Michael Cassidy
Republican | Mississippi
Candidate Profile*
Leans Conservative
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Michael Cassidy
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
U.S. House, Dist. 3
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, B.A. in History, 2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, A.L.M. in Extension Studies, Field: Government, 2018
WORK & MILITARY
United States Navy, Lieutenant Commander, 2009-2020
United States Navy Reserves, Lieutenant Commander, 2021-present
Vertex Aerospace, Test Pilot, 2021-present
AFFILIATIONS
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Republicans for National Renewal
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Joe Kent (WA) (2022)
State Republican Party Organizations (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE*
*Additional information was received after the evaluation was assigned and was not considered in the Panel Evaluations, therefore it is for additional educational purposes only.
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
My opponent, Mr. Guest, has voted multiple times to give Planned Parenthood over $1.1 billion in federal funding. HR 233 in Dec 2020 and HR 2471 in Mar 2022. HR 2471 was split into two separate votes to allow "conservative" politicians to deceive their constituents about whether they voted to fund various parts of the Leftist agenda, including Planned Parenthood. The bill required both votes to pass, therefore a vote for one part was a vote for both parts.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Life of the mother. If you believe that life begins at conception, as I do, then logic follows that even in the horrible circumstance of rape or incest, it is not morally correct to punish the child for the crime of the father. I strongly support increasing the severity of punishment for those who commit rape or incest. I also strongly support federal programs to assist mothers, as well as adoption services.
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
Mr. Guest has a 67% rating from the Club for Growth due to his history of voting for reckless spending that has contributed to pushing our national debt above $30 trillion. He voted recently to send over $50 billion of our tax dollars to Ukraine when inflation is soaring, the GDP is collapsing, and Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities. America First means putting *Americans* first. Mr. Guest has not and will not - I will.
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Simplify the tax code, make it easier for regular Americans to do their taxes, and decrease overall tax rates.
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?
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the phrase “separation of church and state,” would regularly attend Christian services in the Capitol building while he was President of the United States. That phrase doesn’t mean what the modern interpretation has been, which is the near-abolition of religion in the public sphere. This is NOT what our Founders intended, just that there would be no state-controlled church, there would be no religious tests for office, and that Congress would make no law restricting the freedom of religion. John Adams said “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” We must bring religion back into the public sphere, while adhering to all Constitutional restrictions.
HEALTHCARE
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
The government has no rightful authority to enforce vaccine mandates. A basic principle of liberty is medical autonomy.
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.
We need to lower the massive costs in our health care system by instituting tort reform to lower doctor’s insurance costs, reducing government red tape in the drug approval process, and allowing people to buy coverage across state lines.
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. America First means the interests of America and her citizens comes first. Many of the people who bang the drums of war the loudest are, curiously, often the last to volunteer to serve in conflicts themselves. I believe that it is in our general interest to support peace and stability between foreign nations, but we must be very cautious before committing our troops (and our resources, when we are $30 trillion in debt) to any foreign endeavor.
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?
Not allow terrorists into our country by having strong border control and rigorous vetting. On occasion, such as immediately after 9/11, military force is required to eliminate known threats abroad. We must be careful in assessing whether military action we take abroad will have potential blowback effects on our nation and interests, however.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
We need to finish the wall, use the military to supplement border patrol, and turn back all who enter our country illegally, not release them inside our own border.
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?
Immigration has been a great benefit to our country for a long time. But times have changed. We have not absorbed the tens of millions who have arrived in recent years well. We must put a pause on immigration, including legal, until our nation is stronger.
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
We need to ban the teaching of CRT and other such anti-American ideologies at all educational levels.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. Our salvation comes only by the grace of God and through belief in Jesus Christ.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Mandate voter ID for all federal elections, ban ballot drop boxes, require individuals to ask for absentee ballots each election cycle, require localities to scrub voter rolls each election cycle, and increase the transparency of the counting process.
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. The only real racism in our country today, other than a handful of isolated incidents, is what has been stirred up by the Left and the Media.
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.
There are certainly numerous burdensome environmental regulations that need to be removed for economic activity to increase. I do not support so-called climate laws that handcuff our energy production. I do support reducing actual pollution (heavy metals, micro-plastics, etc.). God gave us a beautiful planet and it is our duty to be good stewards of it.
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
America First conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
I’m new to politics, having spent my career as a Navy pilot, and don’t have a record that career politicians have.
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?
I’m an America First conservative and former Navy F/A-18 pilot running against a RINO incumbent. I want to provide an actual conservative voice for the Mississippi 3rd, and when I get to D.C., want to ensure election integrity, finish the wall and pause immigration, end all vaccine mandates, push for a Term Limits Amendment, and impeach Joe Biden.
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
The Left's attack on police has reduced the number of applicants to police forces nationwide. We must back our police 100% when they conduct themselves in accordance with policy, just as we do with the military. They literally put their lives on the line for our communities, as a Congressman I will have their back as well.
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?
I reject the wording of this question. It implies that guns are the problem, not the criminals who wield them. We need to focus on criminals, not on law-abiding citizens exercising their fundamental 2nd Amendment rights.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
