Jerry Gearding
Republican | Kentucky
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
Jerry Gearding
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 67
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Candidate did not provide
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Campbell County KY Republican Party, Precinct Captain - Wilder, Northern Kentucky Right To Life
Member, Campbell County KY Republican Party, Election Integrity Committee
Northern Kentucky Tea Party, Volunteer/Member, Cause of America - Kentucky
Volunteer/Member, Rand Paul for Senate, Volunteer
Thomas Massie for Congress, Volunteer, Matt Bevin For Governor
Volunteer
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Campbell County Commissioner District 2, 2018
Race
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (6)
*National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF
*Kentucky Right to Life Association (KRLA)
*Freedoms Heritage Forum
*Northern Kentucky Right to Life PAC
*Make Liberty Win
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (2)
Northern Kentucky Right To Life
National Rifle Association
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Under no circumstances should the life of an innocent unborn child be allowed to be taken.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I am 100% Pro-Life and therefore do not support taxpayer money going to any organization that directly supports or performs abortions.
Do you support the proposed Yes for Life amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, which makes clear that there is no state constitutional right to abortion?
Yes
I will also be promoting the amendment during my campaign.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
I believe in the right to life for everyone from conception until death.
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
The overall tax burden should be reduced for all Kentuckians. This initially would be accomplished by cutting wasteful spending and eliminating the income, personal property and estate taxes. I am also in favor of eliminating the property tax for homeowners 65 and over who have paid off their home. The current tax system should be replaced with a consumption based or flat tax model.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I believe in limited government and mandating a balanced budget so I would start by looking at reducing spending in bloated agencies like the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the KY Department of Education and the Cabinet for Universities.. There also needs to be more review and transparency for how government contracts are awarded and the criteria for single-bid contracts (ex. KY Transportation Cabinet) needs to be reformed
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
While I strongly agree that a taxpayer-funded public education system for grades K-12, I do not support publicly funded pre-K or college. I am also a strong proponent for school choice for every child in Kentucky and will look to pass legislation modeled after the Arizona law that provides $7K of public money to every student to attend the public or private institution that their parents feel is the best fit for them.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
I am a strong believer in religious liberty and in the first amendment.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
There is no constitutional right or reason for the government to close churches.
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.
I believe in a free market healthcare system where people are able to choose the providers and services that they fell is best for them. I also believe that the government and insurance companies need to get out of the doctor-patient relationship and allow doctors to choose the course of treatment best for their patient with minimal interference from government and insurance company regulations. While I support a free-market healthcare system, I do believe that we should have a limited, public option for those who cannot afford it on their own.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
There is absolutely no circumstance where someone should be forced to receive a vaccination that do not want.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
I firmly believe in achieving peace through power and fully funding our military to protect us against foreign invasion and from radical Islamic terrorism. I also believe that we should stay out of regional conflicts and end our "regime change" activities throughout the world. Here at home, I believe in ending the perpetual war on terror emergency declaration, reforming the Patriot Act to protect American's Constitutional rights and implementing a system of legal immigration for people from high risk areas where they are fully vetted before being allowed to come here.
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
I do not believe that we should get involved in regional conflicts around the world and fully recognize Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
You cannot have a sovereign nation without strong borders so I fully support building the wall on the southern border and properly funding the Border Patrol.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
America is a nation that was built by immigrants so I am in favor of a strictly merit-based immigration system where everyone is properly vetted before entering our country and the number of immigrants is limited to a level that facilitates assimilation. I do not support sanctuary cities or granting citizenship to illegal immigrants currently living here.
EDUCATION
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Strongly Agree
I am a strong supporter of parent's rights, school choice and allowing public dollars to follow the student instead of the system. In the legislature, I will be working to pass legislation mirroring the recently signed Arizona law that grants every student $7K/yr to use for the public, private or homeschool that they feel works best for them
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
This country and our commonwealth were built upon Judeo-Christian values and I will fight any efforts to lessen their importance or eliminate them from our society and will work to reinstate them in places, like our schools, where they have been suppressed.
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Disagree
God assigns a person's gender in the womb and it cannot be changed after birth.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
CRT is a Marxist theory that is meant to divide us, promote racism and encourage people to hate our great country. I strongly support teaching traditional American history in our schools and banning any and all flavors of CRT, SEL and DEI.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian who deeply loves and cares about my country, our Commonwealth and the Judeo-Christian values that they were built upon..
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 Bible defines a marriage as one man and one woman and I strongly believe that no government has a right to change that definition.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
I am a strong supporter of strengthening voter id and other security measures to ensure the integrity of our elections.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I subscribe to Seth Keshel's 10 points to true election integrity. 1) Clean out the voter rolls (and ban ERIC). 2) Ban all electronic voting equipment. 3) Strict voter-id with paper ballots only. 4) Ban no-excuse mail in voting. 5) Ban no-excuse early voting. 6) Drastically reduce the size of precincts. 7) Ban ballot harvesting. 8) Make election day a holiday. 9) Increase reporting requirements to promote transparency. 10) Increase penalties for those convicted of committing voter fraud.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No but I believe that efforts to instill racism into people to promote a radical socialist political agenda is a threat to our domestic security. I also believe that the vast majority of Americans care about each other and could care less about the color of their skin.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Reparations is nothing more than an attempt by the left to buy votes and pander to minorty communities.
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.
Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
I completely and fully support America's energy independence.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To quote the preamble of our constitution "To form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity"
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
To be more accurate, I describe myself as a Common Sense, Constitutional Conservative.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
The best places to validate my answers is to look at my twitter profile (@ky_statesman), my personal Facebook profile (https://www.facebook.com/jerry.gearding.92) or my Facebook page (@gearding4ky). Here are couple of op-eds that I've had published. https://linknky.com/opinion/2022/07/18/op-ed-concern-over-lgbtq-books-at-library-about-children-parents/ https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/10/31/clinton-doesnt-share-cincinnatians-values/93047944/ I was recently quoted in this article. https://linknky.com/kentucky/frankfort/2022/07/14/states-medical-cannabis-committee-hears-from-supporters-opponents-at-nku/?fbclid=IwAR3RnQy3WudQQM4SUreqe-R8HO2xS_yoxiI5J9-Pi04gunXD5CL57_IJwZM
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?
My number one legislative priority is to return this seat to, and be the voice of the people of Kentucky's 67th district in Frankfort. I will also work to protect their freedoms and individual liberties, and fight to stop the federal government's overreaching socialist policies here in Kentucky. I was asked for a quote about my campaign recently by the local media and here was my response. I think it describes what kind of Legislator Kentuckians will be getting if they vote to send me to Frankfort. "Our campaign is about giving the people of Kentucky's 67th House District a State Representative who will never be swayed by the lobbyists, be bullied by the establishment or worry about personal attacks from the media, that they can count on to always put them first and fight for their values and priorities in Frankfort."
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Agree
The key phrase here is "for conduct consistent with departmental policy" so while I believe in qualified immunity under those circumstances i believe those protections do not apply in circumstances where conduct isn't consistent with department policy.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
I will fight any attempt to redirect funding for law enforcement to any other agency and especially to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
I am a strong supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens and interpret the phrase "shall not be infringed" exactly as written.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
Guns don't commit violence, people do.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Do you support the expansion of gambling in Kentucky?
Yes
Yes and no. I support the expansion of sports betting here in Kentucky because we already allow people to wager on one of my favorite sports, horse racing, so I don't believe that we should prevent people from wagering on other legitimate professional sports. I do not support the expansion of casino gambling in Kentucky.
The LGBTQ+ agenda’s advocacy for puberty blockers, biological males competing on girls’ sports teams, and allowing biological males into girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, and showers threatens the wellbeing of our children.
Strongly Agree
The LBGTQ+ agenda is already negatively impacting our impressionable young children and I believe that it is one of the major causes of the mental health crisis that we are currently seeing in our young people. I will unapologetically and fiercely fight to eradicate the agenda from our publicly funded institutions (ex. schools, libraries, the child welfare system) and block any attempts by the Federal government to incentivize it with threats to withhold federal funding.
