I believe there are two things every politician should be expected to do.
The first is always be honest.
The second, never hide from the issues.
If you want honest leadership you have to DEMAND full and honest answers on the issues.

RELIGION

I believe an effort is being made to silence Christians in the public square. I have a strong track record as a defender of our faith and our right to be heard on the issues.

LIFE

I have a 100% rating by West Virginians For Life. I helped pass the 20 week abortion ban, a real parental notification requirement, and put an end to taxpayer funded abortion in WV.
I will make every effort to defend the unborn and the vulnerable because without a right to life no other right matters.

2ND AMENDMENT

I have an A+ rating from the NRA and WVCDL. I believe the 2nd amendment means exactly what it says, “shall not be infringed,” and I will continue to protect and and enhance our 2nd amendment rights at every opportunity.

PRO-EDUCATION

Our teachers need to be compensated adequately. I think we need to treat them like professionals and we should also expect professional results. If we want professional results, we have to have high-class educational standards. Treating them like professionals means putting them in charge of their classroom and letting them determine the best way to meet the standards.

I helped end West Virginia’s participation in the Common Core Consortium and put and end to the Common Core aligned SBAC testing in WV precisely because it trampled on a teacher’s freedom to determine the best way to reach and teach the individual child. When all is said and done, teachers don’t teach classrooms, they teach kids and they need the freedom to reach each child in the best way possible.

With that freedom and with better standards, we also need to recognize and reward teachers that are achieving the best results.

We need to return control of our schools to our County Boards of Education, our current top-down, Cuba Style, education system is not serving the needs of West Virginia’s children. Local control is the best and most effective.

PRO-JOBS

The first thing every elected official ought to recognize about jobs is, elected officials don’t create jobs. Elected officials create job friendly environments.

I believe taxes are too high in WV and these high taxes have been a major obstacle to job creation. I opposed every tax increase while in office. I helped stop the largest tax increase ($450M) in WV history proposed by then democrat Governor Justice. I have signed the no tax hike pledge by Americans For Tax Reform Pledge and will continue to oppose higher taxes.

We accomplished many legal and regulatory reforms during my time in the senate. Often these are the types of reforms that fly under the radar, but they are critical for many small businesses in particular. Having the heavy hand of government weigh upon you or being threatened by frivolous lawsuits can be a major factor for many businesses and for many it becomes too much. I believe everybody deserves a day in court of need be, but we have to ensure frivolous lawsuits don’t destroy our businesses and the jobs they create.

When a politician says they don’t know what they think about a major issue what they really mean is they don’t want you to know what they think about the issue. Don’t take “don’t know” for an answer.