Don Brown
Republican | North Carolina
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Don Brown
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
Primary
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist 8
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, BA, 1983
Campbell University School of Law, Raleigh, JD, 1987
U.S. Naval War College, Newport, (Nonresident Internationa Law), 1992
WORK & MILITARY
Navy, Lieutenant Commander, 1985 - 2001 (Active & Reserve)
AFFILIATIONS
Order of St Johns (Eccumenical - Carolinas Priory), Commander
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
None
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
None
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Michael Flynn
OTHER (1)
*North Carolina Grassroots Government PAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
General Michael Flynn, former Trump National Security Advisor
Hon. Lynn Wheeler, former Mayor Pro Tem, City of Charlotte
Hon. Jim Bell, Mayor of Weddington, NC
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
WinRed (2023)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
WinRed (2023)
OTHER INFORMATION
8th District Congressional Candidates John Bradford and Don Brown debate their different positions on a a federal "Heartbeat Bill" to protect life.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under no circumstances should Planned Parenthood or any abortion provider receive taxpayer dollars.
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.
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Virtually never. As a general rule, elective abortions should not occur.
Does the federal government have a role to play in limiting abortion, and if so what federal steps and/or federal legislation would you support?
Yes. First off, the Hyde Amendment should be enforced. We've gotten away from it. Secondly, federal tax dollars should not be used to fund military abortions, or any other abortions for that matter, which in andof itself is a violation of the Hyde Amendment. Third, federal courts must come to recognize that unborn babies also have constitutionally protected due process rights, consistent with the rights afforded the unborn under probate law, the law of personal injury. etc. To this point, this happened, but this must change.
ECONOMY
What actions would you take that would allow Americans to retain more of their income and wealth?
Push for massive deregulation, capital gains tax cuts, and income tax cuts. Additionally, numerous federal bureaucracies must be eliminated or severely scaled back, starting with the Dept. of Education. I upport a "fair tax" system to end the IRS.
Student loan forgiveness unfairly shifts the financial burden to those not responsible for student debt.
Strongly Agree
"Student loan forgiveness" is yet another scheme by the left to buy votes, a Marxian-like redistribution of wealth. This should never happen.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
ESG and DEI are ploys to divide us by "identity politics" and shift power to government. These philosophies must be crushed and destroyed.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
First off, the phrase is not in the Constitution. Jefferson described it in a letter to the Danbury Baptists to explain that the state must stay out of the affairs of the church. Jefferson's explanation is good enough for me. I advocate the "Free Exercise" Clause of the First Amendment meaning that religion can be practiced freely anywhere, including city or town council meetings, without government interference. Praying in Jesus' name is constitutionally acceptable. Everywhere.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Government, forcing individuals and businesses to provide services that violate moral or religious beliefs, even indirectly by pressuring corporations to force behavior, is not only unconstitutional, but it is also fascist and cannot and should not be legally tolerated.
HEALTHCARE
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Never. The constitutional violations aside, having these entities force vaccinations on a widespread basis constitutes the unauthorized practice of medicine on a massive scale. All vaccination decisions should be voluntarily made by the individual.
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.
Choice C. While philosophically, and idealistically, I would favor D, as a practical matter, millions of Americans over 65 have paid into Medicare all their lives, and deserve to get their investments back. Still, we must work towards better solutions leading to an increasing detanglement of governmental interference in health care, at all levels. Governmental involvement destroys the overall quality of health care, and we must move towards decreased governmental involvment.
NATIONAL SECURITY
With regard to America's foreign policy, which view most closely resembles yours: A) The United States should intervene whenever freedom is threatened. B) The United States should selectively help countries trying to grow democracy and fight tyranny. C) The United States has become too involved in others' policies and should remain focused on issues regarding our own sovereignty unless in imminent danger. D) The United States should stay out of foreign conflicts completely.
I support Reagan's vision of "peace through strength," But we cannot be and should not be the world's policeman. My criteria for military involvement are limited: 1, Is there an imminent threat to the United States' national security? 2, Is action necessary to immediately protect American lives? 3, Are we retaliating for harm against Americans, and 4, was a NATO member attacked? If one of these comes into play, then we can consider action. But the use of military force should be a final resort.
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
CCP is the principal international threat to the United States.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Not only is Israel the only democracy in the Middle East, and our strongest ally against radical Islam, but the United States and Israel are bound historically and by our common Judaeo-Christian biblical culture. Moreover, Israel is one of our strongest and most loyal allies in the world. More than any two countries, the U.S. has deep bonds with Great Britain and Israel that cannot be broken. Regarding Israel, see also, for example, Genesis 12:3.
What are the causes of decline in U.S. military recruitment and retention?
As an ex-naval officer, this bothers me more than most. The short answer is Woke, DEI and political correctness. The military, under the democrats' lead, puts men in women's dresses and glorifies this decadence. We wonder why the Army and Navy are missing recruiting goals. Biden-Austin, from day one, started a 60 "standdown" hunting "nationalists," and constantly pit service members against each other based on race and other liberal concocted "differences." This WOKE/DEI garbage must end.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
I would advocate using the military, if necessary, to help secure the border. A major physical barrier must be constructed all along the southern border, and the military must stay involved even after construction of the border wall.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Immigration policy must be reformed to put the needs of the United States first. We need engineers, computer engineers, data programmers, biologists, scientists, etc. Immigration should adopt and support a policy that makes us the most economically competitive nation on earth. We should also consider religious persecution as a ground, particularly persecution against Christians and Jews, the most persecuted religions internationally.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
Two of my three children were home-schooled for some time, and I served on the school board of a Christian school, and chairman of a Christian school. I have lectured many times to large homeschool groups. In education, smaller is better, and competition improves the large public school systems. I support programs such as these to improve education in North Carolina and the United States and make school choice available to millions of parents.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
Yes and not just the Department of Education. I would eliminate or severely neuter numerous weaponized federal agencies. But the Departmentnt of Education is a great start. The Department has been a disaster since its exception. American test scores have dropped, particularly against Pacific Rim nations, and the Department has pushed disastrous "National Standards" like "No Child Behind" and "Common Core," not only weakening American students' math standards but also radicalizing language arts.
VALUES
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
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
Would support federal felony laws to punish persons engaged in gender ideology grooming and bodily mutilation against children.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
Not only should taxpayer funds not be used, but "gender transition" for minors should be criminalized.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a born-again Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ. I do my best to live by the truths of the Bible and adopt my core philosophy from it. Among my life verses are Romans 8:28, Deuteronomy 6:18, First Timothy 6:12, and Second Timomothy 4:7. We are called as His creatures and servants to bring glory to Him.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree
The Electoral College is one of the greatest checks and balances in our Constitution. The founders understood that corruption coalesces in big cities and could threaten freedom and liberty for Americans living outside these urban areas. If we abolished the Electoral College, corrupt cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles will control the White House. This cannot happen, ever.
EQUALITY
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
"Critical Race Theory," embodying a false, discriminatorily racist philosophy, is one of many communist tools designed to divide and conquer the American republic. CRT should be banned from the public arena.
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.
Strongly Agree
Interesting that the left claims to support women's rights, yet viciously attacks women's rights, and Title IX (designed to protect women competing in college sports) by pushing this transgender garbage, where biological males dressed as women destroy womens' sports.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Disagree
The "green movement" is nothing but a governmental and globalist power grab, based on whipped-up, hysterical doomsday scenarios that have no basis in reality. Case in point? Al Gore famously and falsely claimed that the ice caps would be melted by now, and New York City would be underwater. This is the type of false hysteria they whip up to scare people into believing this garbage, and to argue for more taxes and regulations.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Oil and gas, followed by nuclear.
ABOUT YOU
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 Conservative
To be more precise, not just "very conservative," but a constitutional conservative. Our goal must be to return government to operations under a constitutional order. The federal government has gone way off track. All actions taken by Congress must be filtered through the lens of the Constitution and constitutional principles.
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Defend the freedom of the individual, or in the words of the Preamble, "to provide for the common defense, to promote the general welfare (not a welfare state) and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." Put another way, beyond providing a common defense, the government's purpose is largely to preserve individual freedom and protecting individual property rights.
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.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
The Supreme Court should be reformed to include more seats.
Strongly Disagree
SCOTUS needs more constitutional conservatives among the nine seats already designated, but additional seats beyond nine is simply a political, leftist ploy to water down the slim conservative majority. Hold SCOTUS to nine sets.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Disagree
First off, these "community programs" are not within the constitutional purview of Article 1, Section 8. Plus even if this were a constitutional expenditure, "community programs" do not deter criminal activity, or make our communities safer.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
No more restrictions are needed on gun ownership. To protect public safety, federal concealed carry, and portable carry, allowing Americans to cross state lines with guns, without fear of prosecution, should be implemented. Moreover, I oppose background checks for secondary sales, such as at gun shows and private sales. In fact, public safety can be improved by having more responsible citizens become gun owners, which will deter crime.
