Daniel W. Betts
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Daniel W. Betts
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary
Race
U.S. Representative 21
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, BS Chemistry, 2004-2007
University of Texas School of Law, Austin, TX, JD, 2007-2010
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 2003-2004
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Hope Lutheran Church, President, former VP and Elder, 2018-2025
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Synod Delegate, 2023-2023
Federalist Society, Member, 2011-2025
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
US Congress CD-21, 2025-2025
Travis County District Attorney, 2023-2024
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Texas Gun Rights PAC
OTHER (1)
Wind Therapy Freedom Riders
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (9)
Senator Rick Santorum
2025-2025
Former Congressman Keith Rothfus
2025-2025
Former General Paul Ostrowski
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate interview. No Retreat : Moving Forward Podcast. 7 Feb 2026. 27:28 min.
Candidate Q&A. Community Impact. 26 Jan 2026.
Candidate interview. Republican Men of San Antonio Facebook Group. 17 Dec 2025. 7:36 min
Candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
I support the preservation of the death penalty as a punishment available for the most heinous of murders, but its use must be carefully weighed, and protections need to be in place to ensure it is not carried out on actually innocent defendants.
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
There are currently more embryos in the US in cryogenic storage than those who have been born. If conception is the start of life, and it is, we must figure out how to protect these lives,
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
The life of the mother alone. I do not support rape or incest exceptions.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
People who can afford to pay more taxes should do so in order to provide relief for working families.
Strongly Disagree
The myth of excess profits is a pernicious one.
The government should cut spending in order to reduce the national debt.
Strongly Agree
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
Dismantle the administrative state, eliminate the income tax, and ban Congress from trading stocks.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
It is not in the Constitution, but was a desire from Jefferson in a private letter to not see the church corrupted by the state, not the other way around. I strongly support the establishment clause, but believe Christians have an obligation to be involved in politics, in the world but not of the world.
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
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
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.
C
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, they are an important strategic ally in an area of the world where nuclear weapons may proliferate and where radical Islam that hates America already dominates. We don't owe them anything, but where our interests align I would prefer that they handle areas where they are more directly affected but it still affects our strategic interest. If no middle east power gets nuclear weapons we are significantly less likely to ever have to be involved in a full military conflict there in the future
Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security.
Strongly Agree
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Those with specific authorization from the US, and our system should not be random, but merit-based, and should allow us to select carefully who we bring, both for their propensity to actually assimilate, and also to fill true gaps in skills that we need for our economy and national security that we truly cannot fill ourselves.
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
The tenth amendment is the be all and end all of why the Department of Education should never have existed in the first place.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
Education needs to rest with the states, and ultimately even closer to home with the parents, in loco parentis. Foreign governments have no legitimate role in indoctrinating our children.
VALUES
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
A parent who gives their child everything they say they want is not acting in the best interest of the child, that applies across the board, but especially to decisions that affect that child's entire life and even more especially as it relates to impairing or destroying their future fertility.
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 should not be involved in marriage whatsoever, it is a religious institution.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian, I have been my entire life, and I am a Lutheran, which means I belive I am saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and I put my trust in scripture alone as the word of God. I pray daily, both extemporaneous and the Lord's prayer, and I read the Bible daily with my kids for bedtime. My prayer life is centered around the ACTS method, adoration, contrition, thankfulness, and supplication, and that is how I relate to my fellow man to be a witness, that my light may shine before men. Because I hold the supremacy of the Bible, I am a creationist, and 100% pro-life, and I trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I do not know God's plan for me but I pray that his will be done and that he guide me, and I try to heed his call.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Election integrity and destroying the appearance of impropriety are key to restoring and preserving faith in the outcomes of our elections, and from preventing violence when people feel disenfranchised. Voter ID is a very low bar and necessary to preserve that trust. There are other necessary steps as well, but that is the lowest common denominator.
EQUALITY
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 Disagree
Wishing doesn't make it so, and God created us male and female for a reason. No amount of mental illness can change that, and it is not loving for us to endorse delusional beliefs. Furthermore, it creates true threats to women and children to allow such fantasies to be translated into real world situations where their privacy and safety is compromised.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
As a chemist, I know that nuclear energy is the only solution, it is abundant, reliable, and safe.
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
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
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Any restriction on gun ownership is a threat to public safety. The 2nd amendment does protect self-defense and hunting, but only because no infringement on the right to keep and bear arms is allowed. The primary purpose is as a bulwark against tyranny, and because guns are inherently dangerous, there will always be an argument why one restriction or another is reasonable, which is the whole reason that 2A says shall not be infringed. Any restriction is per se an infringement.
