Mike Sharp
Republican | Minnesota
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Mike Sharp
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 39B
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Northwestern - St. Paul, Roseville, MN, BS, 2011
Midwestern University - Glendale, Glendale, AZ, MSPAS, 2016
WORK & MILITARY
Mayo Clinic Arizona, Physician Assistant Fellow, 1
Mayo Clinic Rochester, ICU Physician Assistant, 3
Multiple Hospital Locations, ER Physician Assistant, 4
AFFILIATIONS
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (2)
Minnesota Gun Owners PAC
*Patriot Parents
OTHER (1)
Republican Party of Minnesota
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Only when the life of the mother is threatened. We need not add the tragedy of the taking of innocent life to the various tragedies that lead pregnant mothers to consider an abortion.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive 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
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Minnesota state income tax is way too high. I would cut taxes for all hard-working Minnesotans to ensure our state remains competitive with good jobs. We cannot chase our wonderful businesses to low-tax states like we have seen in other high-tax states like New York and California.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
We currently have a $9 to $12 billion surplus. Our very generous government programs are fully funded. We need to return the tax money to the hard-working families that were overcharged by our state legislators.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
Adding taxpayer dollars to post-secondary institutions tends to inflate the costs borne by students and their families, and we have seen a dilution of the value of the Bachelor's degrees granted at four-year institutions. We should support our public school students with exposure to varied career opportunities in a number of fields such as trades and other technical vocations in addition to the post-secondary academic route.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Our Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. Living one's faith is not confined to singing songs, worship services, and private prayer, but is something a person does every day in his or her work, school, and other activities of daily life.
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.
C
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Certain childhood vaccinations can be reasonably required when demonstrated to be safe and prevent transmission of diseases that cause serious harm to the public. Studies of the currently available COVID-19 vaccinations have shown a signal for potential harm, especially in young males. The COVID-19 vaccines also do not prevent infection with SARS-CoV2 or transmission of the virus. A person who declines the novel mRNA vaccines should be able to do so with no harm to their ability to participate fully in their jobs, schools, or other activities.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We need to protect US citizens and interests at home and abroad. Protracted foreign wars with unclear goals must be avoided. That said, we must be vigilant and proactive in detecting threats 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.
Choose not to answer
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Just as the citizens of the United States do not indiscriminately allow anyone and everyone to walk into their homes at any time of the day or night, we cannot do this with our Southern Border. We must know who is entering, when, and for how long each person intends to stay in the country. We have always been a country welcoming of genuine refugees, and we must have a speedy and effective process for processing asylum claims.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
We must evaluate the needs of our country and have a good-faith discussion about how many immigrants should be allowed into the country. We have created a humanitarian crisis by falsely advertising that all are welcome to cross the Southern Border, and we need to restore order on our borders.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Parents must have the freedom to provide their children with the best education they can for their children. Each child is different, and the industrial school model does not work. We should allow parents' tax money to follow their children to the appropriate school rather than funding broken institutions.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
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
Strongly Agree
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.
I am a Catholic Christian. I believe all people are created with inherent dignity and must be treated as such. Each human being is created in the image of God, and we are created for relationship with each other and with God. Believers in other religions must also be treated with respect in law and in our communities, and we should work to find common ground amongst ourselves to build a culture that welcomes and protects the most vulnerable.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
We must make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Minnesota law has lots of holes in its election laws that allow for people to vote illegally, and these holes need to be closed.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
All violence is a threat to domestic security in the United States. Falsely charging people with racism and labeling them domestic terrorists does not help the situation.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Choose not to answer
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. The types of environmental regulations that have been enacted in recent years have only increased the size and unaccountable authority of government agencies without adding a lot of measurable benefit. Everyone wants clean air, clean water, and a healthy ecosystem. I support sustainable and temperate use of our abundant natural resources and oppose unchecked federal governmental authority.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Agree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Government is meant to create just laws that promote the common good of the citizens under its jurisdiction. Government is meant to protect its citizens from criminality, war, and other physical dangers.
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
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
I have never run for public office or been a public official.
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 a physician assistant (PA) trained in critical care, and I worked in rural Emergency Departments before, during, and after the COVID-19 outbreak. I am appalled at the lack of leadership and mismanagement of our state since the onset of COVID-19. We now have less hospital bed capacity in our state despite billions of federal dollars poured into the system. In addition, children have suffered from our COVID response. I am running to fight for regular families who want their kids to receive a high-quality education in reading, writing, math, and science. We need a major change in direction in this state, and I will prioritize policies that encourage family formation, growth, and flourishing!
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Neutral
I have major concerns about removing qualified immunity, but I need to learn more about this specific legal issue.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Felons and other violent criminals should be barred from gun ownership. Law-abiding adults should be free to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
