Stephen Lowell
Republican | Minnesota
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Stephen Lowell
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 52
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
(Candidate did not provide)
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
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 (2)
Minnesota Gun Owners PAC
*Patriot Parents
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
MN Gun Owners Caucus
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
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
No one in good conscience should seek or provide such a procedure unless in absolute necessity. That said I also don't think the state has the power to allow or disallow it. To offer a "ban" would be a false promise and Minnesota Supreme Court rulings prevent such legislature regardless.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
No one should be forced to pay for something that betrays their principles or faith.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Reduce taxation wherever possible while mitigating any negative impact to Minnesotans.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Discretionary programs commonly referred to as "waste" would likely be first and after significant research even more. Ideally low or no impact, there's plenty of bloat.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Choose not to answer
Before the topic of state funded college can even be approached we need to solve two problems first. One - Why it takes 14 years to produce an employable adult. Two - Why our results in education and the size of the education budget are not correlating. The answer here is CLEARLY not more funding.
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 can 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 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.
"D" Ever since state involvement with the medical industry, prices have grown to the point where no one can afford to participate in it. So much so our credit reporting agencies no longer consider medical debt. Obviously were the events of "D" to take place there would need to be a gentle phasing and incentives for private charity to assist those who will struggle until the market corrects itself. The human cost must be avoided if at all possible. I won't claim to have all the answers but I'm fairly certain MORE government is not it.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Stop nation building/meddling in the middle east and maintain awareness campaigns for the general public to better identify possible threats. The FBI needs an overhaul and to stop being a political tool so it can properly address concerns exactly like this and others.
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.
Neutral
I'm running for office in America. I would need to know more about the political climate and specific historical facts that surround this conflict in the middle east.
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?
People without criminal charges/convictions in their home country (we are not a prison colony). If you can complete our present citizenship requirements then you're in.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which 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
Choose not to answer
The government doesn't belong in religion period.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Born Catholic, now non-denominational Christian. I believe in the non-aggression principle. I believe in the binary family. I believe in the pursuit of prosperity. I believe we all fall short and we are our brother's keeper. The Judeo-Christian value system produces the best societies on the globe.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Voting in the most powerful country in the world needs to be more secure.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Voting day should be a state/national paid holiday. Voting should be done in person wherever possible and exceptions should be narrow. Auditing should be public and not demonized. Ballots should be secret and on paper. Any vote counting software if it is used cannot be secret or have inspection by citizens barred under any circumstances. Confidence in our elections must be restored and it starts with brutal honesty.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Extremism is always a danger (recent Trump supporting teenager murdered by democrat over political argument etc.) and with the usage of racial tensions in mass media outlets for as much shock value as possible it certainly could be.
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" I believe the environment is incredibly important though it appears our environmental protections either don't work effectively or are poorly designed. Since it is very difficult to prove something isn't happening it's near impossible to determine if the regulations are preventing anything awareness and incentives wouldn't be able to prevent. We still have spills, we still have leakage and poisonings/contamination. Also a negligent corporation that does follow regulations is harder to sue.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Neutral
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To maintain and defend it's citizens from all threats, foreign or domestic. To maintain order in our society and remove demonstrated threats to that society from the general population for judgement and sentencing if found guilty.
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
Labels are so messy these days. The Constitution, individual liberty, the non-aggression principle and if we must have government may it be limited.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Google me. I was on AM1280 the Patriot and I have a 3 hour and 40ish minute interview on Nick Rekieta's youtube channel found here ( https://youtu.be/D96J9Na_yq4 ) my now famous speech for the Dakota County Patriots makes clear my criticism of state power and its abuses.
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 priorities are making it safer for the private citizen to defend themselves and their family (stand your ground+castle doctrine) then working to reduce taxation, give back the "surplus" and I mean every dime if it's possible. Next I'd like to see what can be done about police and Constitutionality as well as image and try to bring us back to a time when seeing a cop was only concerning if you'd hurt someone or stolen something etc. Then education reform both budgetary and in function. No more CRT no political messaging and find out where the money sink is.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Agree
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
We suffer from a lack of a robust mental health services for certain though our police cannot be crippled further. They must be staffed and equipped especially while violent crime is so prevalent.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None. Criminals/terrorists/mentally disturbed will steal, build and use guns to harm people regardless of the laws we write. The only question is how defenseless the law abiding and decent will be when they decide to hurt people. Banning or restricting gun ownership will only give the average American a false sense of security that "because of X law they can't get those" when those with a drive to commit violence upon innocents have proven time and again they will do so with whatever tools are available to them from heavy rocks to knives or hammers to rifles.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
The precedent posed by this is an existential threat to our markets. People own their actions. Manufacturers and Store owners have nothing to do with their customers actions involving their products after they've sold them with only some very narrow exceptions.
