Sharon E. Ashurst
Republican | Virginia
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Sharon E. Ashurst
Party
Republican
Election Year
2023
Election
General and Fairfax County and Loudoun County School Boards
Race
House of Delegates, Dist. 20
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Maryland, College Park. MD, B.S, 1983
Strayer University, Washington, D.C., MBA, 1983
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Boy Scouts of America, Den Leader, Unit Commissioner, New York State Jaycees
Vice President, President, City of Manassas Republican Committee, Operations Chair, Unit Chair
Republican Party of Virginia, 10th Dist Rep to State Central Committee, Family Services Advisory Board City of Manassas
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
Jason Miyares, Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia
Rob Wittman, Member of Congress, First Congressional District of Virginia
Tim Hugo, Former Virginia State Delegate
Rich Anderson, Chairman, Republican Party of Virginia
Glendell Hill, Sheriff, Prince William County, Virginia
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2023)
Harry J. (Hal) Parrish II (2015)
Jackson Miller (2015)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Rape, incest and health of mother.
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.
Disagree
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Reduction in small business and corporate taxes; elimination of personal property taxes.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
As Virginia currently carries a large surplus, there is certainly room for tax cuts.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None. The freedom of religion must be protected
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?
Under no circumstances should the government, schools or an employer mandate vaccinations. This is a health and/or religious decision left to the individual.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Immigration policies must be strengthened, increased monitoring of terrorist websites and chats, and education.
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.
Neutral
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Asylum seeker and those who file for visas for work or school. Additionally, immigrants with skill sets that are needed in this country to enhance our economy and way of life.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Agree
I also believe that at the same time, we must overhaul our public school system to bring back the essentials of learning so that our students can compete in the real world.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Neutral
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Agree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Protestant, raised to believe in God as our creator, a loving and forgiving God. I believe in working hard to provide for my family and to set an example to people I met to be kind, loving and generous, and to help those who truly need our help.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Curtail the 45 days early voting put in place during the pandemic. Require photo identification.
EQUALITY
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
I do not believe that true racism exists as the media projects. People are quick to call anything racist these days without understanding the meaning of the word. However, in the context of the misunderstanding of the word, yes, it is a threat.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
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) One doesn't have to look farther that the Keystone Pipeline where the administration closed down the project, laid off hundreds of people and said they could all find other jobs. Not necessarily, as those jobs were technical jobs related to a specific industry.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Neutral
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
According to the Constitution, the general purpose of the government is to protect its citizens, ensuring their God-given rights and providing a strong National defense.
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).
None
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?
If elected, I will work with law enforcement to ensure criminals are prosecuted rather than set free to become repeat offenders as is the current case. I would also like to work on recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers. Our school systems have abandoned a merit system; class standing are no longer maintained and there are minimum requirements for graduation. Instead of teaching the essentials, reading, math, history, science, teachers are more concerned with not hurting underachievers. We need to concentrate on bringing back the essentials, reestablishing a merit system that encourages achievement and I would like to make this a priority. Additionally, parents want and need to take a more active role in their childrens' education, a role many teachers have assumed. Many small businesses in Virginia fail because of the tax burden. By decreasing taxes to small businesses and corporations alike, the money once allocated to taxes can be rolled back into the business to hire more employees, purchase more equipment, expand product line. I want to look at regulations that not only penalize businesses through the tax structure, but also look at regulations that make it difficult to start a business and to stay in business. Personal property taxes were supposed to be phased out years ago. In Northern Virginia, to avoid personal property taxes, I believe many residents are registering their vehicles in other States. The question I am asked so often is, "if I paid sales tax when I bought the car, why do I have to keep paying taxes every year." Good question. Let's get rid of those taxes and register those "out of State" cars in Virginia. Several jurisdictions have implemented food tax, so when a family goes out to dinner, not only do they pay Virginia State tax, they pay an additional tax greater than or equal to the State tax. What may have been a once a week outing, may now be a once a month.
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
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Mental health checks.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
