Gary St. Lawrence
Democrat | Georgia
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, Masters, 2012-2013
Ottawa University, Phoenix, Bachelors, 2002-2004
Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, VA, Associates, 1988-1989
WORK & MILITARY
U.S. Army, Sergeant/E-5, 1980-1989
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
N/A
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Georgia State Senate District 51
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (2)
VoteVets PAC
Georgia Equality PAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (7)
AFL-CIO Georgia
Vote Vets
Mom's Demand Action - Gun Sense
Georgia Majority for Gun Safety
Georgia Equality
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Gary St. Lawrence (2026)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Gary St. Lawrence (2026)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Disagree
Federal and state funds should be used to ensure any facility is sanitary, efficient, medically sound and licensed.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be legal for all cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy is life-threatening to either the fetus or the mother.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Disagree
Once the fetus is viable and has a nervous system, legal protection should apply. Otherwise, an early-stage abortion is no different from a woman's natural menstrual cycle.
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Neutral
This statement is too vague to answer effectively.
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Disagree
No government official or agency has the right to restrict a human being's personal medical decisions.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Raise it to at least the federal minimum.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Agree
This is true up to the point where it impedes, denies or otherwise adversely affects people, property and livelihoods.
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1. Mandatory annual forensic audits of all government revenue, sources, expenditures and contract funding. 2. Identifying and eliminating all transactional padding, excessive/redundant fees/charges/stipends in government spending, and all "markup in any stage or part of a government contract. 3. Eliminate/ban feasibility and exploratory studies that have already been conducted previously, and claw back funding of studies and committees that fail to enact any resulting actions or improvements.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Get ALL religion out of all levels and political practices. Require all religious organizations to publicly report political donations. Tax churches that participate in politics, including endorsements and/or recommendations during sermons and services.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Agree
As long as the beliefs are enacted fairly, equally and without retribution or public persecution, regardless of political leaning.
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.
Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, without restrictions, but with provision restrictions. Private insurers must conform to a universal cost and pricing structure that ensures minimal patient cost and a *reasonable* standardized profit percentage for the company.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
Invasion of privacy.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Agree
The threat is genuine. Bur media and administration lies and exaggerations are misleading to the extent and frequency of threat scenarios and occurrences.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
No more or less than it's diplomatic and humanitarian relationship with any other country.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Agree
Protection of those who have become citizens and/or are actively pursuing citizenship is critical. Rampant racial prejudice cannot be allowed, tolerated or endorsed. If they're here legally, leave them alone. If they're here illegally, deport them *humanely*.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Disagree
Structured, standardized educational requirements are critical. Local interpretations of facts, history, philosophy and conscience must not differ from state to state.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding ANYTHING related to or part of the federal government and its operations.
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Agree
Too vague to answer effectively. Parents should consider/follow known, evidentiary medical and educational facts.
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Agree
CONDITIONAL ANSWER: Given that specific verbiage of this statement, I agree that FORCING transition is child abuse.
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 Disagree
Marriage is not a political subject, and no government at any level should dictate marriage circumstances. This follows my position of "Get religion out of ALL government. "
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Choose not to answer
Too vague and inspecific to answer.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Faith is strictly a one-to-one relationship with the deity a person chooses to worship. Faith and the practicing of faith should not be mandatory. Organized religion should promote fellowship. Organized religion should never be involved in - or a consideration of - politics.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
The same ID a person can use to drive a car/motorcycle; buy cigarettes, alcohol, toxic chemicals, and spray paint; and get married or adopt a baby should be sufficient to register to vote. No other additional IDs or documents should be necessary. A state-issued license or ID has already been vetted by official local, county and state agencies.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Disagree
The exception to this is in individual cases where it is clear and proven that a government official or entity racially discriminated against an individual or group. I oppose blanket reparations of any kind.
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.
Agree
No further explanation necessary.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Agree
I trust factual, demonstrable science over the word of anyone or any entity claiming otherwise because they stand to profit from a lack of environmental protections.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Solar is the nearest-to-inexhaustable energy source on earth, followed by hydrogen power.
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?
Lean Conservative
My financial views are conservative in the definitive - not political - use of the word.
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.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
Innocent until proven guilty. Punish the proven-guilty. Make punishments an active, effective deterrent. Apply all laws and sentencing to all individuals equally, without any bias, exception or circumstantial objection. Period.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Agree
However, what constitutes "sexual exploitation" must be clearly defined. And any practitioner of it must be punished severely without any bias, exception, exclusion or circumstantial objection whatsoever. Period.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Agree
Nor should ANY religious doctrine, theology or practice, without exception.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Protect children and families from improperly stored guns. Eliminate/reduce gun suicides. Ensure guns are used, stored and kept safely and responsibly.
