J. Gregory Howard
Republican | Georgia
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
J. Gregory Howard
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 7
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Georgia State University, Atlanta, Business Admin & Finance
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
National Rifle Association, EVC, Frontlines Activist Leader, 2008-9 Jay M. Littlefield Award Winner, Georgia Moving Forward, Inc.
Founding Board Member, Gwinnett County Republican Assembly, Chairman
Georgia Republican Assembly, State Executive Board, United Military Care, Inc. (501c3)
Co-founder / Founding Chairman of the Board, Life Renewed International, Inc. (501c3), Chairman Emeritus
Operation Not Forgotten, Inc.(501c3), Chairman Emeritus, United Way of Metro Atlanta
Regional Commission of Veterans Homelessness, Board Member, Operation Homefront, Inc., Former Chairman of the Board
U.S. Selective Service System, District II Appeals Board Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Chairman, Gwinnett County Republican Party, 2005-2009
Chairman, All Counties Over 80k Population, 2007-2009
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Georgia State Senate, 5th District, 2002
United State House of Representatives, 2022
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (2)
*National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF
Stand For Health Freedom
OTHER (1)
Veterans for America First - Veterans for Trump (VFAF)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I do not believe in “elective” abortions.
Chemical abortion drugs should meet essential safety standards (such as in-person consultation with a medical doctor) and require reporting to gather evidence on reactions and outcomes.
Strongly Agree
For a start, the FDA has been a failure and drug safety is of paramount concern. Forcing the body to reject a fetus via a potentially dangerous chemical reaction should mandate that the utmost adherence to medical safety be employed and monitored for the health of the patient.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
No taxpayer funds for abortion providers. Period.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
I do not agree with and have a moral objection with the movement toward assisted suicide and euthanasia. **Note. I was sole caregiver to my mother for almost five years thru Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Thru my care she lived nearly four and a half years longer than the doctors originally thought she would. She lived to have dozens of priceless visits with grandchildren and great-grandchildren that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise is unquestionably the only way to maximize equality and productivity of an economy. The right to be secure in your property is a cornerstone of our American values.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
The minimum wage was never intended to be a “living wage.” It was a starting point for unskilled or untested labor to enter into the workforce.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
Using ESG and associated rating systems to enforce social platforms by government is a pathway to leftist control, tyranny and permanent loss of freedoms under the guise of social or collective conciseness.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
In the traditional definition of a church there isn’t one. The closures as a result of the COVID pandemic were about control, not about safety.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Individual private businesses should have the right to associate and work with people of their choosing. Just as you have the right to request their services, they have the right to deny service if your request is in violation of their ethical or moral code.
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.
I am most in line with option B. Basic healthcare and preventative care should be available to all citizens that need it. Beyond that health insurance should be the norm either through the workplace or private placement. The system as it is has been a cash free-for-all for the medical establishment and insurance companies. Medicaid and Medicare should remain available.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None. Personal or religious choice.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Yes, absolutely. Not enough is done to protect our country from them or any other foreign entity. Estimates are that $500 billion dollars of our GDP are stolen by the Chinese every year. Corporate espionage and technology theft..
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Israel is a important business and strategic ally in the middle east for the United States.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Yes, we should secure the borders of this country. More importantly, we need to STOP promising sanctuary and unending financial support to illegal aliens. Non-citizens should get nothing, except emergency healthcare. Assimilation and adherence to our laws should be required as it once was, or be immediately deported. .
EDUCATION
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child through programs which protect parents' freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely, the dollars should follow the child. Make schools compete.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
I could not agree more. Let a child carry a Bible into a school and watch him/her get punished.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Unless your rights have been removed by the courts, the child’s parents have the right and responsibility for all decision concerning a minor child. The schools and the state have no right to make decisions for the child without the parents approval. This can be fixed.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
NO. Unequivocally, no. It your choice, it is your expense.
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
Marriage is a religious ceremony, bound by the church estate. All other forms of legal unions are “civil unions” under the law. They may contain all the same elements and promises, but are not marriage.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Non-denominational Christian.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Photo ID should be required. No exceptions.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
No. The Electoral College is a important check on the power of large states vs. small in the process of electing a President.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism is always a potential threat to domestic security. Anything that can be used to divide the populace and diminish public unity is a threat to our society. The goal has always been equality of the people under the law, not to rule by exception.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
No. CRT is a Marxist ideology that views all other previous cultural norms as faulted.
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
Biological males should NOT be in women’s locker rooms or allowed to compete in women’s sports. They can compete as males OR they can create their own classification.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? (Select all that apply) A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. D) Climate change is real and requires urgent policy action.
C. Energy requirements have doubled worldwide every 18-20 years. I am in favor of development of every reliable source of clean energy as long as we continue to meet the needs of our personal and industrial requirements. The transition, at best, would take nearly 100 years. We do not have the infrastructure in place.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
We do not need to limit ourselves to one form of energy. We have an abundance of coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels. Our goal should be to continue to use of these forms of energy to supply our needs while cleaner alternatives are developed.
ABOUT YOU
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. I’ll try harder.
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
I am a minimalist when it comes the role of government. Government needs to stay out of personal lives, and do the job that we entrusted them with–to run and govern our country efficiently and truthfully, according to the laws our forefathers crafted.
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
I am a Constitutional Conservative, with a heavy dose of Libertarianism. When I did my radio show I would say that freedom started with these four ideals. “You can do whatever you want as long as your choice does not effect my person, property, rights or religion. Go be happy." Economically I am a follower of Edward Deming and capitalism.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
No to redirecting funds. The police are underpaid and understaffed as it is.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
"Consistent with the framework of our founding instruments, Constitutional superiority rests on the behalf of the Citizens' in their relationship with their government and requires that: Any weapon that is available to any civilian governmental entity, be it local, state or federal, is to be available to the Citizens, or those not convicted of certain criminal acts or adjudicated mentally incompetent and whose rights have not been restored, without license, tax, registration or encumbrance.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
With proper training, yes. Gun safes could be installed in classrooms. Why aren’t we looking for other options as well. Retired police and military could help patrol the school grounds.
