remain focused on issues regarding our own sovereignty unless in imminent danger. D) The United States should stay out of foreign conflicts completely.
C
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
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Create coalitions with like minded nations to battle against all evil.
HEALTHCARE
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Never.
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
ECONOMY
Redistribution of income is needed to lessen the gap between the wealthy and working classes.
Strongly Disagree
The government should cut spending in order to reduce the national debt.
Strongly Agree
My priority is to reduce the scope, reach and power of the Federal government by reducing the budget.
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
It needs to be further simplified.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
State and federal funds shall be denied to any public or private entity, such as a sanctuary city, that is not in compliance with immigration laws.
Strongly Agree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Until the southern border is secured, no other discussion or negotiations should occur.
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.
Agree
Only in so much as to have training and additional coverage for mental health issues as they deal with situations on the street.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Only that felons should not be allowed to poses firearms.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
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?
Very Conservative
Strong proponent of 10th Amendment.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
www.ReneLopezforCongress.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?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & JOB CREATION My top priority is to empower job creators and create an environment where small businesses can grow and thrive. We achieve that goal by keeping government out of the private sector and reducing burdensome regulations and obstacles to entrepreneurship. In my seven years on Chandler City Council, I’ve done just that. We created an environment that fostered economic growth by developing the Price Road Corridor, which was a major factor in decisions by Northrup Grumman and Wells Fargo to relocate to Chandler. Our commitment to lower taxes and a business-friendly environment spurred Intel to invest $20 Billion to ensure Chandler is the innovation and technology hub of the Southwest. I’ll take this commitment and record of low taxes, reduced regulation, and pro-growth policies to Washington D.C. to jump start our economy and get Americans working again. BORDER SECURITY & IMMIGRATION We need to get serious about the crisis at our Border. The Biden/Harris administration and the Democrats in Congress have neglected border security entirely and put our country at risk. While I support legal immigration and encourage those who are coming to the United States to pursue the American Dream, we cannot ignore the security of our border to accomplish that mission. The first step is to secure the border and finish the construction of the border wall. Then we need to address a merit-based system for immigration that rewards those that are hardworking and committed to pursuing the American Dream and bettering their lives. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY The most important aspect about being a local leader and government official is that I’m a steward of taxpayer dollars. It’s not the government’s money we allocate to budgets, it’s your hard-earned tax dollars. We owe it to our constituents to use that money wisely and as conservatively as possible. It is our responsibility to end wasteful spending, trim our budgets, and keep your money in your wallet. I’m committed to fighting against the reckless spending by Biden and the Democrats in Congress. We can’t keep burdening future generations with this unrelenting and unmanageable debt. It’s time to rein in our spending, trim budgets and be more efficient with less. SUPPORTING VETERANS We have been prosecuting the Global War on Terror for over 20 years, with significant effects on our Veterans. We must provide our Veterans with the resources to have a successful transition from military to civilian life. They deserve a healthcare system that addresses the numerous injuries, physical and mental, that occur on and off the battlefield. We need to ensure that former service members have the resources in place to secure gainful employment following their separation from military service. As a Veteran Naval Officer, I owe it to my brothers and sisters to ensure we honor their sacrifice and support them when they need it most. SECOND AMENDMENT The Constitution makes it clear: The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. I believe we are a safer society when we respect Americans’ rights to defend themselves. SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT For any community to grow and thrive, residents must feel safe. Effective, innovative law enforcement is pivotal to that goal. I’m proud to have worked with the Chandler Police Department to help make Chandler one of America’s safest cities. Our police officers have a thankless job, I’m proud to ‘have their six’. One of my proudest achievements was working with my colleagues to provide detectives advanced technology to enhance the capabilities for the Crimes Against Children Unit and improve their ability to protect children.
VALUES
Sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected classes 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.
I derive my ethics and values from growing up in the Catholic church and in a humble Hispanic lower middle class working family.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
There must FULL transparency and following of established election las, and ALL violations should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
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
