Mary Kathleen Figaro
Democrat | Iowa
Candidate Profile*
Liberal
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Mary Kathleen Figaro
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 47
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Princeton University, Princeton, BA, 1992
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, MD, 1996
Cornell University, New York, MS, 2001
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
AMA, YP delegate, alternate delegate, MWES
President, VP, treasurer, board member, AACE, Board member, liaison, committee head and committee member (several)
Society of General Internal Medicine, Co-Chairman, Minority Interest Group Section, The Forum, SGIM newsletter
Ethics Committee, Task-force member on Pay for Performance, Women on Track at Vanderbilt University, Co-founder and executive member
IMAP Physician Advocacy Fellowship, assisted Governor Philip Bredesen (TN) in writing Health Policy book, Fresh Medicine, Diabetes Care Center, Bettendorf, Iowa
Medical Director, PromiseCare for diabetes, Clinical Head
AACE, Chair, Young Physicians Subcommittee
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.
LIBERAL (7)
*United Auto Workers
*Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO
314 Action
AFSCME Council 61
*Vote Mama PAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (8)
Iowa Medical Society
AFL-CIO
Vote Mama
314 action
ISEA
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
Kay Pence (2022)
Phyllis Thede (2022)
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (4)
Kay Pence (2022)
North America's Building Trade Unions (2022)
Phyllis Thede (2022)
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be allowed before the fetus is viable, or under circumstances that are discussed between a woman and her doctor.
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?
The tax code should be made progressive, not regressive and should be sufficient to support the goals and aims of government for the good of those governed.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Did not answer
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Choose not to answer
Public education K-12 should be guaranteed. Community and other public colleges must have fees and costs that are proportional to the cost of living in an area and which make education within the means of a lower class person. I am the product of public schools and know how it is the great equalizer and allows people to move up the economic ladder and achieve financial and educational success as long as the price is not too great for those who are lower economic class to afford.
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.
Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
All states, the District of Columbia, and territories have vaccination requirements for children attending childcare facilities and schools. These vaccination requirements are important tools for maintaining high vaccination coverage and low rates of vaccine-preventable diseases. The quote above is from CDC website. I agree.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
The US can deter terrorism by acting justly in the world. There also needs to be a differentiation between deradicalization and disengagement. While it is sometimes not possible to deradicalize someone, it is possible to disengage them from committing or supporting acts of violence while allowing them to maintain their beliefs. Per DHS.gov: “We need better interventions focused on disengagement rather than deradicalization. I don’t know how you would deradicalize someone, but I do have ideas on how you can disengage. They can still be radical in their views, but maybe they start to realize that violence is not the answer."
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.
Choose not to answer
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
People from all nations should be able to immigrate to the US, legally and with appropriate background check.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Neutral
I absolutely support all sorts of education for students. I do not support using public funds for private education.
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.
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.
Did not answer
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe in one God and in a merciful savior. My goals for healthcare and for health in general is that society will take actions that will allow people to lead healthy, productive lives. I believe that government has the responsibility of generating the resources, assembling the systems, and training people needed to deliver support as needed to its citizens. As two years of a coronavirus pandemic have made clear, people acting only in their own self-interest hurts us all in the long run. We must all care for one another, as the scriptures instruct us to do. Micah 6:8 comes to mind: "What does the Lord require of you but to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
We do business and other forms of interactions without photo identification and there are many means of verifying the identity of a person currently that do not require photo identification. As long as the rules are applied equally and well-understood by citizens, then they are moral and good.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Did not answer
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism does not threaten domestic security, however it is a sin to treat one of God's children as less than another because he loves us all the same.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Did not 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.
Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. The next generation will thank us.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Did not answer
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Government must protect those who are unable to protect themselves, make laws that free people and not enslave them, equitably judge people for offenses and mete out justice for all, with mercy.
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?
Moderate
I have some views on either side of the isle. I am very comfortable with discussion and compromise and think the best governance is somewhere in the middle.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://iowastartingline.com/2022/08/10/mothers-passing-during-pandemic-spurred-figaros-pro-family-senate-run-in-bettendorf/
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?
Today too many elected officials put partisan politics ahead of informed independent decision making. When a patient comes to my office, I listen to his or her problems make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan that is patient-centered. As State Senator I’ll always listen first to my constituents’ problems before I craft solutions that will meet their needs. Private healthcare decisions should stay between a patient and her doctor without interference from the government. I will oppose any legislative decision that will lessen a person’s personal autonomy.
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 am pro-law enforcement and public safety. I am also for immunity for police officers whose conduct is consistent with departmental policy, assuming such policy is consistent with morality and safety for the general public.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
Police funding should remain with the police.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Did not answer
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Did not answer
