Derrick R. Hildebrant
Republican | Oklahoma
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Derrick R. Hildebrant
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
Republican Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist. 23
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Masters of Divinity, 2017
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Tulsa, Bachelor of Health Promotion Education, 2008
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Doctor of Philosophy (candidate), 2025
Community College of the Air Force, Montgomery, Assoc. Science - HR, Occ Safety, Fit/Rec, 2002, 2009, 2013
Tulsa Community College, Tulsa, Associates in Arts, 2004
WORK & MILITARY
United States Air Force, 138th Fighter Wing, Senior Enlisted Leader, Chief, 1998-2024
AFFILIATIONS
Journey Bible Church, Pastor/Elder
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Catoosa City Council, At Large, 2015-2018
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (3)
Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association OK2A
Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights
Make Liberty Win
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
NWPVA – National Women’s Prayer and Voting Army,
Catoosa Fraternal Order of Police (FOP),
Catoosa International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF),
Young Americans for Liberty
OTHER INFORMATION
Derrick Hildebrant is rated "A" by OK2A.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
As a father of seven children and a pastor who believes life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-18), I am a biblical pro-life advocate and strictly opposed to abortion. The only circumstance in which an abortion should be remotely considered is when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. In this rare ethical dilemma, it is my experience that most mothers would give up their own lives for the life of their child. Abortion is murder.
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 Disagree
We live in a day where abortions are not being conducted in clinics anymore, instead they are being carried out in the privacy of one's home or on the couch in a dorm room. The unborn are being terminated in the womb by abortifacients. All pharmaceuticals used for abortions should be banned in the State of Oklahoma.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Absolutely not. PP should be held accountable and prosecuted by the attorney general if they traffic OK women across state lines for abortions. Oklahoma needs to be a sanctuary state for the unborn.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
No. As a pastor, the Bible tells us that it is God alone who determines our appointed times and the length of our days (Acts 17).
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
As a former city councilor in Catoosa, I learned the success of municipal government was based on the three legged stool of jobs, businesses, and rooftops. As a city councilor, I advocated for a free market economy and championed small businesses along Route 66 as the main artery that provided economic prosperity to our city. Private property owners have sovereign rights over their own land and their private ownership is vital to free market capitalism.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
My first job was a $4.25 minimum wage. I didn't complain. I was happy to have a starting wage. The free market should determine a starting wage, it should not be regulated. A minimum wage is a starting wage and a starting wage is not a living wage.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
No. Public money should never be subject to social credit scores or ESG ratings. This is America.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
As a pastor who ministered and maintained fellowship throughout the pandemic, I trust the leadership of the church and the scriptures that command us not to forsake the gathering of the assembly (Hebrews 10:25) before I trust the government to give instruction on when and where to gather. There is no circumstance under which government has the authority to close any church.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
As a pastor, I would never marry a same-sex couple because it would violate my conscience and my religious beliefs. Neither would I expect anyone else provide any service that would violate their beliefs or morals. The government has no authority to coerce an individual or business to violate their religious or moral beliefs.
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.
D. As a member of the DoD for 25 years, I have seen wasteful spending and poor management of taxpayer dollars first hand. We do not need to entrust our hard earned money to the government to fund massive healthcare programs when our money could be much more efficiently and better managed by individuals in the private market. We need to move progressively towards defunding public programs that burden taxpayers and allow individuals to invest in their own money in their own private healthcare.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
I was a member of the DoD and survived the government Covax mandate. This was a gross violation of medical and religious freedom by the federal government. There is no circumstance under which forced vaccination should ever be tolerated or legal.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Agree
As a member of the DoD and 25 year veteran, I understand very well the threat of China. However, we do not need to move into an offensive military posture and establish military bases all over the world. Congress needs to fund NDAA with the express purpose to fund the Department of "Defense" as America needs to maintain a defensive posture, thus avoiding offensive militarism all over the world.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes, the US needs to maintain a relationship with Israel because they are a strategic ally. However, foreign aid for Israel often leads to the funding of foreign wars. Israel is capable of defending itself without significant US involvement. Politicians who believe supporting Israel for religious reasons have poor theology. The Israel of God is the church (Gal 6:16) not ethnic-national Israel. We do not need to enter into a religious war but as is possible we need to live at peace with all men.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
As a 25 year veteran of the National Guard who has sent men to the border to secure it, I understand the importance of border security. Both the federal and state government have a responsibility to secure the southern border. A physical barrier is desperately needed to stop the influx of illegal immigration now at 16+ million. The National Guard, USBP, and DoD should all employ a role in providing physical security along the Southern (and Northern) border.
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 Agree
I attended public school K-12 and had a great experience. My children have a hybrid of private and homeschool education. They are academic, responsible, and godly. Parents have absolute authority in how and where their children are educated. Public funding for K-12 should follow the student wherever their parents decide is best to educate their children. Additionally, state boards of education should be represented by board members from all sectors of public, private, and homeschool.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
As a father of seven children, I am pro-family. It is sad that we have to even say today that there are only two genders. Children do not have the capacity to decide to mutilate their body and attempt to "change" their gender. This is child abuse and should be prosecuted as such for any guardian who permits or advocates such abuse.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Parents not only have the right but the responsibility to make decisions for their minor children. God put children under the authority of their parents for this very purpose.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
Absolutely not. I was a member of the DoD where these types of services were being advocated for service members. There is never a reason that taxpayer dollars should ever be used to provide services such as hormone therapy or genital mutilation.
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
As a pastor and theologian, marriage is a God-ordained institution between one man and one woman established in Genesis 2 and further developed in Ephesians 5 as a picture of Christ and the Church. The government cannot change the biblical definition of marriage nor can they coerce the church to recognize any alteration of this definition. Marriage is an institution of the Church first and foremost.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. Truth is found in the 66 inspired books of the bible. I believe in the Trinitarian God of the scriptures who is real and living and has revealed himself in the created order, the conscience, and in the scriptures. The Gospel is the good news of the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Repentance and Faith is required for salvation. Jesus is Lord.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Voter ID should be required in all 50 states.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
Absolutely not. The electoral college was designed to represent all states and allow minority states to have a voice too. A popular vote is like two wolves and a lamb voting on dinner. It only benefits a major voice and neglects the minor voice. The minor voice needs to be heard too. If a popular vote was authoritative, elections would be decided by the most populous cities (LA, NY, etc) and states in the nation while smaller states would have no voice at the ballot box.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No. As a 25 year military veteran, I have served with the most diverse people groups in the nation and when we deployed to combat, skin color never mattered, we all bled the same color and served the same purpose. We are one nation under God and we are one human race. Skin color does not define major differences in true Americans. If racism were a reality today, then it would be a domestic threat, however racism is much more fabricated by the MSM than it is authentic in the US.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
No. CRT needs to be abolished. CRT follows a marxist philosophy. The United States has a clearly documented history where racism existed in the form of enslavement and a civil war was fought to abolish slavery to the point where our constitution was amended (14A) to reflect a new American citizenship with equal protection under the law. American history is unique in that our country is one of very few, if not the only nation, who have turned from the sin of racism and abolished it.
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
Absolutely not. Males have no place in female sports; God made male and female bodies uniquely different. Males who occupy female spaces should be held accountable as sexual predators.
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.
A. As a member of the DoD, I have served under strict environmental laws and regulations and our mission suffered. These regulations are burdensome and rarely provide a tangible benefit in the end product. The same goes for environmental laws and the economy, if the laws are burdensome and don't provide significant benefit, then red tape needs to be cut so the economy can prosper.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
As a lifelong Oklahoman, all of our natural resources are essential for human flourishing. We need to drill for oil, burn coal, frack, seek nuclear options, harness wind power, embrace solar, and seek out all other alternative power sources.
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?
The general purpose of the government is to protect its people (from evil) and keep society safe (Rom 13). American government is one uniquely of the people, by the people, and for the people. We are a representative republic that seeks to protect our inalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
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
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
As a member of the DoD, I have deployed to many nations and have seen lawless nations fail at many levels. I support the just rule of law as well as the just enforcement of law.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None. 2A: The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The public is most safe when the right of the people to bear arms is not infringed. Gun free zones are a public hazard that puts the lives of law abiding citizens at risk.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
Yes. Teachers at my children's school keep and bear arms and I am thankful for it.
