Robert Gabriel Sterling
Republican | Georgia
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Robert Gabriel Sterling
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary, Judicial General and Senate District 7 Specials
Race
Secretary of State
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, BA, 1988-1993
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Church of the Redeemer, Member, 2020-2026
Sandy Springs Conservancy, Board Member, 2019-2026
Beltline Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee (TADAC), Board Member, 2019-2025
Sandy Springs Charter Review Commission, Chairman, 2021-2021
Sandy Springs Development Authority, Vice Chairman, 2012-2019
Sandy Springs Hospitality & Tourism Board, Vice Chairman, 2006-2011
City of Sandy Springs Referendum Committee, Co-Chairman, 2005-2005
Committee for Sandy Springs, Board Member, 1999-2005
GA Republican Party House District 52, Chairman, 2001-2010
Georgia Federation of College Republicans, State Executive Director, 1990-1993
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Sandy Springs, GA City Councilman, 2011-2018
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Georgia House of Representatives, District 43, 1998-1998
Chairman, Fulton County Commission, 2017-2017
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate was interviewed by Frontline in 2023.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Rape, Incest, and life of the mother
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Separation of church and state means no government-run church, but never pushing faith out of public life. America was shaped by and founded on Judeo-Christian values, and as John Adams said, our republic's success requires a moral people. The First Amendment protects both against establishment and for the free exercise of religion—ensuring faith can be lived out freely in our communities. Some seem to ignore the second part, the free exercise, of that charge.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
They are our primary adversary in the world in the 21st Century.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Absolutely—our relationship with Israel is vital. They are the only democracy in the Middle East and a strong ally that shares our values. For many of us, Israel’s significance is rooted in our shared faith heritage, as well. Supporting Israel strengthens our national security, advances peace through strength, and reflects a commitment to stand with friends who uphold freedom. October 7 showed the level of threat they are under, and the true nature of our shared enemy. We must stand with them.
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.
This question is more complicated than the options presented. I would, of these options, be closest to C. But this question is framed for the Federal level. I think we should be able to port insurance with us to whatever job we have. We've separated the consumer from the costs. Also states and counties fund hospitals, clinics, cities run emergency medical services. 500 characters aren't anywhere near enough to discuss. The patient should be the central person that any system should be built upon
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
This is a wildly dangerous idea that would put life decisions in the hands of bureaucrats and would put us on a destructive path.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Higher minimum wages saw off the first rungs of the job ladder. In states and localities where we have seen it increased, the people it was intended to help it actually hurt through job loss and closed businesses. It's hardest on family businesses.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1. Centralize software and data. Departments are paying different rates for different contracts. We should make sure Georgia is paying the lowest unit rates for all software services. This could potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars. 2. Review, Consolidate, and Sunset. We should review/audit outcomes for programs. Consolidate redundant programs. Sunset/eliminate ineffective programs. 3.Move to shared services model for back end functions. There is too much administrative staff.
IMMIGRATION
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.
Agree
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Agree
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
The goal of the criminal justice system should be threefold: to punish wrongdoing justly, to rehabilitate offenders so they can reenter society as productive citizens, and to protect the public from those who remain a danger, because some can not be released back on society. A system that balances accountability, redemption, and public safety best serves both justice and the common good.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
As a gun owner and strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I believe we can protect both rights and public safety. Laws should keep firearms out of the hands of violent criminals and those adjudicated mentally unfit, enforce penalties for criminal use of firearms, and improve reporting and background checks—while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms responsibly. I think Georgia has the correct balance with Constitutional Carry.
ABOUT YOU
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
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
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
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
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred union between one man and one woman. While the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision requires government to recognize same-sex unions, it does not give government the authority to force churches or people of faith to change their beliefs or practices. Religious liberty must be protected.
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was baptized in October 2020 at The Church of the Redeemer (PCA). I came to full appreciation of faith later in my life, after growing up more of a "cultural Christian". I was drawn to a faith that is honest, not a motivational slogan—one that acknowledges life is hard and we live in a broken world. We are flawed and sinful, and our hope is not in ourselves but in the saving grace of Jesus Christ alone. Being honest, I'm not great at articulating it. But I am trying to live a life of faith. I pray often. I try to set an example so others may find their own way. None of it is easy in this world. Also, I am a new father, so we feel an extra responsibility to teach our son the best way to live, to put him on a faithful path.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly 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.
Strongly Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Disagree
Climate changes on our planet constantly over millennia. Many of the policies pushed by those calling it a crisis would cost trillions over time, hurt economic growth, for very little effect by their own admission. But we can agree on work on resiliency for those events that do have impacts. People have always done that.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Liquid Natural Gas is reliable and relatively inexpensive. However, the long term goal should be small cell nuclear generation.
