George J. Hruza
Republican | Missouri
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
George J. Hruza
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 24
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
New York University School of Arts and Sciences, New York, BA, 1978
New York University School of Medicine, New York, MD, 1982
Washington University Olin School of Business, Saint Louis, MBA, 1998
WORK & MILITARY
New York Hospital-Cornell University, Internal Medicine Intern, 1982-83
New York University Medical Center, Dermatology Resident, 1983-86
Harvard University-Massachusetts General Hospital, Laser Surgery Fellow, 1986-87
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery Fellow, 1987-88
Washington University School of Medicine, Assistant/Associate Professor, 1988-99
St. Louis University Medical School, Clinical/Adjunct Professor, 1999-present
AFFILIATIONS
American Academy of Dermatology, President, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
President, American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, President
Missouri State Medical, Association, President, Saint Louis Metropolitan Medical Society
President, Washington University, Eliot Society member
Saint Louis Jewish Federation, Maimonides Society
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
OTHER (1)
*Freedom Principle MO
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (8)
Sen. Caleb Rowden, Missouri Senate Majority Leader
Rep. Jason Smith, U.S. Congress
Rep. John Joyce, U.S. Congress
Sen. Karla Eslinger, Missouri Senate
Rep. Dean Plocher, Missouri State Assembly, Majority Leader, incoming Speaker
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (18)
Ann Wagner (2019)
Ben Brown (2022)
Bob Onder (2022)
John Joyce (2022)
John Sidney McCain (2008)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
LaVanna M. Wrobley (2022)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Kim Schrier (2019)
Sherrod Brown (2018)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Did not answer
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Did not answer
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Did not answer
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
High tax rates have a significant impact on Missouri's ability to attract and create new jobs. I favor reducing taxes to spur economic growth. I would support reductions in some corporate tax credits, that have a limited economic impact, and use the savings to reduce taxes for all Missourians.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Missouri currently has a budget surplus. I would ensure that all new spending is sustainable to safeguard Missouri in an economic downturn.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
I believe every student should have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to work in the field of their choosing. This should include college, trade schools, access to workforce development and adult retraining programs. I support private and public educational facilities offering merit-based scholarships to students.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Did not answer
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Did not answer
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.
C) Healthcare should be available to all through the private economy, with the government supporting those not able to get it in the private market, having a government supported safety net.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Childhood vaccinations provide a huge public health benefit by dramatically reducing risk of serious illness and death and as such should continue to be required. The current COVID-19 vaccines, while reducing the risk of serious illness and death, do not protect from infection and spread of the virus to others. Therefore, I recommend that eligible adults get the vaccine for benefit to their health, but I do not favor COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We need to have an aggressive posture internationally to root out, with the help of our allies, Islamic Terrorists wherever they may be around the world or domestically.
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 Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complicated international issue. Israel is the only democracy in the region and a strong U.S. ally, while the Palestinian territories are controlled by terrorist groups (and former terrorist groups) supported by Iran that terrorize the citizens of Israel and export their terrorism far and wide with the help of Iran. The United States should continue to work toward peace in the region, but not at the expense of the safety and security of Israel.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Our southern border has to be secured with increased border patrol presence, physical barriers and electronic surveillance. Asylum seekers should request asylum from the first country outside their own that they enter. A porous border has allowed drug cartels to engage in unprecedented sex trafficking, human smuggling, Fentanyl smuggling, and individuals on terror watch lists. A secure southern border is key to U.S. security and the humane thing to do.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
The U.S. is a country of immigrants and the severe worker shortage suggests that legal immigration should be significantly increased. It should be based on what skills are needed in the U.S. Our system should become a merit-based immigration system. Australia and Canada prioritize immigration based on the needs for those countries. I would favor a significant increase in legal immigration based on skills and merit. I myself received an immigrant visa based upon fear of persecution from Czechoslovakia. My parents were tried in absentia and would have served in prison upon return
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Schools should re-focus on teaching the basics and preparing students for the workforce. They should teach kids how to think, not what to think. Parents should know what their children are being taught at school (transparency). Children should be able to go to the school that best fits their learning style and ability. School choice improves performance of both charter schools as well as public schools due to the introduction of competition into the educational landscape
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Did not answer
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Did not answer
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Did not answer
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
I grew up in communist Czechoslovakia. The tribalism victim/oppressor ideology of CRT is Marxism by another name. It leads to loss of self-esteem, guilt and resentment among the children being taught CRT and can ultimately be very disruptive to society. What makes the U.S great is the focus on the individual and their individual rights and responsibilities.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Did not answer
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
The public must have trust and faith that elections are secure and that every legal vote is counted. Photo ID is an important part of keeping elections secure.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
The recent update of Missouri's election laws is effective in that ensures the integrity, accessibility and security of our election process.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
It is not. We need to bring the "temperature" of our discourse down a notch that is pushed by extremes on both sides of the political spectrum. We need to stick to a nation of individual liberty, responsibility and opportunity. We should strive for a colorblind society based on individual rights, merit and equality of opportunity.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
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) We have to protect the environment, but have to also weigh the costs and benefits of regulations. The regulatory state tends to be constantly increasing its reach with greater and greater costs with less and less environmental benefit.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
We should utilize the bounty of energy resources available to us in the U.S. Natural gas is a great bridge fuel with a far lower CO2 footprint than oil and coal. Energy independence strengthens our economy, will reduce costs at the pump, increases our strength on the world stage and will help our European allies stand up to Russian aggression.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Secure individual liberty and natural rights. Keep citizens safe from enemies foreign and domestic. Set up a level playing field for businesses and individuals. Help the needy to become independent of government support whenever possible.
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?
Lean Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/republicans-to-target-st-louis-county-state-senate-seat-that-dems-flipped-in-2014/article_5cfa6fd5-b8eb-5544-aaa1-dd2c225adcc1.html https://www.stltoday.com/news/special-reports/mohealth/unitedhealthcare-cuts-missouri-physicians-from-medicare-advantage/article_b4cca6be-6bc1-5c74-96aa-88f96cd6dd31.html https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/hruza-victorious-in-gop-primary-for-senate-district-24/article_bdb0c240-1404-11ed-85d2-8f3306cd0aaa.html https://www.westnewsmagazine.com/election-preview/article_0e6c1ca2-07a3-11ed-b1ea-476848f7ce75.html
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 am the son of a Holocaust survivor. We escaped from Communist Czechoslovakia with nothing to our name and both my parents and sister had successful careers in the U.S. as physicians and I became a dermatologist and, ultimately, President of the American Academy of Dermatology. Such opportunity for an immigrant is only possible in one country in the world - The United States. I am running to keep that opportunity available for those that follow me for generations to come.
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
Police officers are overwhelmingly professional and have to make life and death decisions at a moment's notice. They need to know that they will not be second-guessed after the fact. They should receive the training and practice needed to minimize the risk of a wrong decision leading to injury or death of an innocent indvidual.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
Support of mental health is an important priority, but it should not be funded at the expense of our men and women in blue.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
We need robust background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those that are a danger to themselves or others with due process protections observed.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
A firearm is a tool. It is the individual holding and using the gun that should be held liable for injury or death resulting from using the gun.
