Stephen Whitlow
Republican | Louisiana
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Stephen Whitlow
Party
Republican
Election Year
2023
Election
Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist 65
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Juris Doctrate, 1992
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, BS Business, 1989
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Gateway Transition Center, Founder, Franciscan University Psychology Advisory Board
Board Member, Capital Area Autism Network, Board Member
Central City Autism Awareness, Board Member, Franciscan High School
Mentor, St. Alphonsus Church, Catechist, former school board member
Statewide Independent Living Council, Former Council Member, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee - NIH
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
None
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
None
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
East Baton Rouge Republican Party
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Steve Carter (2020)
Franklin Foil (2019)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Franklin PAC (2023)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortions should be illegal in all circumstances. However, programs to support mothers and babies should be encouraged and supported.
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?
The state tax laws should be simplified and reformed to be more fair and transparent. Comprehensive reform should include the reduction or elimination of income tax and other taxes which discourage economic growth.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
State government should focus on fundamental and traditional functions such as infrastructure, education, public safety and health and economic development. All other spending should be evaluated and prioritized based upon the current needs of the state. The state should eliminate dedicated and extraneous spending that is no longer warranted or prioritized.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
The state should focus on supporting and encouraging excellent educational opportunities to students through high school. Students should be well prepared for their choice of university, college, trade school or employment. The state should encourage and support effective and efficient public universities, colleges and trade schools. However, students and their families should not be guaranteed public education through college.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Governments should respect the religious liberties of its citizens and not interfere with our inalienable rights. The state should promote a free economy in which limitations are imposed only as needed to protect the public safety and welfare.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
The First Amendment guarantees the right to practice our faith and assemble without reservation. These rights should be abridged only in circumstances where imminent harm is likely, there are no lessor restrictive alternatives and only for the time absolutely necessary. Such actions should be rare and should require a 2/3 vote of the legislature to ratify any act of the government agency imposing such a restriction.
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. We must provide health care for those individuals that do not have the opportunity to provide for themselves. The state should regularly ensure that recipients are qualified and that the system is not being abused. We must continuously evaluate the cost benefit analysis of policies, coverages and programs to ensure that funds are being spent with the greatest impact and effect. We should also promote and encourage wellness and privately funded programs which reduce or eliminate the need for ongoing and emergent treatment.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Vaccines should only, if ever, be mandated when the long-term safety of the vaccine is established, and the disease targeted is serious and life threatening.
NATIONAL SECURITY
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.
Disagree
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
A secure border is a national security and public safety issue. Efforts to destabilize the border directly threaten Louisiana's safety and open lines of ingress for illegal drug use and other criminal activity.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
The United States was built on immigrants who came to our shores seeking freedom and a better life. With a declining population, the US will likely need additional immigrants to continue to build our economy. We should restructure our immigration system to encourage immigrants that share our values of hard work and freedom and reduce the number of immigrants who are not vetted.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Parental choice and free market forces should shape our school systems. In our public schools, we should reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy and regulations to allow our schools to remain competitive in such an environment.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
Our system of government was established and relies upon the Judeo-Christian belief in the inherent dignity of the individual. The government was specifically designed to recognize and protect the dignity of each and every citizen.
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
The marital laws were originally drafted to protect the family and, more specifically, the wellbeing of each child. If marriage is re-defined to defeat this underlying purpose, the state has no interest in sanctioning such a union.
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 practicing Catholic and active member of our parish. I ascribe to traditional Catholic beliefs and aspire to live my life accordingly. As mentioned above, this belief mandates that I recognize the inherent dignity and freedom of each individual. We must not allow the rights of the collective to supersede the rights of each individual. We are called to love and serve one another and should not outsource this obligation to the state or local government. Finally, the Catholic Church recognizes, and I adhere to, the principle of subsidiarity. Those things that can be done on the local level should not be assumed by the higher authority. As a result, I believe that the federal government should not assume the rights of the state, and the state should not assume the rights of local governments.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I would eliminate the practice of ballot harvesting.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
There are people who place the rights of the collective above the rights of individuals and property owners. To the extent that laws are violated in the name of these beliefs, the violators should be investigated and prosecuted. However, the government should not act as thought police and investigate people for their values and beliefs if no illegal act occurs.
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.
The government should pass laws only as necessary to protect the public safety and health of its citizens. Regulations and bureaucratic entanglements have hindered economic development in our state for years. As individuals, we should be good stewards of our environment. However, the government should restrain itself from imposing unnecessary regulations in the name of the environment.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Agree
Fracking seems to be operating without significant public safety concerns and has been in operation in Canada for years. The proliferation of natural gas through fracking has lowered the cost of energy and reduced gross carbon output. Therefore, I have seen no state interest in limiting or further constraining process of fracking.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The purpose of the government is to provide for public safety (defense) and welfare, plan and build necessary infrastructure, administer the common needs of the community, provide a basic education and protect the rights of individuals and maintain a free economy.
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
As articulated above, I think the government has a limited role in our lives and should be focused on these roles. I am a Christian and live my life accordingly. I believe the government should protect my dignity as a person and reduce its involvement in our lives.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Endorsement by East Baton Rouge Republican Party http://www.centralcitynews.net/eedition/central/page-a03/page_321669b4-971a-5872-8672-28addacb579d.html Forum For District 65 Candidates: https://www.facebook.com/100063744523580/videos/2474136632738225
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 believe that the job of a legislator is to bring people together for the good of our community and to reflect the values of that community in our laws. Sharon and I have demonstrated that ability through the founding and growth of our non-profit, Gateway Transition Center, which taught independent living skills to young adults with autism. We envisioned a solution to a complex problem, we created a plan to alleviate the need and brought others together to execute this plan. I intend to do the same thing as your legislator. I envision greatness for our state. Our plan is to improve the fundamental functions of our state to build a strong foundation for growth and stability. Those foundational issues are public safety, infrastructure, education, and the improvement of our business climate especially as it relates to tax reform. We have demonstrated the ability to bring people together for the good of our community and will use these skills to represent our district in the state legislature.
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
Public safety is a fundamental function of government. I support improvement in the care of individuals with mental health struggles. However, public safety budgets should not be sacrificed in the process.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
I believe the Second Amendment protects the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms. Individuals with record of violent crimes and those with mental health issues should be restricted. But, otherwise, peaceful gun owners should not be punished for the crimes of lawless individuals. We should focus more on the proliferation of illegal guns on the streets and crimes committed with the weapons.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Disagree
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Gambling should be limited to existing forms and should not be de-regulated or expanded.
Agree
Children should be protected from sexualization on the internet, in public schools, and in the public libraries
Strongly Agree
