Wayne Steele
Democrat | Tennessee
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Wayne Steele
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 16
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Everglades University, Boca Raton, FL, Master's of Public Health Administration Concentration in Functional Nutrition, April 2024
Everglades University, Boca Raton, FL, Bachelor's of Science in Alternative Medicine, April 2017
University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, Associate's of Arts in Psychology, July 2013
Utah College of Massage Therapist, Salt Lake City, UT, Massage Therapy, August 2006
Southeastern Career College, Nashville, TN, Massage Therapy, April 2004
Gateway Christian Schools, Memphis, TN, High School Diploma, April 2002
Everglades University, Boca Raton, FL, Master's of Public Health Administration, December 2024
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Reform Party, Member, Unitarian Universalist Church
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
TN 4th U.S. Congressional District, 2018
TN 4th U.S. Congressional District, 2022
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
ActBlue (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (4)
ActBlue (2022)
Local, County, and District Democratic Organizations (2022)
Matt Ferry (2022)
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
Wayne Steele completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024.
Steele completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connections Survey in 2022.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Up until just before viability, or the life of the baby and/or mother are in danger up and until 40 weeks.
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.
Disagree
Self-identification of reactions and outcomes should be voluntary. Telehealth via mail should be available for low-risk patients. In-person consult should be required for high-risk patients, such as those with clotting or blood pressure disorders.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
Life of the mother is paramount. Life of the baby should be sought at viability until 40 weeks.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Agree
Get the government out of the business of patients with irreversible ailments and the doctors who care for them, for those seeking to die with dignity.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Neutral
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Should be increased nationally to $15/hour and increased annually based on CPI inflation.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
Choose not to answer
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None, except in public health emergencies.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Agree
Everyone has choice. A business owner chose to open a business. No one forced them. If you think you have the right to access paid public roads, phone services, and electricity, just like everyone else does, you have the right to serve everyone who comes into your business. Don't try to play the not serving black people based on thumping a Bible. I served all patrons in my small business, irregardless to faith, political affiliation, or any other social construct.
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.
B.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
When herd immunity needs to be attained to prevent or slow the spread of infectious diseases.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes, our relationship with all countries and regions to assure religious freedom is important, including all faiths.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Agree
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.
Strongly Disagree
Public funds for schools should stay in public school systems. If you want to send your kids to private schools, pay for it out of pocket or find a private school that offers scholarships. I graduated high school through private, Christian homeschooling, and I worked as a busboy to pay the donation to the school and for my school books. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps if you live in an area with underperforming public schools! I did it. Free public K-12 is now available for homeschooling!
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Agree
Children should be protected from straight white male predators in schools and churches, who try to deflect and say it's LGBT people who groom and abuse. Those who are arrested don't lie.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Neutral
When the child is in distress, such as pregnant at age 10+ years, and the parent wants to force their child to birth a baby and they don't want to, the child's choice should overrule the parents'. Vice versa, if the parents want to force the child into an abortion, and the child wants to keep the baby, the child's choice should overrule the parents'. Same goes for vaccines.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Agree
For those aged 18+ only.
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 Disagree
You do you. Don't want to get gay married? Don't get gay married! The government should not be controlled by a church; we're not Isreal, Vatican City, the UK, or any Muslim country. Let one church try to rule, they'll all be competing. Churches should stay out of the way of government & people's personal lives. Faith is personal, not governmental. We have no legal equivalent to the Church of England, which we broke away from, & it should remain that way. Some churches believe in gay marriages!
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was saved at a Vacation Bible School by the Blood of the Lamb on July 20, 1995, baptized born again 3 days later. I have since in adulthood found truths and non-truths in Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, and Paganism; I have yet to study Islam, Hinduism, or Judaism. I believe in the original Aramaic Bible. We as humans have no right telling others' faith is wrong. I sustain my mental health partially through prayer, meditation, and the principles of Buddhism: radical acceptance and controlling our seeds of anger. Therefore, I renounced my membership of the evangelical Southern Baptist church in 2022. I now identify as a Unitarian Universalist, but have yet to join.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Each person's voter registration card they receive in the mail should have their photo on it, always provided for free.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Agree
We need Presidential candidates to compete in all 50 states and the various territories. National elections should not be determined by 1-6 "swing states;" that places the value of the swing state votes over others' votes. Republican votes in California should matter just as much as Democratic votes in Tennessee.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Yes, race wars tear countries apart. We need to avoid domestic terrorism caused by race bating, but also write strong domestic terrorism laws, both federally and state, to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, up unto and including the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Agree
The systems are only setup by heterosexual Christian white men to benefit heterosexual Christian white men. Ergo: racist.
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.
Neutral
May not be a popular opinion: Sports teams, bathrooms, etc., should be split into 4 groups of gender rather than 2 sexes. Having cis women compete and be in spaces with and against cis women, cis men with and against other cis men, trans women with and against trans women, trans men with and against other trans men, would create competition and camaraderie based on those who are closer biologically with like hormones and lived experiences.
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.
B & D
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Solar and wind.
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?
To uphold the Constitutions of the U.S. and individual states; to set limits as to protect against infringement on others' lives and rights; to promote the general welfare of prosperity with jobs in the economy and make upward mobility as least burdensome as possible for ALL Americans; to take care of the impoverished, hungry, and disabled.
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?
Very Liberal
I lean very liberal, but believe we should govern in the style of Teddy Roosevelt: The Progressive Middle.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Neutral
Both should be robustly funded to help people avoid committing crimes and to protect the innocent.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Background checks on all purchases, whether at a gun store or show, P2P sales or gifts; barring access and ownership of those with misdemeanor and felony domestic abuse or assault which can never be reattained; red flag reports for a person's safety towards their person and others, which reports are NOT anonymous with laws prosecuting those with malice intent; barring access and ownership of those with mental health issues like uncontrolled PTSD or Bipolar Disorder and suicide attempts.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
No
How will cops know who the assailant(s) is(are) when they arrive if there are multiple shooters of good guys and bad guys?
