Ken Chestek
Democrat | Wyoming
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Ken Chestek
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 13
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA, JD, 1979
Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, BA, 1975
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Legal Writing Institute, President, 2010-2012
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Representative, House District 13, Wyoming Legislature, 2023-24
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (5)
Joe Biden (2024)
Democratic National Committee (2023)
State Democratic Party Organizations (2023)
Wolf PAC (2020)
Hillary Clinton (2016)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I would like to restore the Roe v. Wade standard, including most importantly the right to an abortion at any time to save the life of the mother.
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
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Agree
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?
It must be increased. Workers deserve a living wage and should share in the wealth that they create with their labor.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
Public entities should not be prohibited in investing in companies that have strong ESG policies, either. If a company with strong ESG policies is profitable, public funds should be allowed to be invested there. Public entities should not be required to consider ESG policies either. This question conflates two entirely separate issues.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Extremely rare circumstances. A church that creates a clear and present public health risk should be prevented from creating that risk; if that requires closing the church, so be it. It is hard to think of an example when that might be necessary, though. Maybe a church that engages in ritual human sacrifice?
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Agree
In many cases yes; not in all cases. Businesses that provide public goods that everybody has a right to or a need for should provide them equally to everybody willing to pay for them. Services that require artistic talent or which could be interpreted as embodying the provider's beliefs should not be so required. For example, I don't know why a gay couple would want to purchase food or photographic services from a provider who finds homosexuality offensive, but the provider should not be forced.
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?
To promote public health. Childhood disease vaccinations, for example, have always been required and should continue to be so to protect public health. Major pandemics like COVID-19 should also have required vaccinations.
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?
It is important to protect a historical ally, but when that ally goes too far the U.S. government should use it moral authority to reign in excesses. The war in Gaza is an example of Israel going too far. We need to use our moral authority to help bring an end to the seige of Gaza.
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
This is too complex an issue to answer in 500 characters. It requires thoughtful and honest debate based on facts, not on emotions or misinformation. But overall, legal immigration to this country should be allowed, and liberal policies toward political or humanitarian refugees are needed. Immigrants built this country and continue to provide great value, both economic and cultural, to our country. Knee-jerk reactions against immigrants are beneath us and harm us.
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 dollars should go to public, non-religious schools only. Full stop.
VALUES
Children have the right to be protected from sexually explicit materials in publicly funded libraries, including school libraries.
Disagree
Another trick question. Access to information should be left in the hands of parents and professional educators. Government censorship of library materials is always a bad idea.
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from harm, including from gender ideology and bodily mutilation.
Neutral
I don't know what you mean by "gender ideology" or "bodily mutilation." To me, "gender ideology" is not a real thing. There is science behind gender identification, and we need to respect the science. And does "bodily mutilation" include getting a child's ears pierced?
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Disagree
Again, these questions are way too complicated for short answers. Parents should be allowed to make decisions for their children in many situations, but not all. A parent, for example, should not be able to tell a child struggling with gender dysphoria that the child is one gender or the other; only the child can determine that. Telling a minor child that their gender feelings are "wrong" is extremely harmful to the child.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Agree
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
Marriage is (or at least should be) a civil contract between consenting adults. Whether a church agrees with it or not is irrelevant. Legal rights should never flow from religious sacraments. Legal rights should be equally available to all persons regardless of any religious test.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Mind your own damn business.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
Voter qualifications are determined by signatures in the ballot books. Physical looks can change over time; signatures rarely do.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. The Electoral College is an antiquated system that is no long needed in modern times. Every vote should matter, regardless of where one lives.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Absolutely. Racial animus has been on the rise in recent years, stoked by one political party, and is threatening the very foundation of our democracy. When the majority race can intimidate the minority race from voting, we lose all claim to being a democracy.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Neutral
This is an absurdly unfair question. CRT does not claim that "the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist." All it claims is that most people, of all races, are susceptible to implicit biases that impair the equal treatment of members of all races. And I completely agree with that claim.
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
Another ridiculous question. The terms "biological male" and "biological female" disregard the science where people have ambiguous genes and hormones. "Gender" is socially constructed and biologically complex. The simple "X and Y" chromosome test that this question appears to endorse completely misunderstands gender science.
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.
D
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Renewables like 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 ensure a level playing field so that all citizens can thrive and live their best lives, as they themselves determine.
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 find this scale useless.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Neutral
This is a false choice. I do recognize the need for increased community programs, especially in mental health, but that does not necessarily mean "defunding" the police.
2ND AMENDMENT
Please express your views on the 2nd Amendment.
The version of the 2nd Amendment that I learned in law school begins with the words "A well-regulated militia..." So obviously the 2nd amendment, by the first four words in it, contemplate reasonable regulations on guns. Clearly we need reasonable gun safety laws so we can stop the unconscionable carnage in our schools and communities.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Agree
