George Roughead
Republican | North Dakota
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
George Roughead
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist.10
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, B.S. Composite Secondary Social Studies Ed.
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (1)
National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF
OTHER (1)
*NRA-ILA
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I don't believe in elective abortions. Every human is valuable and complex situations can sometimes mean that only one person can be saved. But the elective abortion process is unethical.
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
I don't believe that you can have a safe drug that results in the ending of a life. This question is itself contradictory. Safe abortion doesn't exist, the purpose is the ending of a life.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I don't understand why the government is spending money to reduce the amount of citizens it has. That's a very poor policy and strange choice of spending.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
We used to send people who wanted to die to therapy, now we tell them that their desire to die is valid and that we will help them. I wouldn't want to be a depression patient nowadays...
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
According to my reading of the the 1st Amendment, there are no circumstances.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Forcing people to produce things they don't want to is a fitting definition of slavery.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
They say they do, and I believe them.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Our relationship with Israel is important because they are a democratic country surrounded by dictators in the Middle East. We have a historical obligation to them because of the way their state was (re)formed. Our support should be strong, but not a blank check for Israel to get themselves into trouble for no reason. When they are attacked, we need to be there.
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.
Either healthcare should be completely run by government, like we do the military, or it shouldn't be touched at all. We get into trouble when we mix the two into a frankenstein monster that blends public and private and uses public money to enrich private insurance companies.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Government, never. Schools, depends on public or private. Employers, if negotiated with an employee. It's not right to force employers to employ people they don't want to employ either. It's a market, which has two sides.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
History has shown this over and over. The Cold War was the clearest example of a free market versus a government run economy. It's sad that we have to relearn this lesson every generation but that's the way it is.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Thankfully in North Dakota we don't need this discussion because wages are so high.
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 monies should be invested to serve the public, not ideologies. The problem with ESG is that the people who made it assume that they know what is best for every company all over the world and also what is best for every country all over the world. That's pretty arrogant.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
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
The money is for the child's education. It tells you a lot about the status of the public school system, that they know the only reason people go there, is because they have to. That's the situation, and these families are held prisoner. Attach a percentage of the money to a student, and where the student goes, the money goes. The remaining money can stay with the public school to help other students at a higher dollar per capita rate. Everyone wins then.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
Instead of taking from one and giving to the other, increase the funding for both. The state should be keeping people safe.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
According to the 2nd Amendment restrictions on gun ownership cannot be done by the federal government, and states shouldn't do much other than take them away from violent felons or abusers.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
We already trust them to raise the children, and if they were going to go on a spree, it would happen regardless of any law you pass.
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 protect individual rights. In order to do this, the government is given just powers by the consent of the governed.
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
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
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
Government shouldn't be involved in religious ceremonies. Let people do what they want in their churches.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Christian.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
Everyone that wants to vote, is capable of getting proof of citizenship.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
The founders were wise when they created a system that protected smaller states from being bullied by larger states. There were problems early in the Republic in which states would quite literally tax each other. The electoral college helps keep each state on legally level ground. It also keeps me save in North Dakota from the political wishes of someone in California. I like to keep states different and give people a place to escape from bad policies.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
It can be, when agitated to the point where people believe they're being oppressed by their own government.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
The US used to have this problem of systemic racism, it not longer does. Racism still exists in a small group of people's hearts and minds, but it is not coded into laws, and isn't systemic. Racism is barely possible in today's America where nearly every person has mixed ethnicity.
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
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.
C) Our environmental laws are typically poorly written and implemented. That being said, we should protect the environment from oil spills like have happened from train derailments in North Dakota, but in general the environmental issues we have are not temperature related, but instead related to chemical spills. That's a real issue that I think both sides can agree on.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Coal. The other sources are great, but the question is most reliable which excludes wind and solar etc. If I could wave a wand though, we'd be doing modern nuclear which doesn't 'meltdown' like the older forms.
