Rob Hodgkinson
Libertarian | Kansas
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
Candidate did not provide
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
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).
Strongly Agree
I believe that Planned Parenthood serves a positive purpose - just they should not receive taxpayer money.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
All options should be available
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Disagree
From birth on -- yes The trying to define human life at conception (and for the next 9 month) will have way too many unintended consequences.
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Disagree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Disagree
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
The minimum wage hurts the people and the economy - not help it.
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.
My priorities are pretty simple: eliminate programs that duplicate each other, get rid of outdated spending, cut unnecessary administrative overhead, make sure state contracts are competitive and accountable, and move decisions back to the local level or private sector when they can do the job better and for less money.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
To me, separation of church and state is pretty simple: government should stay out of religion, and religion should not be used as a tool of government. People should be free to practice their faith, or no faith at all, without government interference or favoritism.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
I disagree. People should generally be free to decide who they do business with and what services they provide. Government should not be in the business of forcing someone to violate their personal, moral, or religious beliefs. At the same time, they also have to live with the consequences of that decision, including public criticism, loss of customers, or boycotts.
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.
C is closest to my view today. Medicaid and Medicare are already deeply embedded in our healthcare system, so abruptly ending them would create real hardship. Long term, I would like to see government play a much smaller role in healthcare, with more competition, transparency, and individual choice. Any move away from taxpayer-funded healthcare should be gradual and responsible, not done overnight.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
Absolutely not. Government has no business maintaining a database of people based on their medical conditions simply to measure their economic cost. Medical information is deeply personal, and once government collects it, there is always the risk of data breaches, misuse, expanded access, or that information being used later for purposes never originally intended. People should not have to surrender their medical privacy to become a line item in a government database.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Neutral
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Not in any special or unique way. The United States should maintain peaceful diplomatic and trade relationships with Israel, just as we should with other nations, without the military-industrial complex driving that relationship.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Neutral
I am neutral on sanctuary cities because I see legitimate concerns on both sides. Local governments should have discretion in how they use their law-enforcement resources, but sanctuary policies should not become a shield for people who are committing serious crimes or trying to avoid accountability for them.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
I strongly support returning education policy and decision-making to the states, local school boards, parents, and teachers. Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education is not about being against education; it is about putting control closer to the students and communities being served, where accountability and local needs can be addressed more effectively.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Neutral
I would not support a blanket prohibition. Legitimate international educational and research partnerships can have value, but any funding from a foreign government should be fully disclosed and should never come with control over curriculum, research conclusions, or school policy.
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
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Disagree
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
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Neutral
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am an atheist, but I try to live by values that are pretty simple: be honest, treat people fairly, take responsibility for my own actions, help others when I can, and let people live their own lives as long as they are not harming someone else. My Libertarian beliefs fit naturally with that outlook—respecting individual freedom, personal responsibility, and the dignity of each person.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
I am neutral. Requiring photo ID can create a barrier if obtaining that ID costs someone money or is difficult to access, which raises legitimate concerns. At the same time, acceptable identification is generally not difficult to obtain, and verifying that voters are who they say they are, is reasonable.
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.
Choose not to answer
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Disagree
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
nuclear (fission/fusion)
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?
Choose not to answer
The answer will depend on your interpretation of the definition of the terms above. I will fall under a "freedom/liberty" category
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?
The goal should be to protect people from those who prey on others—physically, financially, or otherwise—and to hold those offenders accountable. Enforcing victimless-crime laws wastes resources that should be focused on real threats to public safety.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Agree
I somewhat agree. Government has a role in investigating and prosecuting those who sexually exploit children online, but parents should be the first and primary line of protection. Government should target predators, not use child safety as an excuse for broad surveillance or control of everyone’s online activity.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
I agree. Sharia law should not be incorporated into our legal system, but neither should Christian, Jewish, or any other religious law. Government should operate under the Constitution and secular law, while individuals remain free to practice their religion as they choose.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Very few. I strongly support the Second Amendment and the right of peaceful, law-abiding people to own firearms. Restrictions should be narrowly focused on individuals who have been convicted of serious violent crimes or clearly demonstrated that they are a danger to others, with strong due-process protections in place. “Public safety” should never become a vague excuse to restrict everyone’s rights.
