Matthew Welde
Democrat | Washington
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Matthew Welde
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2024
Election
Primary
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist. 5
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Candidate did not provide
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
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Democratic Organizations (2024)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
This video shows a debate at Moran Prairie Library in which the candidate took part.
The candidate also participated in a debate held by North Central High School. This link shares sound bites of each topic discussed.
Candidate talks about some of his positions in this article.
In this article, Matthew Wilde talks about his campaign for Congress.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Disagree
Organizations such as Planned Parenthood offer many other services besides abortion which are important for women's health. These organizations are how we avoid forcing young girls to carry rape babies and how we avoid empowering rapists to choose with whom they want to procreate.
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.
Disagree
Maintaining safety standards for women is fine. The reporting requirement constitutes an obvious violation of women's right to privacy. Collection of information regarding reactions or outcomes should be entirely voluntary.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Under current medical science, there have been births as early as 21 or 22 weeks where the child survived. In a normal pregnancy, meaning one resulting from consensual intercourse where there are no complications endangering the fetus or the mother, if the pregnancy reaches 21 or 22 weeks, it is fair to view that as the mother having exercised a choice to carry the pregnancy to term. An elective abortion should be allowed at any point prior to that. Prior to viability, her uterus, her rules.
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. Once a normal pregnancy reaches viability, which can be at the 21 or 22 week point under current medical science, the government should impose protections on the fetus absent specific circumstances necessitating otherwise, such as danger to the life of the mother, the mother has diminished capacity to make a choice regarding the pregnancy (which can be due to mental disability, for example), or the mother is a minor child and the pregnancy is the result of rape.
ECONOMY
What actions would you take that would allow Americans to retain more of their income and wealth?
I would support a healthcare system modelled on nations whose systems provide quality care, quality access, and are popular such as Switzerland, France, or Japan, so we can eliminate employer-based healthcare and the associated payroll deductions.
Student loan forgiveness unfairly shifts the financial burden to those not responsible for student debt.
Disagree
Federally managed student loans already use income-driven repayment plans resulting in borrowers paying back far less than they borrowed with eventual forgiveness. Student loan forgiveness speeds that process up, but under no circumstances was full repayment ever going to be required. When that aspect is considered along with the benefits of forgiveness, the positives outweigh the negatives. Student loan forgiveness is essentially a subsidy. It is no more or less unfair than other subsidies.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
Yes
Public monies should not go to the worst polluters (environmental), entities that operate with low employee safety standards and/or poor working conditions (social), or entities that practice poor cybersecurity, or entities that use corrupt business practices (governance). This is an important check on private economic power in our system of checks and balances.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
No governmental agency or actor, or anyone else working on the government's behalf at any level, should be able to compel anyone to engage in any form of religious observance nor punish or prejudice any person for refraining from engaging in any form of religious observance.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Choose not to answer
HEALTHCARE
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
The government should not be allowed to mandate all people get a vaccination under any circumstances. Schools are an exception due to the children being in close proximity to each other. At-will employees can be terminated for not being vaccinated.
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 option A or option B would work if modelled after the correct system. There are other western democracies that have either a single-payer system or a public option system where there is high quality of care, high access to care, low costs, and the systems are popular among the residents. Examples include Switzerland, France, and Japan (among others). The United State should look to such systems for guidance. We need to get rid of employer-based healthcare.
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.
Option B.
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. Israel is a representative democracy and is our strongest ally in the Middle East region. It is important for the United States to support democratic Israel and it is also important for the United State to have an ally in that region.
What are the causes of decline in U.S. military recruitment and retention?
There are quite a few reasons. The most predominant reasons are low unemployment and that the percentage of young adults who meet the military's recruitment standards is very low due to poor fitness records, youth obesity, criminal records, and drug use.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
While my area of focus as a prosecutor is domestic violence, I work with prosecutors who handle drug cases. I also work with law enforcement who investigate drug cases. The flow of dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl coming across the southern border is a major problem that needs to be dealt with for the sake of our schools and communities. Increased border security is also important for national security and to address the problem of human trafficking.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone who legitimately wants to come to the United States to improve their quality of life and can pass a background check. It should not be that difficult. When I was in school as a child, I was taught that America was the great melting pot and I learned about how people came to America through entry points like Ellis Island. The plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty says "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". That should be a source of pride.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Disagree
Voucher programs don't make any sense. As soon as a voucher program is enacted allowing a student to use their voucher for a private school, all of the students already attending any such private school will immediately use their voucher and a considerable amount of public funds will go to that private school to pay for the students already there. Meanwhile, the private schools don't have room for all of the public school students, so only a few would be able to switch. It's absurd.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Disagree
Maintaining certain national standards is a good idea.
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 Disagree
Marriage is a legal contract.
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Choose not to answer
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Choose not to answer
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
No.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
The State of Utah conducts its elections almost entirely by mail and there does not seem to be any problems. There is no reason that the rest of the states cannot follow their lead.
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Disagree
The Electoral College is part of our system of checks and balances that helps maintain majority rule with minority rights and recognition of state sovereignty.
EQUALITY
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Neutral
CRT is just that, a theory. Whether the theory is accurate or inaccurate is a proper basis for debate and discourse. I disagree with efforts to prevent CRT from being included in our public discourse.
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.
Choose not to answer
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Agree
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
The sun.
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?
Moderate
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The general purpose of government is to maintain our system of checks and balances that prevent the accumulation of political or economic power into the hands of the few.
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.
Disagree
The only reform needed for the Supreme Court is that confirming a new justice should require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate so that only bi-partisan consensus nominees can make it to the bench.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Disagree
I support community programs, but development and funding of community programs should be in addition to police, not at their expense. Our police departments are already under funded and struggling to hire and retain personnel.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (also known as red flag laws) and expanded background checks that look beyond criminal or arrest records.
