Stephen Samuelson

Agree

I do not support taxpayer funding for abortion. At the same time, I believe women should continue to have access to preventive healthcare, cancer screenings, and family planning services that do not involve abortion, through providers that comply with state and federal law.

Elective abortion should be limited and carefully regulated, with clear exceptions to protect the life and serious health of the mother, and in cases of rape, incest, or severe fetal abnormalities incompatible with life. Decisions should be guided by medical professionals, informed consent, and reasonable gestational limits, while prioritizing compassion, responsibility, and the goal of reducing the need for abortion through prevention and support.

Agree

I believe human life has intrinsic value and deserves legal protection. From a scientific standpoint, life begins at conception, as evidenced by modern biological research. However, in a pluralistic society, the role of government is not to impose individual moral or religious beliefs, but to balance the protection of life with compassion, medical realities, and the legal and cultural framework we live under. Laws should reflect that balance rather than absolutism.

Agree

I believe human embryos, including those created through IVF, should be treated with dignity and not created or destroyed recklessly. At the same time, I support ethical, responsible fertility treatments that help families have children, and I don't support policies that would ban IVF or punish parents or doctors acting in good faith. Reasonable ethical standards should protect life while allowing medical care to continue.

Disagree

I don't support using a 19th-century federal law to impose nationwide abortion policy without congressional action or voter input. While I'm personally pro-life, abortion policy should be debated and decided through transparent, modern legislation and within the constitutional framework, not through expansive reinterpretations of obsolete statutes.

I support raising the minimum wage in a responsible, phased way and indexing it to inflation so workers keep up and businesses can plan. I also support a youth training wage and relief for truly small businesses during transitions.

Strongly Agree

Free enterprise and private property rights are the foundation of economic growth, innovation, and personal freedom. Government’s role should be to protect these rights while ensuring fair rules, competition, and accountability so markets work for everyone.

Eliminate redundant programs & agencies by consolidating overlapping responsibilities across state & federal partnerships. Require performance-based budgeting so agencies must show measurable outcomes to justify continued funding. Reform government contracting to reduce no-bid contracts, cost overruns, and revolving-door inefficiencies. Modernize outdated systems and processes that waste taxpayer dollars through inefficiency rather than results. Increase transparency and public accountability

Separation of church and state means the government shouldn't establish or favor any religion, nor compel religious belief or practice. At the same time, it doesn't require religion to be excluded from public life. Individuals are free to bring their moral and faith-based values into civic discussion, but laws must be grounded in the Constitution, equal protection, and the rights of all citizens.

Disagree

Individuals and businesses shouldn't be compelled by the government to act in direct violation of their sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. Religious liberty and freedom of conscience are fundamental rights. At the same time, the state has a role in ensuring that lawful services remain reasonably accessible through alternative providers, without forcing individuals to violate their beliefs.

I support a system where government-backed healthcare options are available for those who want or need them, while preserving private healthcare and insurance markets for those who prefer them. This approach balances access, affordability, innovation, and individual choice, and avoids forcing Texans into a single government-run system.

Strongly Disagree

I support the use of anonymized, aggregated healthcare data to improve efficiency and outcomes, but I oppose government databases that track identifiable individuals’ medical conditions. Protecting privacy and human dignity must remain paramount.

Strongly Agree

This is about the actions of the Chinese Communist Party as a governing regime, not the Chinese people. The United States must respond with strength, alliances, and strategic clarity while avoiding unnecessary escalation.

Yes. The U.S. relationship with Israel is important due to longstanding strategic, intelligence, and security cooperation in a volatile region. That said, alliance does not mean unquestioned agreement. The United States should support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself while also being willing to question actions, escalation decisions, and policies that risk unnecessary civilian harm or long-term instability.

Disagree

I don't support blanket sanctuary policies, but I also oppose fear-driven enforcement that targets families or workers. Immigration policy should balance law enforcement, human dignity, and practical integration pathways rather than symbolic political standoffs.

Agree

Education decisions should be made as close to students and parents as possible. I support dramatically reducing the federal Department of Education’s role and returning primary authority to states and local communities, while preserving limited federal functions such as civil rights protections, special education standards, and transparency in outcomes.

Agree

Foreign governments shouldn't be allowed to influence American education. Funding and control should remain transparent, domestic, and accountable to the American people.

Strongly Agree

Parents are the primary guardians of their children’s health, education, and moral development. Government should support and respect that role while intervening only when a child’s safety or well-being is clearly at risk under existing law.

Agree

I oppose irreversible medical or surgical interventions on minors, as children aren't developmentally equipped to make permanent decisions about their bodies. Protecting children from harm should be the priority. At the same time, families should be able to access counseling, mental health support, and age-appropriate care without political coercion. Public debate often oversimplifies this issue, policy should be guided by child welfare, medical ethics, and parental rights rather than ideology.

Disagree

I believe marriage is sacred within my faith tradition, and religious institutions should be free to define and uphold marriage according to their beliefs. However, civil marriage is a legal institution governed by law in a diverse society. Government should not impose religious doctrine, nor interfere with the freedom of religious institutions to define marriage within their own communities.

Disagree

I am cautious about expanding gambling because it often shifts financial risk onto families and communities while offering uncertain long-term benefits. Any discussion of expansion should be driven by clear evidence of public benefit, strong consumer protections, and safeguards against predatory practices, not by short-term revenue goals.

My spiritual beliefs are rooted in respect for human life, personal responsibility, humility, and service to others. I believe truth can be pursued through both faith and reason, and that science and moral reflection aren't in conflict. While my values are informed by a belief that life has inherent dignity and purpose, I don't believe in forcing religious doctrine through government. Instead, I believe a free society works best when individuals are allowed to live according to their conscience, families are strengthened, and laws are shaped by shared civic principles rather than sectarian rule. My guiding values are integrity, compassion, accountability, and stewardship of both people and institutions.

Disagree

I support reasonable photo identification requirements to protect the integrity and public confidence of elections, while also ensuring that every eligible voter has free and easy access to valid identification and alternative verification methods where appropriate. Election security and voter access aren't mutually exclusive.

Strongly Disagree

I oppose race-based reparations. While America must honestly acknowledge and address historical injustices, government policy should focus on lifting people based on need, opportunity, and present-day barriers, not race. Lasting solutions come from expanding access to education, housing, healthcare, and economic mobility for all Texans who are struggling, regardless of race.

Strongly Agree

I believe sex-based spaces exist to protect safety, privacy, and fairness, particularly for women and girls. While all people should be treated with dignity and respect, policies must be grounded in biological reality and prioritize the protection of vulnerable populations. Respect and compassion should not require eliminating clear boundaries that exist for legitimate safety and fairness reasons.

Disagree

I believe environmental stewardship and resilience are important, but I don't agree with framing climate change as requiring urgent political action that often leads to economic harm, reduced energy independence, and ineffective top-down mandates. I support practical, science-driven solutions focused on innovation, infrastructure resilience, clean technology, and adaptation rather than alarmism.

A reliable electric future requires firm baseload power. Natural gas and advanced nuclear should anchor the grid, with renewables and storage used as supplements. Reliability, resilience, and energy independence must come first.

Lean Conservative

I hold conservative principles on life, family, economic freedom, and national security, while taking a practical, evidence-based approach to governing that focuses on results over ideology.

N/A

N/A

The primary goal of the criminal justice system should be to protect public safety and uphold the rule of law, while ensuring fairness, due process, and accountability. It should hold offenders responsible for their actions, deter future crime, and focus resources on serious and violent offenses. At the same time, it should promote rehabilitation where appropriate, reduce repeat offenses, and ensure the system is efficient, just, and respectful of constitutional rights.

Strongly Agree

Government has a clear responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation and predatory behavior online. That responsibility should focus on enforcing existing criminal laws, holding offenders and platforms accountable, and supporting parents with transparency and tools, while respecting constitutional rights and avoiding broad surveillance of lawful speech.

Strongly Agree

The United States must operate under one constitutional legal system that applies equally to everyone. Religious beliefs, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or any other faith, are fully protected in private life and worship, but no religious legal code should be incorporated into or override U.S. civil law.

The Second Amendment is a fundamental constitutional right. Public safety should be protected by enforcing existing laws, keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals, and improving mental health intervention with strong due process protections. I don't support broad bans on law-abiding gun owners or commonly owned firearms. Accountability should focus on criminal misuse, not responsible citizens exercising their rights.