Michael Cassidy

Republican | Mississippi

Candidate Profile

Conservative

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Michael Cassidy


Party

Republican


Election Year

2023


Election

General


Race

State House, Dist. 45


Incumbent

No


Links

Michael Cassidy websites Michael Cassidy emailFacebookX

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

Fidelity Technologies, Instructor Pilot, 2023-present

AFFILIATIONS

First Presbyterian Church, Meridian, Active Member

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

(Candidate did not provide)

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

U.S. Congress, 2022

Race

Previous Races

ENDORSEMENTS

REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)

Southern States Police Benevolent Association

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)

Joe Kent (WA) (2022)

State Republican Party Organizations (2022)

WinRed (2022)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (3)

GatorPAC Action (2022)

MAGA Magnolia PAC (2022)

WinRed (2022)


OTHER INFORMATION

Michael Cassidy 2022 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection answers 2022 (running as candidate for 2022 U.S. Rep Dist. 3)

YouTube video of American Family Association interview of Michael Cassidy from June of 2022.

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

To save the life of the mother

I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Strongly Disagree

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

Strongly Agree


ECONOMY

What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?

In general, the code must be simplified so the average person can understand it. More specifically, in Mississippi, we need to put the income tax and grocery tax on a short path to elimination.

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?

It's easy to say "cut waste and abuse," but with a lifetime of experience in the Navy, I can tell you there is a lot of waste that can be cut. We need to strengthen the office of the auditor to ensure the taxpayer isn't being defrauded.


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 should government close churches?

None.


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 options (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 the government should reform healthcare to maximize private health insurance options; D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.

C

Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?

None, a basic part of liberty is medical liberty - the right to decide what you put in your body.


NATIONAL SECURITY

What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?

Secure the border and set up a functioning immigration system so we don't have millions of unvetted people pouring into our country. 9/11 happened, in part, due to lax immigration policy. Internationally we need to work both militarily and diplomatically with allies and partners to ensure terrorist training grounds like what existed for al Qaeda and ISIS never last long.


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 need to pause immigration for the short term, with occasional and very limited exceptions. Our society simply cannot handle more immigration at the present.


EDUCATION

The state should prioritize education funding by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of focusing on programs and administrators.

Strongly Agree

If you support giving parents more educational options, please list all of the following options that apply and in priority order: A) A universal Education Savings Account (ESA) program; B) An ESA program for low-income children only; C) Expanding tax credits for businesses to give to private schools; D) Expanding public charter schools; E) Allowing homeschoolers to take classes at the local public school.

C, D, E

What most closely matches your view on pornography? A) I agree with the American Library Association that any person of any age should have access to any book; B) Library collections, displays and events should be curated using age-appropriate guidelines, similar to what we do for movies (G, PG, R, etc.); C) Mississippi libraries should follow state laws that prevent pornography from being accessible to minors.

C


VALUES

What most closely matches your view on marriage? A) Anything goes; B) Marriage between one man and one woman should be promoted and encouraged; C) A divorce should be hard to get; D) Marriage is important, but no-fault divorce should be allowed.

B

Judeo-Christian values establish a framework of morality that 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

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

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I'm a Christian who understands that belief in Jesus Christ is essential for personal salvation and also that morality is not relative, but based in Scripture.


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Strongly Disagree

What most closely matches your view on ballot measures? A) Ballot measures should be able to amend the constitution with few, if any, restrictions; B) Ballot measures should only be able to propose changes to laws when signatures are collected from people all across the state; C) The current process of allowing the Legislature to propose constitutional amendments will result in the best outcomes.

B


EQUALITY

I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.

Strongly Disagree

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 problem is largely created by agitators who fan the flames of racial division.


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.

A is closest to my view. We should not have years/decades long processes to build a factory due to environmental impact studies, or because of a threat to some "endangered" subspecies of fungus, for instance. Neither should we hamstring our oil and gas or nuclear industries, nor mandate unreliable and absurdly expensive "green" energy due to "climate change" policies, which are really about enriching a small elite while regular people suffer the economic consequences. Nonetheless we, as conservatives, should take reasonable precautions to preserve God's creation for ourselves and future generations.


ABOUT YOU

What do you think is the general purpose of government?

To provide for common defense, establish justice, and to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens.

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).

Interview with AFA, June 2022

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've spent my entire adult life in service to our nation, either in the active duty military or in the reserves, and I'm running for office because I see our society collapsing socially, morally, fiscally, and militarily, and I can't stand it.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.

Agree

Police should be protected from frivolous lawsuits and attacks on their careers while properly acting in accordance with policy. If they are knowingly and recklessly ignoring policy, there should be consequences, just like any other professional field.

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?

...shall not be infringed

Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.

Strongly Disagree

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