Damon Townsend
Other | Washington
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Damon Townsend
Party
Other
Election Year
2024
Election
Primary
Race
Secretary of State
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
WGU, Salt Lake City, UT, MBA, 2016
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
IOOF
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Pierce County Auditor, 2022
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
Damon Townsend is running as a candidate for the No Labels party in 2024.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Not relevant to my office - personally I believe that abortion should be legal, safe, and rare.
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.
Agree
Any prescribed medicine should be administered under the care and orders of a doctor as complications can occur with any medicine.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Neutral
I am not a fan of taxpayer funds going to any private organization.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
I support people's choice for themselves, but also see potential abuse and conflict of interest when medical services are provided by insurance companies and the government. If the cost for the payee is lower their is a financial incentive to encourage "treatment"
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
For public safety only - a condemned building, imminent danger, or if a church is being used for non-religious operations.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
I believe in a free market, we live in a time and place where you can get goods and services from around the country, delivered to you in a day, or even same day. If a business or individual does not want to provide a type of service, their rights should not be impinged on by forcing them to do so, unless in an extreme case where there is no other alternative.
NATIONAL SECURITY
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?
Israel represents the only democracy in the Middle East, and we have a history of supporting democracies over authoritarian governments.
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.
None of those options reflect my opinion. I think that the idea that healthcare is a 'benefit' or a 'right' are both false. Healthcare is like food, shelter, and the other list of needs. I think that the current system is completely broken, and support the idea of catastrophic care insurance - and personal responsibility for day to day health maintenance - insurance is not a maintenance plan for cars or houses, it shouldn't be for health.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Mandatory vaccinations have been part of our society going back to smallpox inoculations. But also standard long term vetting and testing was done in the past. I support required vaccinations (with some exceptions) for well established vaccines.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
What is your position on the minimum wage?
A minimum wage does not properly allow for free markets. Often good intentions of raising the minimum wage leads to job losses and technological replacements for labor. I more support wage transparency, like in the gig economy.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
Yes
Yes, but not with more weight than any other consideration. The end goal of a project should remain paramount, and all factors in its implementation should be considered.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Agree
I believe in tall walls, with wide gates. We need to stop unregulated, unvetted, and unidentified people from entering our country, but we also need to understand that they often do it illegally because the normal and proper process is cumbersome and slow.
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.
Agree
I believe in free markets. Any monopoly will become complacent, while competition makes everyone better. The state has a vested interest in the education of the next generation, but when the state system is often failing, alternatives should be available.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Simple enforcement of current laws would go a long way. The 2nd amendment defines the right of people to keep and bear arms. Removing a right without due process is unconstitutional. I have no issues with background checks, restrictions on the rights of those that have broken the law, and safe storage requirements.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
If a teacher is certified, trained, and assigned as a protection officer, I fully support them being able to carry a weapon that could save their student's lives.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
Never
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
Never
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.
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
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Neutral
The question is leading, all children should be protected from abuse. The definition of abuse is the question here, but not properly asked.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Agree
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Neutral
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Neutral
There are two aspects of marriage - religious and civil. In many countries around the world they are separate. A church has the right to define marriage in their religious context, but on the civil side we define marriage as a legal institution.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a non-denominational Christian. I believe in the truth of a creator, I believe that the bible was divinely inspired and written, and there is a lot of evidence in the bible that matches scientific observation. I also believe that Christianity is the 'free market' religion, that you cannot force your 'product' on others like a communist economy. Well reasoned 'sales' are the only way to bring someone to Christianity, not laws or forced conversions. Jesus spoke to all, and clearly defined the separation between church, state, and market.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
People need to prove who they are to vote, how they do it is up to technology. I support our current system, but would support better, more modern solutions as well. I consulted with a company that did mobile phone voting, where the voter needed to do a live facial recognition test to cast a ballot, that is more security than a photo id - see how many underage folks get in to clubs with fake ID.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Disagree
The constitution specifically created the electoral college to elect our president. I do support more states moving to a districted electoral college allocation, like Maine and Nebraska do. That would better represent both the will of the people, and the reasoning behind the electoral college. Each state gets one elector for each congressional district, and two additional for the senate seats. The electoral votes for each district should be based on the vote there, and the senate from overal
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism is ridiculous, and the sooner we move on from even differentiating people by 'race' the better. As long as society puts people in arbitrary classifications they will be a domestic security threat.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Disagree
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.
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.
Between B and C - there are clearly instances where strong rules and regulations are worth the cost - a river in Cleveland caught on fire back in the day because of a lack of laws, but some are over the top and do not truly remedy a problem, they just add cost and 'export' the pollution to another country, compounding the problem.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Fusion power would provide free, clean, and abundant energy for all. More effort should go into developing controlled fusion. Barring that, fission, win, wave, geothermal, hydro, and other methods that do not involve the combustion of fossil fuels.
