Shawn Savela
Republican | Minnesota
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Shawn Savela
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 8B
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Minnesota, Duluth, Duluth, Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, 1990
University of Minnesota, Duluth, Duluth, Master of Science, Computer Science, 2021
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Duluth City Council, At Large, 2023
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (3)
National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF
Republican Party of Minnesota
Minneapolis Republican Party
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Art Johnston (2024)
OTHER INFORMATION
Small Business Owner Shawn Savela Announces MN House District 8B Campaign
Shawn Savela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Rape, incest, and where the life of the mother is in jeopardy. A hard line of no abortions is a way to keep a continuous battle going on. I think a compromise would be up to the first three months. Neither side is happy, but that's how you know it's a decent compromise. To eliminate it completely will require social pressure and alternatives, not mandates by the government.
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
Chemical abortion drugs absolutely need to meet safety standards. Reporting should be recommended but not necessarily required.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
This is a very emotional issue, and many people consider abortion to be murder. People should not be forced to pay for something like that. If Planned Parenthood can't raise enough money outside of the government, it should be closed down.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
In very rare and special cases, I can see a case for legal assistance of ending someone's life painlessly.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
The backbone of this country is private ownership and independent small businesses. I would like to first cap increases in property taxes, find alternative ways of funding what they pay for, and then reduce and ultimately eliminate them. If you have to pay an annual amount to the government, you're really just renting property and you don't actually own it.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
I don't believe the government should be involved in what businesses pay employees. When the government increases minimum wages, they're really just giving the government a raise with payroll taxes and inflation.
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 be invested in places that help all or a majority of the population and not rely on an arbitrary rating system.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
If the church is actually being used as a church then I see no circumstance where they have authority to close one. If the "church" is actually a front for something else then it would qualify for being closed.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Except for life saving services, which I would like to believe nobody would refuse to perform, a person or business should never be forced to perform any service they didn't want to and for any reason.
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.
C - Medicaid and Medicare are important, especially for retirees who won't have access to employer benefits.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Under no circumstances should the government be allowed to require what is injected into someone's body.
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?
It is important. It's good to have an ally in the middle east.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
If we can't tell who has entered the country, we have no real security and no real nation. Physical security is only part of it, we need to utilize technology and any other means to protect our nation. We also need to do more to physically secure the 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
Parents should control of their children's education, not the government.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
Children are vulnerable and innocent, they need adults to protect them. For bodily mutilation, when someone turns 18 and can afford a surgery, they can choose to have it. I would prefer they wait until they're 25, but 18 is the age of an adult. Under 18 is too young to make life changing decisions.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Parents are responsible for making the best decisions for their children. Children and government are not capable of making these decisions.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
This is an optional surgery, and as such should be self-funded.
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
The government can make any definition they want to, it doesn't change what the definition means to me.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian and follow Christian beliefs and values.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Everyone who wants to vote in person should be able to produce a photo ID.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
Elimination of the Electoral College would be a major mistake. Politicians would cater to the large states and ignore smaller states. The Electoral College is a brilliant way to even out representation.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Absolutely. DEI and CRT policies are causing people with little or no experience and poor temperament to be installed into critical positions in our government and military. DEI and CRT are, in my opinion, racist theories and practices.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
I was born in the late 1960's - my whole life I've heard about equality. I think the United States has done a fantastic job of making laws and opportunities fair and balanced. CRT is being used to now put racism into the systems of government and education.
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
There is absolutely no reason a biological male, "transitioned" or not, should be allowed in a women's-only space.
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) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. Everyone wants a clean environment. We already have very strict environmental laws to cover this. We're heading toward an energy crisis if the government keeps limiting our energy sources and forcing only one kind of energy consumption (electricity).
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
The most reliable energy source is "all of the above". We need to have multiple divergent lines of energy. Solar, wind, gasoline, natural gas, propane, hydro, nuclear, coal should all be in play.
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?
Government's role is to provide services that are a benefit to citizens, allowing them to live a free and prosperous life. Infrastructure (roads, bridges), security (border and military), justice (laws and courts), and safety (fire and police).
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
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
If community programs are going to be included in the solution, they need to be separately funded.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
People convicted of violent crimes should not be allowed to own weapons until they've finished probation.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
Yes, because I don't believe it should be outright banned but I would want strict rules around the teacher being vetted and trained. I would rather have a separate position (i.e. security officer) that would carry a weapon as opposed to relying on a teacher.
