Tom Kelly
Republican | Wyoming
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Tom Kelly
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
Republican Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist. 30
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Ph.D., 2010
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Masters, 2003
Roosevelt University, Chicago, Masters, 1999
WORK & MILITARY
American Military University Department Chair
AFFILIATIONS
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, contributor, Wyoming VFW
contributor, Wounded Warrior Project, contributor
Gun Owners of America, member, National Rifle Association
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Sheridan City Council, 2020
WY State Superintendent, 2022
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
WY House District 30 Representative Mark Jennings
WY House District 29 Representative Ken Pendergraft
Gun Owners of America
Wyoming Freedom Caucus
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
State Republican Party Organizations (2022)
Jeff Fortenberry (2000)
Josh Hawley (2000)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Ectopic pregnancy, although many don't consider this either elective or an abortion.
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
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
The "right to die" is becoming the "duty to die" in some countries already, especially for older people. Canada and Europe offer death as a "cure" for conditions like autism and depression now. As the father of a boy with Down syndrome and as a former caretaker of my mother-in-law who passed from Alzheimer's, "aid in dying" is simply state-sponsored premeditated homicide. Furthermore, it is impossible to combat the suicide crisis while promoting suicide.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise also means the government does not "partner" in the market to pick winners and losers based on political connections and campaign contributions. Private property laws should be strengthened against abuse of the eminent domain clause in Amendment V of the Constitution.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Government mandated minimum wages reduce employment opportunities, inflate the cost of living, make if more difficult for small businesses to get off the ground, and encourage cash-based hiring of illegal immigrants.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
The purpose of investments is to increase wealth, not promote social agendas.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None, unless the church is involved in egregiously dangerous and illegal activities like child trafficking, meth production, or terrorism.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
This undermines the entire principle of liberty.
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.
C - While a free market solution should be the eventual goal for insurance and healthcare, tens of millions of retired Americans are currently dependent on these programs. Immediate abolition would be so disruptive and damaging that popular support for private healthcare would plummet.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None. Government-mandated medical intervention under the guise of public safety has already been proven to cause more harm than good.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
They openly admit this.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes, both in terms of historical significance and global security. "Never again" can't be an empty slogan, and Israel exists right in the middle of a movement that again seeks their and as well as our annihilation.
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
The USA should allow immigration of those who 1) follow immigration law and don't attempt to abuse asylum proceedings, 2) share American values, and 3) are not likely to immediately become dependent on government assistance.
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.
Agree
Ending the public school monopoly would both save taxpayers money and improve education. School board battles over bizarre left-wing curriculum and policy would end as families would simply leave the schools promoting them. That said, government money always comes with strings, which is why it is better not to fund homeschooling. No parents should have to report to the government what they teach teach their children in their homes.
VALUES
Children have the right to be protected from sexually explicit materials in publicly funded libraries, including school libraries.
Strongly Agree
Again, these laws wouldn't be necessary if the money followed the child and parents could simply choose schools that didn't put porn in the libraries.
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from harm, including from gender ideology and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
500 words isn't enough to cover what I think about this. I've done entire podcasts blasting this type of child abuse.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
I can't believe this is even a question, yet here we are with clandestine gender transitions of children and mandatory experimental mRNA injections.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
No taxpayer funds for cosmetic surgery.
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
Government has no business licensing marriage anyway.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My relationship with Christ guides my entire life, and I believe strongly in religious freedom. However, I seldom preach my faith to others. I try to lead by example, as much of my professional life is conducted in arenas sometimes hostile to Christian faith.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
That would be the end of the United States. The federal republic would splinter as states with single digit electors refused to be outvoted by Chicago.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No. Racism is an unfortunate fact of life throughout human history regardless of the countries or races involved. However, there is zero need for the federal government or any state to promote "anti-racism" or "DEI" policies which ironically reinforce divisions among groups of people.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Institutionally speaking, the United States Constitution and federal law prohibit racist policies. To insist the USA is fundamentally racist is intellectually dishonest and harmful to American principles of liberty and individual rights.
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" and "biological women" are redundant terms though that buy into the radical gender ideology lexicon. To say that there are "biological women" implies there are other types of women. There are not. Men should stay out of women's spaces.
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.
A and C - The USA has strong clean air and water laws and regulations already on the books. Besides, US law has no effect on India and China. "Climate change" policies will hamstring our economy while global CO2 emissions would continue to rise anyway. All pain and no gain.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Nothing in the world now is more reliable and transportable than hydrocarbon fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
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.
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The purpose of government is to safeguard the liberties of people by providing a predictable societal structure. That includes property rights, courts of law, a stable physical currency, and political boundaries/borders.
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
Although media will call me "far right."
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
I can't believe this failed policy of the '70s came back to haunt us again.
2ND AMENDMENT
Please express your views on the 2nd Amendment.
Amendment II is the foundation of all other aspects of the Bill of Rights. Other nations have on paper the rights to free speech and religion, but no gun rights, which is evident in the political persecution happening in places like Canada and the UK now.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Disagree
I had to leave Colorado after it happened there. Crime skyrocketed, and they responded with more gun control.
