Rich Tatem
Republican | Florida
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Rich Tatem
Party
Republican
Election Year
2024
Election
Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist 72
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, BS, 1988
French Political Science Institute, Paris, France,, Certificate of Political Studies, 1989
Middlebury College, Paris, France, campus, MA, 1990
WORK & MILITARY
United States Air Force, Colonel, 30
AFFILIATIONS
Meals on Wheels, meal deliverer, Feeding Empty Little Tummies
meal deliverer, Colorado Springs Rescue Mission, tutor and mentor
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Manatee School Board, 2022-2024
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (2)
Florida Family Action
*Rick Wells
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
Conservative Watch USA
Bikers for Trump
Bikers for 45
Colonel Douglas Macgregor
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Rape, incest, life of the mother is at risk
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 Agree
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Only under the rarest of circumstances, such as major and repeated fire code violations. The closing of churches during the "covid-era" was, purely and simply, unconstitutional.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
As a former military officer, I know that the threat from the CCP is real and dangerous.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. The USA is a country founded on Judeo-Christian values. The USA should support Israel both on moral grounds and on the fact that it is a close American ally and the only functioning democracy in the Middle East.
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) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded. I see no constitutional authority for the federal government to pay for healthcare other than for federal government employees and their dependents.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
I am against vaccine mandates. I believe that vaccines are a medical decision that are best left to be decided between patients and doctors.
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?
I agree with Thomas Sowell and other like-minded economists: minimum wage laws cause unemployment to rise, especially for younger workers, by interfering with the contractual freedom that employers and employees should have to negotiate wages.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
The responsibility for every crime committed by an illegal immigrant falls directly at the feet of the Biden administration for refusing to protect America's borders and for refusing to enforce immigration laws.
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
As a sitting school board member in Florida, I am a strong supporter of school choice because I see its positive effects.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Strongly Disagree
The communities that need the police the most are the ones that can least afford "defunding the police."
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
I am close to being a second amendment absolutist - meaning am I against most government restrictions on gun ownership.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
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?
I concur with these words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Governments exist primarily to "secure rights."
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
I believe in free-market economics, limited government according to the Constitution, and individual responsibility.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
"Gender affirming care" is nothing more than a euphemism for "bodily mutilation."
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Strongly Agree
I am a strong supporter of parental rights and have voted as such as a school board member.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
"Gender affirming care" is nothing more than a euphemism for "human 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
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. I believe in Romans 10:9, that "Jesus is Lord" and that God "raised him from the dead." I attend church on a weekly basis. I have daily prayer time, and I endeavor to live my life according to the Ten Commandments and to the Sermon on the Mount. As the second US president, John Adams, wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "my religion consists of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount."
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No, racism is not a threat to domestic security. After Barrack Obama's first election, and certainly after his re-election, all ideas of racism being a barrier to anyone having equal opportunity in America should have ceased. Sadly, Obama fanned the racism flames, rather than celebrating his election as a national healing moment.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
CRT, and its evil spawn "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," (DEI), are just racism against whites in disguise.
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
I strongly agree - and lament the fact that our country has arrived at a place where this issue even needs to be addressed.
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) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Nuclear power. It has zero carbon emissions, modern technology allows for safe storage of nuclear waste, and the environmental footprint of a nuclear power facility is much smaller than thousands of acres of solar panels and windmills.
