Maribella McDermid
Republican | Minnesota
Candidate Profile*
Insufficient Information
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Maribella McDermid
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary & CD1 Special General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 31
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Minnesota School of Business, Bachelor's Degree
WORK & MILITARY
Unites States Coast Guard, Yeoman, 10
Minnesota National Guard Rosemount, Yeoman, 1
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
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?
Only if there is a chance of a serious potential health complication with the mother that would threaten her life if the baby was born. All life should be protected however there are certain instances (ex: a baby who is not expected to live after birth or expected to be born with a severe defect) where the mother and father should make a mutual decision to abort. If there is not a father, the sole decision rests in the mother's hands.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Planned Parenthood and other organizations who perform abortions should be defunded from any level of government. If citizens are concerned about birth control options there is a wide variety of pharmacies and other free programs that will supply birth control needs. It's important to remember that abstinence is always an option and is the most effective way to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Agree
I fully support adults who have made a conscious decision to end their life. I feel adults should be evaluated on an individual basis after they have discussed with family, their doctor, and clergy (if applicable).
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
My best solution would be to cut our state income tax in half. Instead of the top earners paying almost 10% in state income tax and our lowest earners paying 5%, our highest earners would pay 5% and our lowest earners would pay 2.5%. If the state would be projected to lose money with this new tax plan we can offset this with a tax on clothing since MN has one of the largest shopping centers in the world along with many other shopping destinations to contribute to state sales tax. Lowering the income tax in MN puts more money back into the pockets of Minnesotans and also encourages more people to move to the state as we rank low in tax favorability amongst our Midwestern peers.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
All government spending that is considered "Pork". We need to let voters decide where the spending should be not the politicians.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
We need to focus on investing in the trades and trade school as there is a tremendous demand in today's economy for trade jobs. We also to need revamp our entire high school and college curriculum to put a focus on specialization in our schools. This means targeting subjects of the students and encouraging them to take courses based on their interests. The student debt crisis in this country could be cut in half with specialization schools by reducing 4 year degrees to 2 years.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
In a free market economy, the business owner has and should have the choice when deciding to serve a potential customer.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Under no circumstances should the government close churches.
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) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. Government should not be allowed to interfere with private healthcare. A healthcare system funded entirely by the government is extremely inefficient. The wait times at clinics would be extremely long for injuries and illnesses and the surgery wait times would be even longer. Individuals who can't afford private health insurance should have the opportunity to apply via Medicare and Medicaid. I advocate for price transparency between the hospitals and insurance companies to disclose prices before procedures or preventative tests.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
I believe the current regulations at public schools to disclose vaccinations should remain however any newly created vaccines like the COVID-19 vaccine should not be required as they have not yet been thoroughly tested. For the government and private employers, I believe vaccination requirements should be disclosed up front to potential employees. The government or private employer could mandate vaccines if they so choose but the two rules I would implement would be the full disclosure of the vaccine requirement up front and the government or private employer can't mandate vaccines for current employees already working before implementing the mandate.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We need to better vet these individuals. We need to have waiting lists to give enough time to the government to thoroughly vet individuals seeking to come into the United States. I would require immigrants to have a job secured before coming to our country.
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
I stand with the people of Israel and I believe we should strengthen our bond as Israel is a valued diplomatic partner of the United States.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
We need to implement stronger policies on our southern border. We need to increase Border Patrol presence along with our I.C.E. personnel to monitor and secure our border for the safety of our people. We also need to finish building the border wall that was started.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Individuals that seek legal entry into the United States by going through the citizenship test and waitlist. We need to monitor and assist our legal immigrants with securing a job and a home base. The ultimate goal is to make sure our immigrants assimilate into the United States.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
In order to stop corrupt school boards and administrations we need to get our education system under control. Vouchers would allow parents to send their kids to schools of higher learning and would force administrations to look at curriculum that is wanted by parents for their children's future.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Agree
I believe every person has the right to believe and choose any religion which suits their values and morals. The only exception is any form of satanic religion. I do not believe a satanic religion provides positive morals.
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Disagree
I believe using gender identities leads down a slippery slope. This is because there is no line that can be drawn in the sand. There are enough discriminations laws to protect the public at large. If we start to create genders out of thin air and cater to the few who create these identities with their individual gender, where does this end?
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Neutral
Individuals need to make this choice, they have to answer to GOD NOT ME.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
I am Puerto Rican. CRT is essentially teaching children to develop a victim mentality which will not motivate or inspire them. The United States is not fundamentally racist but quite the contrary. The United States represents opportunity for all if you work hard to succeed. CRT needs to be removed from our curriculum immediately as it harms the way our children think.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Lutheran. My stepdad is Muslim and I couldn't ask for a better role model. He always told me you can do and be anything you want just work hard, love your family, be productive in your community and Thank God! He was right!
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Unfortunately our election system is broken! There was a time where we could trust voters to vote without identification but political parties have made it their mission to make sure our vote and our voice is not heard. We must change this and Voter I.D. should be mandatory.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I would implement a voter I.D. policy which would make it mandatory for all voters to have proper identification to vote. I would also require mandatory election judges and only have mail-in ballots for citizens living overseas. Finally, I would outlaw ballot harvesting which prevents the mass collection of ballots across a jurisdiction.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism is a systemic method of political parties trying to destroy our nation. Racism is something that is learned and taught. We need to stop funding racist groups such as White Supremacy Groups and Black Lives Matter.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Reparations were given to Native Americans. Everyone else is not native and should work to acquire what they need and want.
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.
Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. We have huge environmental laws on the books and the ones that are being made today are to line certain politicians' pockets. We need to allow people to work while protecting the environment. What individuals forget is that while the United States is protecting our environment the rest of the world is not. We all breathe the same air.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Agree
I believe fracking under the correct guidelines can be productive and environmentally safe.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To serve the people not their pockets.
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
I do believe in certain traditional values but I believe my values are my own and everyone can develop their own values based on their beliefs and moral leanings. I don't believe one person's values supersede another. This is why we are divided today.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjSuVAmaYxo
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 strongly believe in the 1st, 2nd, and 9th amendments. I also believe politicians should have term limits and should be banned from trading publicly owned companies listed on any stock exchange. This builds on my belief in financial transparency where I believe candidates must disclose their personal assets before elected and during their time served in government.
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
It's important to remain supportive of our police officers however I am in favor of weeding out individuals who might had a history of poor conduct from prior time served as an officer.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
We need to increase funding for our police departments throughout the state which are already underfunded and understaffed. However, we need to reallocate funds from other ineffective government programs and redistribute them to mental healthcare to individuals who need them or are at risk.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Our country already has enough rules and regulations on gun ownership. We need to hold criminals accountable while not restricting the rights of law abiding citizens with firearms. We also need to impose stricter sentencing guidelines for individuals who brake our gun laws.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
Guns do not create the intended violence. Individuals need to be held accountable for their actions and should be punished accordingly.
